HotwellsAs the spa declined, in the early years of the 19th century, the port of Bristol expanded. To overcome the problems for shipping caused by the second highest tidal range in the world. A scheme was devised for damming the River Avon to create a permanent 'Floating Harbour' in the City. Hotwells is the site of the ship locks and basin that were central to this massive engineering project which was completed in 1807. The fine houses for wealthy visitors fell into disrepair and were supplemented by tenements for industrial workers and a commercial life serving the needs of a busy port. 1930s slum clearance by the City Council and bombing in World War 2 destroyed much of this later Hotwells. |
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By the 1960s the City Docks had become too small for modern commercial shipping and several ideas were proposed for their future, including filling in the Floating Harbour. An insensitive scheme for improving road access to the City by way of a massive new bridge and flyover across the Cumberland Basin locks probably did nearly as much damage to the historic fabric of Hotwells as Hitler. However, the area has been transformed yet again, as the potential for the City Docks as a leisure resource was slowly realised. The advantages of Hotwells waterside location, convenient for City centre amenities, lured a new generation of residents to the renovated Georgian and Regency terraces and new houses and apartments occupying the sites of redundant dockside warehouses and factories. Much of the population also lives on the precipitous slopes of Cliftonwood, a densely-packed later Victorian neighbourhood. Many houses have stunning views across the Floating Harbour and the City to compensate for the narrow streets and lack of green space. |
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Fascinating reminders of all these Hotwells past stories can still be found and the list of people associated with the area is like a roll call of British history: Addison, Gay, Cowper, Coleridge, Southey Pope and Sheridan visited or wrote about the Bristol Hotwell. Humphrey Davy worked at the Pneumatic Institute in Dowry Square. Peter Roget of Thesaurus fame also lived in Dowry Square and Jacob Schweppes opened a shop selling fizzy drinks in 1812. Its industrial heritage was created by the likes of William Jessop who designed the Floating Harbour and Isambard Brunel whose work is evident all around the Docks. His most dramatic surviving creations dominate the views from Hotwells. At the eastern end, the 'Great Britain' steamship, once the largest in the world and now preserved in the dry dock in which she was built and to the west the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge, high above the Avon Gorge. |
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| Hotwells has always enjoyed a strong sense of identity and nowadays the local concerns are not about disease or poverty but managing the relentless flow of commuter traffic and the loss of small shops and other community infrastructure, as well as engaging the many newer residents in local issues that affect the quality of life in the area. As well as the fascinating historical sites, there are now many good pubs and restaurants to greet visitors who take the new traffic-free harbourside walking and cycling route around the City Docks and a frequent ferry service links Hotwells with other sites of interest in the Floating Harbour. |  |
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