View of Floating Harbour from Redcliffe Parade - 1870s and 2015 The first photo was most likely taken from an upper storey window of one of the houses in Redcliffe Parade. It was impossible to take a Now photo from the same place, so todays photo is taken from the viewpoint of the two Victorian gentlemen in stove-pipe hats standing at the top of the steps which lead down to the dockside. Their view shows a harbour packed with ocean-going sailing vessels lining the Grove, St Augustines Reach, Bathurst Wharf and Alfred Quay immediately below Redcliffe Parade. Amongst these large vessels are barges which transferred cargo to and from the wharves beyond Bristol Bridge and to the industries lining the Feeder Canal and the Avon at Crews Hole. Behind the masts can be seen the Bush Warehouse (1831), the central tower of the Cathedral before the twin west towers were built in 1888 and Brandon Hill before the Cabot Tower was erected in 1897. It also shows the original drawbridge of Prince Street Bridge before it was converted to a swing bridge in 1878. This would suggest that the Then photo was taken in the early 1870s. I expect that the two Victorian gentlemen would be astonished at todays view of the docks. Pleasure craft have replaced the merchant vessels and modern buildings line the dockside. Reassuringly the Bush Warehouse survives as the Arnolfini and the Cathedral, now with three towers, can be seen. Additions to the skyline include the University Tower, Clifton Heights, the Cabot Tower and the spire of Christchurch, Clifton. If you look carefully you can even see the masts of a sailing vessel moored alongside the Hanover Quay on the left, so perhaps not everything has changed. (1870s photo c/o Paul Townsend https://flickr/photos/brizzlebornandbred/2049541094/in/set-72157615234368615 )
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 23:39:05 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015