Bristol Harbour facts for kids

Bristol Harbour is a special part of the city of Bristol, England. It covers a large area of about 70 acres (28 hectares). This harbour has been around since the 1200s, but it got its current shape in the early 1800s. Back then, engineers added lock gates to a part of the River Avon that used to be affected by tides. They also created a bypass channel for the river. Because the water level inside the harbour stays the same, no matter what the tide is doing outside, it's often called the Floating Harbour. This means boats can always stay afloat!

The harbour starts in east Bristol at Netham Lock. From there, the navigable River Avon continues upstream towards Bath. The first mile (1.6 km) of the Floating Harbour, from Netham Lock to Totterdown Basin, is an artificial waterway called the Feeder Canal. The tidal River Avon flows separately through a channel called the New Cut. This clever design keeps the harbour calm, reduces mud build-up, and helps prevent flooding.

The Floating Harbour winds through Bristol city centre, Canon's Marsh, and Hotwells. At Hotwells, it connects back to the tidal River Avon through a series of locks, leading out into the Avon Gorge. Bristol Harbour used to be the main port for the city. However, as ships got bigger, new, larger docks were built further downstream at Avonmouth and Portbury, about 7 miles (11 km) away.

Exploring the Harbourside

A Look Back at Bristol's Docks

Black and white etching showing the towers of St Stephen's Church, St Augustine the Less Church and Bristol Cathedral, published around 1850. This shows the historic Harbour with sailing ships before the channel was filled in later.

Bristol grew up right next to the Rivers Avon and Frome. Since the 1200s, these rivers have been changed to work as docks. For example, in the 1240s, the River Frome was redirected into a special "deep channel" called "Saint Augustine's Reach." This became the busy heart of Bristol's docks, with many places for ships to load and unload.

The River Avon has very big tides, which can go up and down by about 30 feet (9 metres). This meant that at low tide, ships would often get stuck in the mud. To deal with this, ships had to be very carefully prepared so their cargo wouldn't shift when they rested on the mud. This led to the famous saying "wikt:shipshape and Bristol fashion", meaning everything is neat and secure.

Bristol sailors were exploring the seas very early. By 1420, ships from Bristol were regularly sailing to Iceland. Some people even think Bristol sailors might have reached the Americas before Christopher Columbus or John Cabot. After John Cabot arrived in Bristol, he suggested a plan to King Henry VII: he wanted to reach Asia by sailing west across the North Atlantic. The merchants of Bristol, known as the Society of Merchant Venturers, supported his idea. They had been exploring the North Atlantic since the 1480s, looking for new trade routes. In 1552, King Edward VI gave the Merchant Venturers special permission to manage the port.

By 1670, Bristol had many ships, with half of them used for bringing in tobacco. Over time, Bristol's port became very important for trade.

Building the Floating Harbour

The Cumberland Basin

In the 1700s, docks in Liverpool grew bigger, creating more competition for Bristol's trade. The limitations of Bristol's tidal docks were causing problems for businesses. So, in 1802, a man named William Jessop suggested building a dam and a lock at Hotwells to create a constant-level harbour. This big project, costing £530,000, was approved by Parliament, and construction started in May 1804.

The plan included building the Cumberland Basin, a wide part of the harbour in Hotwells. The walls and posts there are now protected as historic structures. A new tidal channel, the New Cut, was built from Netham to Hotwells, with another dam at that end of the harbour. The Feeder Canal connected Temple Meads to Netham, allowing boats to continue upstream to Bath.

Jessop designed the Cumberland Basin with two entrance locks from the tidal River Avon, which were 45 feet (13.7 m) and 35 feet (10.7 m) wide. There was also a 45-foot (13.7 m) wide lock connecting the Basin to what became the Floating Harbour. This design allowed for flexible use, with the Basin sometimes acting as a large lock when many ships were arriving or leaving. The Floating Harbour officially opened on 1 May 1809.

Launch of the SS Great Britain, a revolutionary ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, at Bristol in 1843.

Patterson's shipyard in the harbour was famous for building many ships, including Isambard Kingdom Brunel's SS Great Western in 1838 and the SS Great Britain in 1843. These were some of the largest ships ever built at the time. The SS Great Britain was so big (48 feet or 14.6 m wide) that it couldn't fit through the lock to leave the harbour! It had to stay in the Floating Harbour until December 1844, when parts of the lock had to be removed to let it pass. At one point, Bristol had dozens of shipyards, with Charles Hill & Sons being one of the largest.

Improvements in the 1800s

The harbour cost more money than expected, and high fees were charged to pay back the loans. This made it hard to attract businesses back from Liverpool. In 1848, the city council bought the docks company to lower the fees. They hired Isambard Kingdom Brunel to make improvements, like new lock gates, a dredger (a machine to remove mud), and special gates to reduce siltation (mud build-up).

By 1867, ships were getting even bigger, and the twists in the River Avon made it difficult for vessels longer than 300 feet (91 m) to reach the harbour. Plans for a much larger lock at Avonmouth were considered, but cheaper docks were built instead at Avonmouth and Portishead. The current entrance lock, designed by Thomas Howard, opened in July 1873. It is 62 feet (18.9 m) wide and is the only entrance lock still used at the City Docks today.

From 1893 to 1934, the Clifton Rocks Railway offered an underground funicular railway ride from the harbour's western end up to Clifton.

Railways at the Docks

The original Bristol Harbour Railway was a joint project that opened in 1872. It ran between Temple Meads and the Floating Harbour, even going through a tunnel under St Mary Redcliffe church. In 1876, the railway was extended to Wapping Wharf. Later, new lines were built, including one that crossed the harbour via the Ashton Avenue swing bridge.

