Nostalgic memories of Bristol's local history
Share your own memories of Bristol and read what others have said
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
Add a Memory!
It's easy to add your own memories and reconnect with your shared local history. Search for your favourite places and look for the 'Add Your Memory' buttons to begin
Displaying Memories 41 - 50 of 82 in total
St Mary Redcliffe Church.
Bristol's loveliest church, St Mary Redcliffe, was described as 'the fairest, the goodliest and most famous parish church in England' by Queen Elizabeth I in 1574. Thanks to what Bristol's 1970's town planners presumably considered their finest hour, the church is surrounded by dual carriageways. Enter the church by the north portal, a magnificent structure ...see more
This photograph shows Redcliffe Bascule Bridge which can only be lifted by prior arrangements with the Harbour Master. Today the speed limit within the Floating Harbour is 6mph, and craft proceeding under the Prince Street, Redcliffe or Bristol Bridges should sound one prolonged blast on their horn before doing so.
This 1953 photo shows Bristol's Horsefair in Broadmead not long before the rebuilding of Broadmead after the blitz of theSecond World War. Broadmead runs between Union Street and Penn Street, and was a part of the regeneration of the city centre following the destruction of the Second World War. Broadmead emerged as the central area for shopping in post-war Bristol. In the late 1990s a large ...see more
These Clifton Tennis Courts alongside Bristol's Portway road were built just after the road was opened. The new built Portway from Bristol to Avonmouth a very modern road in its day. The wide A4 Portway trunk road passes along the south-west edge of Sea Mills and links central Bristol with its outport at Avonmouth. Running parallel to the serpentine path of the River Avon, the Portway was the most ...see more
I wonder just how many romances started after meeting under Bristol's old Tramways Clock, the time-piece once at the heart of George White's electric transport system? The mock Tudor facade to which it clings officially Nos 1-3 St Augustine is a familiar landmark on the Centre even today.
It was the home of Bristol's tram and bus company and its enquiry office from 1896 until 1978 when the doors were ...see more
Before the railways (railroads) came, there was no particular reason why people in Bristol, England should keep the same time as people in London.
At that time there was no practical way of communicating information about time over a distance. When the telegraph made such communication possible, it became necessary for people living in one area to agree that they would not keep their own local time, but would all ...see more
There is no getting away from the fact that this is one the most attractive of all roads in Bristol. In Victorian and Edwardian times, Queen's Road was home to a number of institutions.
Here were the Museum and Reference Library, noted for its collection of natural history and geological exhibits, and a reference library containing over 50,000 volumes. The Art Gallery (1905) also housed a museum of antiquities on ...see more
The warehousing which dominated Prince Street, Narrow Quay and Prince's Wharf have been found new uses, largely cultural and media-based. The industry on Canon's'Marsh has gone, replaced by the new industry of tourism. With the construction of Pero's bridge, Bristol has continued the process of reuniting the two sides of its quay, creating and re-creating its topography to meet the needs of a different age.
Driving a major road through Queen Square. It is located in the historic heart of Bristol, just off Bristol's Floating Harbour, about half a kilometre south of the city's main shopping area, Broadmead. The square was begun around 1700 and was the first landscaped residential square in England outside London.
Queen Square in 1937 as workmen begin the first stages of driving a road across the green to make ...see more
The High Street - the scene of many stirring events in Bristol's history and the heart of the city - was destroyed and lost forever during the Second World War.
As a city with docks and industry at its heart, Bristol was a natural target for German bombing during the Second World War. The German Luftwaffe were able to trace a course up river from Avonmouth using reflected moonlight. This path brought them right into ...see more
