Underfall Yard Volunteer Writer Natalie Smith investigates the jobs done by women in what has traditionally been a male-dominated environment.  It began with a photograph in the Visitor Centre at the Underfall Yard. Captain Short beams into the camera, clutching his retirement gift of a radio. Surrounding him are a group of 16 men and just three women.  I started thinking about Harbour-based job opportunities available to women in the past and what has changed. After research at Bristol Archives and the Central Library, I found the name of a woman who helped shed some light on my question. [...]

Underfall Yard Volunteer Writer Isabelle Compton caught up with Justin Quinnell to discuss his recent exhibition. Pinhole photographer and teacher, Justin Quinnell, combines art and science to produce stunning, and sometimes funny photos using pinhole cameras. The essence of his works is unpredictability and exploring the realms of the ‘what if...’ An exhibition of continuous exposures depicting views of the North Atlantic from the masts of sailing ships - the Light-waves project - was displayed at The Underfall Yard in late October. Justin's images range from one week to seven-month exposures and are incredible demonstrations of how to turn a piece [...]

It was a crisp winter’s afternoon when I ventured out onto the harbour for a chat with Ben from the Harbour Master’s Office.  It seems worlds away from the recent heatwave and, as we approached the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Bristol Flood, I found myself thinking a lot about that day. I was fortunate enough to join up with Ben on a day when he was working alongside Surfer’s Against Sewage in an effort to clean up Bristol’s waterways. We started our boat trip around the harbour with a pit stop at their event.  The aim of the event was to raise [...]

Underfall Yard Trust is delighted to announce the launch of a new guide book: Heart of the Harbour: The Story of Underfall Yard.  The book tells the fascinating story of the yard, which is bound up with the River Avon and the Floating Harbour.  The book covers everything from the original course of the tidal River Avon, which ran through Underfall Yard; the creation of an Overfall Dam for the Floating Harbour on this site; the complete redevelopment in the 1880s to build a Docks Maintenance Facility; all the way through to Underfall Yard today. With kind permission of Bristol [...]

Whilst Bristol’s Harbourside is ever-changing, some things at Underfall Yard have remained perfectly the same. For many years now, Fridays at the Yard have bought with them fried breakfasts, door stop sandwiches and a tradition of celebrating the end of the week by sitting down and sharing a greasy, well-deserved meal. James Clarke started working at Underfall Yard in 1998, as a boat builder and fondly remembers the traditional Friday breakfasts eaten at Popeye’s café. He recalls the sausages, bacon, beans and ‘chunks of white bread thick with marge’, preceded by ‘argy bargy’ between the workers, keen to be [...]

In 2017, Adventurous Activity Company took many groups onto the water in canoes and kayaks as well as delivering their popular raft building challenges. The challenge involves teams of around 4 or 5 designing, building and racing rafts constructed from barrels, wooden poles and ropes. Success was mixed with disaster: it’s safe to say that the boat builders at Underfall Yard needn’t worry about competition! In January, Iain Afshar (Director) and Andy Hills (Instructor) successfully summited Mount Aconcagua in South America via the Polish Glacier Traverse route. This peak stands at a lofty height of 6968 meters and is [...]

Every year since 2007, Classic Boat has celebrated the best restorations, newly built boats, people and more, in the wonderful world of traditional vessels and the people who make them float.  The boats and people shortlisted this year include nominees from the yard. You can vote once in each category, and we would strongly recommend voting for: Bristol 32 & 16 for Powered Vessel – New build.  Built in Underfall Yard by Star Yachts. Glendhu for Restoration of the Year (under 40ft).  Restored in Underfall Yard by Loftus Boatbuilding. Flying Ten for Traditional New Build.  Built in Ullapool by Johnson and [...]