Underfall Yard

Underfall Yard

The Underfall Yard is where the docks' maintenance facilities were built, and it's still there today. When the harbour was first created, William Jessop built a weir (a small dam) at Underfall to let extra water flow back into the New Cut. This was called the 'Overfall'. However, the Floating Harbour started to get very muddy.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel came up with a solution. He designed three shallow sluices (gates) and one deep scouring sluice between the harbour and the New Cut. He also used a special dredging boat to scrape mud from the quay walls. When the deep sluice opened at low tide, a powerful current would pull the mud into the river to be carried away. The shallow sluices helped control the water level in the dock.

Many old buildings from the 1880s still stand at Underfall Yard and are protected. The unique eight-sided brick chimney of the hydraulic engine house dates from 1888. This engine house contains powerful pumps that were installed in 1907. They power the dock's hydraulic system, which operates cranes, bridges, and locks.

Warehouses

The Arnolfini.

Many warehouses were built around the harbour to store goods. While some have been torn down as the area was redeveloped, many still exist and some have been turned into apartments.

The A Bond Tobacco Warehouse, built in 1905, was the first of three large brick warehouses in the Cumberland Basin. It is a protected historic building.

B Bond Warehouse from 1908 was special because it was one of the first in Britain to use a new type of reinforced concrete. Today, it's used by Bristol City Council and holds the Bristol Archives, the CREATE Centre, and council offices.

Other famous warehouses include Robinson's Warehouse (1874) and the Granary on Welsh Back. These buildings show off the unique Bristol Byzantine style, with colourful bricks and Moorish arches.

The Arnolfini art gallery is located in Bush House, a 19th-century tea warehouse. The Watershed Media Centre is also in a former warehouse.

Changes in the 1900s

City Docks looking West from near Redcliffe Bridge in 1971.

In 1908, the Royal Edward Dock was built at Avonmouth. Then, in 1972, the very large Royal Portbury Dock was constructed. These new, deep-water docks meant that the Bristol City Docks in the Floating Harbour were no longer needed for large cargo ships. In 1977, Charles Hill & Sons, the last shipbuilder at Albion Yard, closed down. However, part of the yard reopened in 1980 as Abels Shipbuilders, who still build smaller boats today.

The old Junction Lock swing bridge is powered by water pressure from the Underfall Yard hydraulic engine house. The newer Plimsoll Bridge, built in 1965, uses a more modern system with oil pressure.

Making the Harbourside New Again

The Watershed and Pero's Bridge.

Since the 1980s, millions of pounds have been spent on making the harbourside a vibrant place again. In 1999, Pero's Bridge was built, connecting the We The Curious exhibition with other Bristol attractions. In 2000, the We The Curious centre opened on land that used to be run-down. Many old, historic buildings were also renovated and given new life. This regeneration project has been supported by lots of funding from different groups. Private companies are also building new apartments in the area.

The Canon's Marsh area alone is expected to cost £240 million to redevelop. Crest Nicholson is a main developer, building 450 new flats, homes, and offices by the water. This work is guided by The Harbourside Sponsors’ Group, which includes the City Council and many other partners.

The Cumberland Basin and Baltic Wharf are used by many small boats. The old hydraulic pumping station there has even been turned into a pub!

Today, there are two active boat building companies in the harbour: Bristol Classic Boat Company and the Slipway Co-operative at the Underfall Yard.

The Harbour Today

The former Bristol Industrial Museum, now M Shed.

Today, Bristol Harbour is a popular place for visitors. It has museums, art galleries, exhibitions, restaurants, and nightclubs. Old workshops and warehouses have been turned into cultural spots like the Arnolfini art gallery, Watershed media and arts centre, M Shed museum, and the We The Curious science centre. Many fashionable apartment buildings have also been built.

The Bristol Harbour Railway, run by M Shed, offers rides between the museum and the CREATE Centre on some weekends. Historic boats are also permanently docked in the harbour. These include Isambard Kingdom Brunel's SS Great Britain, which was the first iron-hulled and propeller-driven ocean liner. You can also see a replica of the Matthew, the ship John Cabot sailed to North America in 1497. The M Shed museum's historic vessels, like the steam tug Mayflower and fireboat Pyronaut, are sometimes operated for visitors.

Bristol Ferry Boats and Number Seven Boat Trips offer ferry services along the harbour, connecting different attractions. A separate cross-harbour ferry takes people from the Great Britain to the opposite side. Bristol Packet Boat Trips offer guided harbour tours and river cruises up the River Avon to Bath and downstream to Avonmouth.

Every year in late July, the Bristol Harbour Festival takes place. This brings in many boats, including tall ships, Royal Navy vessels, and lifeboats.

Harbour Events

Bristol Harbour Festival.

Bristol Harbour is home to the Bristol Harbour Festival every July. Hundreds of boats of all kinds, including tall ships, come to the festival. Around 200,000 visitors come to see the boats and enjoy live music, street performances, and other fun activities.

In 1996, the harbour hosted the first International Festival of the Sea. This was a much bigger version of the annual harbour festivals, with many tall ships attending. A replica of John Cabot's ship, the Matthew, was dedicated at this festival before it re-enacted Cabot's famous voyage the following year. In 2009, the 200th anniversary of the Floating Harbour was celebrated with many special events.

Images for kids

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  Bristol Harbour, looking toward the city centre

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  Entrance to the Underfall Yard

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  Pero’s Bridge is a bascule bridge over Bristol Harbour. The two horns are counter weights to assist when the two halves open. The buildings beyond are the Watershed.