For nearly forty years, Bristol diver Robert "Bob" Broome worked for the Port of Bristol Authority. His working life spanned a period from post-war recovery to the closure of the City Docks and the start of regeneration of the harbour. For most of that time, he kept a diary detailing his varied and sometimes dangerous work. Those diaries are now in the Bristol Archives collection and form the basis of this blog.[1] After working as a shipwright at Charles Hill’s shipyard, Bob trained as a diver at the naval dockyard in Gibraltar during World War 2. On his return [...]

Underfall Yard rebuild to start in December 2025. The Big Shed rebuild, alongside its three neighbouring workshops, is the final step to fully restore Underfall Yard following the May 2023 fire. The Underfall Yard Trust is delighted to announce that building works on The Big Shed, the Yard’s flagship building, and adjoining workshops will begin in December 2025. The Trust will use one of the reinstated workshops to deliver new public engagement and education programmes centred on boatbuilding. To achieve this the Trust still needs to raise the final £100,000 to ensure the unique nineteenth-century site is suitable for [...]

This weekend (4-5th October) we celebrate Docks Heritage Weekend, with Underfall Yard, M Shed and SS Great Britain offering unique activities to explore the working history of the Floating Harbour. Visitors will be able to travel between venues by ferry or heritage bus. But you can also spot another crucial piece of working docks as you enjoy the harbourside walk: the Bristol Harbour Railway. Volunteer Anne-Marie Shepherd has been researching the story of the railway, and how it connected Underfall Yard to the rest of the docks... Bristol has a long maritime history and the City Docks (also known [...]

Local boatbuilders move back to Underfall Yard as the rebuild project continues. The historic Shipwright’s building is the first of the damaged buildings to be fully reinstated and occupied following the devastating fire in May 2023.   The Underfall Yard Trust has announced that the traditional boat-building firm Star Yachts has successfully reoccupied one of the listed buildings located in the boatyard. It is the first completed restoration of the damaged workshops and buildings that will allow businesses to use the site again for boatbuilding and repairs. The work was contracted to Stone BCI back in September 2024, who [...]

Western Daily Press 1931 (courtesy of British Newspaper Archive with assistance of Bristol Central Library) Yard Fest is only a few days away! Underfall Yard is proud to be serving as a fringe venue for this year's Harbour Festival, 19-20th July. The Harbour Festival has been a key date in Bristol's calendar since 1971, when it began as part of a successful attempt to rescue the Harbour from redevelopment. Volunteer writer Dave Duggan has been investigating the historic celebrations from before the festival as we know it... Although the modern series of Harbour Festivals began in 1971 [...]

"Lots of people that I sell to really appreciate the skill that has gone into making the mugs because they have had a go and gone home with an ashtray." - Kirstin Whitney Kirstin Whitney's clay sculpting at Wild Urban channels the classical elements of air, water, earth, and fire to create sustainable, striking ceramics. Her elemental mugs, displayed at the Underfall Café and Market, offer a refreshing purpose for a morning coffee or makeshift bowls for oatmeal. I have had the opportunity to speak with Kirstin about how her mugs tie into the topics of conservation, traditional [...]

Buy a boat! Save the yard! Morwen has been generously donated to Underfall Yard Trust to support the Recovery Fund.  Proceeds from the sale will go towards rebuilding the Big Shed to bring back the boatyard we know and love. Morwen is a classic wooden motor cruiser built in 1965 at Conwy for the boatyard owner, for use on the North Welsh coast. Propelled by original twin Perkins 4107 diesel engines, her cruising speed is seven knots. The most recent owner, who bought her following a satisfactory survey in 2011, has commissioned extensive, fully documented work throughout. It includes [...]