Serving the boats of Bristol's Floating Harbour since 1854, the patent slipway never fails to draw the eye of visitors to Underfall Yard. In this month's blog, volunteer writer Elaine delves into its origin story... “On Monday last a first trial was made of the heaving-up slip which has recently been erected by three enterprising citizens on the banks of the Floating Harbour” the Bristol Mercury reported in April 1854. An advertisement for Ross and Sage's original slipway (Bristol Museums and Galleries) The three enterprising citizens were William Ross, a shipbuilder from Devon, his son William Labdon [...]

There's loads to see and do at Underfall Yard this Half Term! If you're looking for a family day out in Bristol, all of our activities are open to visitors of all ages. To top it all off, thanks to the bank holiday, the Underfall Yard Visitor Centre and Cafe will be open throughout the week. Here's a list of of our Half Term events and a handy calendar to plan your visit... Yard Crafts No Booking Required - Suggested donation of £3 per person Underfall Yard Visitor Centre - 11am-1:30pm on 25/27/29th May Brand new activity for 2024! [...]

It's been an exciting week at Underfall Yard! With the walkway reopened, and the Visitor Centre and Cafe busier than ever, it's wonderful to see so much support as the work continues on the Recovery and Reinstatement Project. This Friday, we were visited by BBC Bristol's social media team. They met with Sarah Murray, one of the Directors of Underfall Yard Trust, for a live walkthrough of the yard on Facebook. You can rewatch the walkthrough here and learn more about the yard's progress. Listen out for Sarah mentioning The Yard In Action, our monthly open day in the [...]

We have now publicly announced the re-opening of our walkway and we are delighted to have received such support from local residents, visitors, volunteers and businesses. Following almost a year of closure, our gates are now open. Visitors are welcome to drop by to this working boatyard and the café is open for food and drink. Last week, we experienced our busiest week in the café since the fire, a very welcome sign of positive progress on our road to recovery. Recovery and reinstatement Throughout the year, recovery and reinstatement progress has been ongoing, including clearance of the damaged [...]

Many of the workshops at Underfall Yard, with their striking red brick walls and green doorways, were installed during John Ward Girdlestone's tenure as Docks Engineer 1882-1890. But who was Girdlestone? Here's an intriguing profile of him, by volunteer writer Elaine. John Ward Girdlestone became Bristol Docks Engineer in 1882. He was 42 years old, energetic, and impatient to make improvements. He soon turned his attention to modernising Underfall Yard. The docks maintenance facilities at the Yard had grown up piecemeal over thirty years. By 1884 they consisted of a collection of “small, dark, inconvenient and tumbledown sheds” housing [...]

P&A Campbell was a paddle steamer business which occupied Underfall Yard’s Big Shed and Knuckle in the early 20th century. Volunteer writer Dave Duggan has been researching the company and exploring its impact on the local area. Keep an eye out for more articles on Underfall Yard’s fascinating features, as well as its working history… The brothers Peter and Alexander Campbell started their Bristol based paddle steamer business in 1887.  Over the next 69 years, their fleet of paddle steamers provided leisure cruises and ferry services from Bristol to destinations in Somerset, Devon, South Wales, along the South coast [...]

The Recovery & Reinstatement Project, following last year’s devastating fire, is underway. Work to reinstate the yard is split into two phases… Phase 1 focuses on site cleanup, roof repairs to the Shipwrights building and developing detailed design plans for full reinstatement. Phase 2 involves rebuilding damaged and destroyed structures. This is, of course, subject to planning approval and funding. We are actively working with all partners to get ready for this important phase. Progress so far… Contracts are now in place with Alec French (architects) and MDA (project managers) to work on detailed designs and cost estimates. Both [...]