Georgian Bristol – City Centre

Bristol’s prosperity increased dramatically during the 18th century with it’s increasing importance as a transatlantic port with its involvement in the  ‘triangular trade’ to Africa and the Americas.; trading in commodities such as sugar and tobacco and, sadly, the associated slave trade.

Expansion of the city meant that there was a building boom with the construction of houses in the classical influenced architectural styles fashionable at the time – styles that today we know as “Georgian” and “Regency”.

There are Georgian style houses throughout the City. This is a very grand example at 29 Queen Square.

It’s very ornate with pediments over the windows on the ground and first floors and with superimposed columns – doric, ionic and composite. Very ostentatious given the relatively simple and more restrained style of the typical houses from the early Georgian period.

This large house on King Street, although plainer, has a very fancy porch over the front door.

These simpler, smaller houses with a stuccoed facade, built around 1794, are on Queen’s Parade, at the bottom of Brandon Park. They have a good view over the park towards Cabot Tower.

 

This house, at the end of the row above on Queen’s parade, has very interesting ogee arches over the door and window. Gothic features, and quite different from it’s neighbours.

This house has been very nicely renovated.

Quite a few houses had iron balconies and verandas on the first floor. These seemed to have been fashionable in Bristol in the later Georgian period and seem to have been added to earlier houses.

In Bristol City centre, here’s relatively few of the planned squares, crescents and rows of houses made to look as if they’re a larger palace or villa,  like you find in other “Georgian” towns and cities like Bath, Edinburgh and Dublin. Although there are some terraces, there were a large number of individual houses scattered throughout the city centre. Even Queen Square, the first attempt at urban planning in the city, was developed as individual houses and small groups rather than as uniform terraces.