One of Bristol’s most notorious areas is being transformed into an outdoor art gallery – complete with souvenirs. Suzanne Savill visits the city’s newest visitor destination. Pictures by Michael Lloyd.
They are the sort of wares that can be found at most pop
ular tourist resorts: cellophane-wrapped sticks of pink and white rock, brightly coloured postcards, china mugs, t-shirts, boxes of fudge, and stickers.
Look more closely, however, and it becomes clear that these are no ordinary souvenirs.
The pink lettering that runs through each stick of rock reads ‘Stokes Croft’. The postcards feature messages such as ‘Greetings from Stokes Croft’, and ‘Best wishes from Stokes Croft’.
Every item of merchandise celebrates the area described in 2003 as ‘Bristol’s forgotten half-mile’, in the manner of traditional holiday mementos from resorts such as Brighton, Blackpool, Torquay, and Bournemouth.
Stokes Croft, a place previously avoided by most people – apart from the street drinkers who congregate on a patch of land that became known as ‘Turbo Island’ – is being transformed into a unique destination by members of the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC), who have helped to designate the area as Bristol’s Cultural Quarter.
This entire stretch of the A38 near Bristol city centre is being turned into a huge canvas for street art.
Wooden hoardings covering the area’s many derelict buildings feature thought-provoking, images. Litter bins have been painted bright yellow, and a green electricity box has been transformed into a quaint, little fairy house.
And now visitors can take home their own souvenir of a place that is no longer forgotten, but instead is becoming unforgettable.
“Stokes Croft has an ever- changing visual landscape. Every time you pass through it, you are guaranteed a stimulating experience, whether it be a new image, graffiti piece or an unusual social interaction. Blandness is not on the agenda. The idea is to harness this unique energy and see it as the extraordinarily positive thing that it is. If you think, “Urban St. Ives”, you wouldn’t be far off the mark…. This is where the idea of the fudge, rock and postcards comes in. And I see the merchandise as equally a piece of art as any of the paintings. It is all part of the same thought process… Stokes Croft a massive organic full-on sculpture, why not?”
“Through this process, we can change the general perception of what Stokes Croft is, and begin to suggest what Stokes Croft could become. With the wealth of talent in and around the Croft, there is no reason why Stokes Croft cannot become a cultural centre to rival the Tate, the Guggenheim… We CAN do it without dosh, without funding, in Stokes Croft style, thus retaining our independence, but just imagine if the Arts council, the City Council, SW regional Development Agency and the developers came on board, and we were to work to fulfil this vision… It has to be better than just building a load of flats.
“The future for Bristol is in design and in the arts. This is our great strength. By adapting what we already have, to become a massive Arts centre, with Studios, galleries, a community centre, we will set ourselves up for a bright future. Stokes Croft as a cultural powerhouse, and all done in a way that will not require massive and ongoing subsidy… “
His point about Stokes Croft’s amazing potential is illustrated by the Stokes Croft souvenirs displayed on a wooden trestle table outside the street’s two most infamous derelict buildings: Westmoreland House and Carriageworks, which have been empty for more than 30 years, during which time seven people have died at Westmoreland House. The buildings are presently the subject of a planning impasse between their owner, Comer Homes, and Bristol City Council.
When photographer Mike Lloyd and I look through the array of items for sale, we discover the mugs are not some predictable tourist tat, but are fine bone china. Every one is different, and their design pushes conventional boundaries. They are affordable, useable pieces of art.
“None of the mugs are the same. Chris applies the design on every one by hand. He believes in doing things properly,” says a lovely lady selling the souvenirs, who turns out to be Chris’s mum, Betty.
When I remark upon the way Chris and the other members of PRSC are transforming Stokes Croft, Betty observes with a mixture of understatement and maternal pride: “Chris has always had lots of ideas.”
Meanwhile, Chris himself is on a scaffolding tower positioned in front of the Carriageworks, choreographing the placement of huge painted wooden panels in the distinctive – but previously dingy – arches of the Carriageworks, and those of its neighbour Westmoreland House.
Gesturing with a cordless drill, he declares: “We have forgotten the potential of these empty buildings. Just by tarting these old ladies up, we can instantly make our environment and outlook more positive, and take possession and care of our public spaces.
“This isn’t just about art. It is about empowerment and is highly political. We are beginning to have engagement from the powers that be…. Denise James of Bristol Clean and Green arranged for a team to come along from 5am one morning to steam clean the whole frontage. The hour 5am doesn’t even exist on my clock!!!.
