A pioneering project to create a memory bank of stories linked to some of Bristol’s most historic and iconic buildings is to be launched by the city’s Architecture Centre.
The centre wants to hear from people linked in some way to the 10 buildings, which range from St James Priory, Bristol’s oldest building, to one of its newest, the Environment Agency’s showpiece Horizon House office.
The memories and stories will be recorded on March 17 and 20 and included in an online resource of oral histories, a printed trail map, an app, and teaching and learning resources.
Called Bristol: Opening Doors, the project has received a £33,100 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) with additional support from the Bristol Buildings Preservation Trust, Bristol City Council and conservation and heritage charity The Drake Trust.
It aims to complement the annual Bristol Doors Open Day each September when access is allowed to many significant buildings usually closed to the public.
Bristol: Opening Doors wants to create year-round virtual access to the interiors, stories and memories of a diverse range of buildings, offering a chance to explore the city’s unique built environment and learn more about its architecture and history
The buildings are:
- Bristol Old Vic theatre, King Street
- All Saints Church, Pembroke Road, Clifton, which was bombed in 1940 and rebuilt in 1967
- 29 Queen Square, which was built in 1709 and was home to a number of prominent Bristol merchants. Now the South West offices of English Heritage
- Temple Meads Railway Station
- Colston’s Almshouse and Chapel, St Michael’s Hill, built in 1691
- Horizon House, Deanery Road, the Environment Agency’s new regional headquarters completed in December 2010 and one of the UK’s most environmentally-friendly office buildings
- The Old Council House, in Corn Street – since 2006 the city’s register office
- St James Priory, founded in 1129 by Robert Fitzroy, Earl of Gloucester and illegitimate grandson of William the Conqueror. It is Bristol’s oldest building and has had a variety of uses, most recently providing residential support and treatment for people suffering from substance addiction and/or homelessness
- The Exchange, Corn Street, built in 1741–43 by John Wood the Elder and now containing St Nicholas market
- The Wills Memorial Building, the University of Bristol’s landmark building at the top of Park Street
Contact education@architecturecentre.co.uk for information about how to be involved. Further details about Bristol: Opening Doors can be found at: http://www.architecturecentre.co.uk/bristol_opening_doors
