Cumberland Basin

I spent a couple of hours this morning with a group wandering around the Cumberland Wharf area in Bristol, learning a bit about the history of the area.

I learned about the construction of the floating harbour to allow boats to dock and load or unload, irrespective of the level of the tide.  I learned about the digging of the "New Cut" - the by-pass route for the river, the Feeder Canal which keeps the floating harbour topped up, the Overfall dam which allowed excessive water in the harbour to overflow to the river, and the replacement Underfall (an underwater channel) which did the same job but also helped to clear the silt from the harbour. I learned about the Power House which pressurised water from the harbour to provide hydraulic power to operate the locks, sluices, cranes, etc. I saw the original swing bridge (Brunel's "Other" bridge - ie not the famous suspension bridge over the Avon Gorge) - visible in my blip under the 1960s road bridge - also a swing  bridge. Underneath the 1960s elevated road structure was a "piazza" originally designed as a children's playground, with a cafe, pool and fountain.  Unsurprisingly the noise and pollution from traffic and the rather depressing structure above led to the eventual abandonment of this area. I visited one of the large warehouses visible in the blip: these used to be bonded warehouses for storing imported tobacco.  Half of Warehouse B, which I visited briefly, now houses the Bristol Archive.  Worth revisiting, I think.

Altogether a fascinating morning investigating a little of Bristol's industrial heritage.