“We had to scrape off all the anti- graffiti paint. Now you can see Westmoreland House has actually got a beautiful black granite frontage entrance. Ironically, the anti-graff paint was part of the problem… We need positive solutions. Prohibition is not an answer.”
This is, Chris rants with a manic zeal, just the beginning of an adventurous plan to ‘Big Up’ Stokes Croft. The arches now act as frames for art works from Bristol artists, who Chris names as Ziml, Dicey, Lucas, Shaun, Leah Heming, Felix, Mr. Jago, and Dan. There is more to come. This weekend will see the launch of the Stokes Croft Bulletin – a huge physical newspaper on the street, upon which people can find out about local issues and contribute them selves, from rants to poetry.
In addition to the major works, there are also various smaller ones. Pointing to a nearby lamp post delicately illustrated with berries on a green background, Roger, one of the hardy group of voluntary workers, remarks: “See that? It’s the work of a woman who works nearby at the Soil Association. Little details can make a big difference.”
It’s rather like the Stokes Croft souvenirs. I’ve bought some, and have discovered to my delight that one of the black and white old-style postcards has had the letters PRSC added to a street sign, and that there is even a beautiful flower design on the base of the mug.
“You don’t usually see designs like a big flower on the base of a mug, because it costs a little bit more, and is not really seen…” says Chris.
“I suppose I put it there in the spirit of generosity, in the belief that in life you get back what you put in.”
Wish you were here? Not so long ago, anyone asking that question about Stokes Croft would almost certainly have received a negative reply.
It was a place that had lost its identity, and had somehow become a focal point for those who had lost their way in life and been reduced to drinking cheap cider beside a road filled with sclerotic traffic.
Now, for the first time in decades there is a new sense of belief, a new hope, and a different answer.
For anyone seeking an unusual place to visit – and a choice of delightfully kitsch souvenirs – then, increasingly, the place to wish you were is right here on Stokes Croft, amid the street art and sticks of rock.
- Stokes Croft souvenirs include rocks, a stick, boxes of fudge, and bone china mugs. They can be purchased from various local businesses, including Kuuvuka cafe, the Here Gallery, and Abdul’s Newsagents.
I you want to see footage of the Big Up, just visit www.youtube.com and search for “The Big UP Stokes Croft”.
Stokes Croft history
Stokes Croft now has an abundance of street art and unusual souvenirs to attract visitors. But it is also an interesting destination for the vignettes it gives into Bristol’s history.
Once a bustling shopping street in Victorian times, Stokes Croft was damaged during the World War Two bombings that ripped the heart out of central Bristol. It was further blighted by the failed scheme to create an Outer Circuit Road in the 1970s, and also suffered from the fall-out of the St Paul’s Riots in 1980, which led to much of the area being regarded as a no-go zone.
The Carriageworks, a Grade Two listed building, was designed by the architect William Godwin in the distinctive Bristol Byzantine style that can be seen throughout the city centre. The arches that now contain the PRSC art works were once used as access for the horse drawn vehicles that were built there.
Westmoreland House was the headquarters of local pools company Top Ten Promotions, which moved out of the building in 1969 after being forced to pay the Government 12.5 million in betting duty. The building was then badly damaged in a fire, and has been empty ever since
There is a story behind Turbo Island, that curiously-shaped patch of scrubby grass with a low wall. It is, in fact, all that remains of an end-of-terrace building that was bombed out during the War. It has had advertising hoardings on it since the 50’s, and in a shocking act of short sightedness, was sold to the advertisers by our very own City Council. This is seen as a key site by PRSC for the regeneration of Stokes Croft as a gallery, and its iconic status, demands a return to public ownership.
In August 2003, local councillor Dudley Saward condemned the way in which Stokes Croft had been allowed to become “dilapidated with run-down, empty shops” and described it as “Bristol’s forgotten half-mile”.
Just months later, a street drinking ban was introduced, and within months there had been a dramatic decrease in crime in the area.
Now, Cabot Circus is rising a few streets away from Stokes Croft, with a big new department store, chain stores, and a car park: a glass and steel edifice to modern shopping habits.
On Stokes Croft, meanwhile, many of the Victorian buildings with small shop fronts that were neglected for so many years are being brought back to life, as a new generation of shoppers returning to the old values of the days when people shopped locally.
And now, for the first time, visitors can also take home a souvenir of their trip, as the debate about the future of Stokes Croft – and in particular Westmoreland House and the Carriageworks – moves into a new dimension.
This article was first published in the Evening Post on November 24, 2007.