By George Cruikshank - Illustration "Saturday Night At Sea" from "Songs, naval and national, of the late Charles Dibdin; with a memoir and addenda.", Public Domain On Saturday 21st September, venues across the city will be hosting the Bristol Sea Shanty Festival. The festival always brings a joyous crowd to Underfall Yard, and it's clear that sea shanties still have a hold over [...]
Marjory moved to Bristol in 1937. She and her family lived close to Underfall Yard during World War II and witnessed the impact of the Bristol Blitz on the boatyard and the surrounding area. In these recordings, Marjory describes her personal experience of the Blitz, including an air raid shelter at the yard and the destruction of Underfall Cottage. Content warning: These recordings contain descriptions [...]
John worked at Underfall Yard for 32 years, working as the Senior Fitter in the Docks Maintenance Workshop. In these recordings, he shares a few memories from his career at Underfall Yard. Getting His Start - John shares how he began his time at Underfall Yard in the 1980s and what the Docks Engineers' crew looked like at that time... John and his [...]
Simon was instrumental in the founding of Underfall Yard Trust in 1994, then known as the Underfall Yard Restoration Trust. The charity is is now responsible for the management of the historic boatyard, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2024. The first major project undertaken by the Trust was the restoration of the patent slipway, which had fallen into disrepair in the late 20th century. In [...]
John is a traditional wooden boat-builder, specialising in the building of pilot cutters. John worked from the Lean-to workshop, next-door to the Big Shed. This workshop was one of several that were lost in a devastating fire in May 2023. Since then, John has continued to work around the Floating Harbour. The workshops will be rebuilt as part of the Recovery and Reinstatement project. The [...]
Trevor worked at Sampson’s Foundry, which would make machine parts for Underfall Yard. Pattern makers at the yard’s in-house workshop built wooden patterns, with the foundry would then use to make the moulds for castings. The Foundry - In this recording, Trevor describes the casting process and his role at the foundry. The Casting Process A wooden replica of the desired machine [...]
A striking feature of the yard's walkway, the slipway is one of the few working examples of the “patent slip” design from the 19th century. Volunteer Elaine continues her research into the slipway, tracing its origins in Leith, Scotland… One of the outstanding features of Underfall Yard’s maritime heritage is its historic patent slip. The slip gets its name from the fact that the design, [...]
The sluices are essential to managing the water and silt levels in the Floating Harbour. Alan, who worked at Underfall Yard from 1958-1962, shares a deeply affecting story that shows just how dangerous this work could be. It also illustrates how important it has always been at Underfall Yard to work together and look out for each other. Content Warning - This recording mentions an [...]
Sir Joseph Whitworth (1803-1887) is a name that may be familiar to you, sitting atop the large blue-green planing machine in Underfall Yard's Docks Maintenance Workshop. But do you know who he was? Volunteer writer Elise investigates his life and legacy... Sir Joseph earned his fame for his creation of the British Standard Whitworth (BSW) in 1841, the world’s first official standardised screw thread. This [...]
Visitors to Underfall Yard can now view artist's impressions of what the yard could look like once work to restore the Big Shed and its two neighbouring workshops is complete. Click the images above to view them in full. The new designs aim to preserve the historical fabric of the buildings, whilst bringing them up to modern standards, returning the site to a [...]