Hotwell from Rownham Hill – WH Bartlett – c1840SS Great Britain at Cumberland Basin April 1844 by William Henry Fox Talbot
According to Wickipedia this is the first known photograph of a ship.
Cumberland Basin in 1850s by ET DolbyThe ‘Mary Ann Peters’ awaiting the tide just outside Cumberland Basin 31 March 1857 – Reece Winstone
The buildings behind the ship in the picture above were lost in 1873 when Howards Lock was built.
Brunels Lock between 1858 and 1873 with Rownham Ferry in original position – Reece WinstoneJuverna c 1867 – Bristol Museums Keen Collection 619
Juverna arriving from Ireland with tug Alert with passengers for Rownham Ferry assembled at new place upstream to allow new entrance to Floating Harbour to be constructed.
Brunels Outer Lock 1844 to 1873 – Reece Winstone
Cumberland Basin C 1870Brunels Lock 1865 to 1870 from Rownham
Modifying the Quay Wall for Howards Lock in 1872 – Reece WinstonePossibly Howards Junction Lock 1873 – Bristol ArchivesRownham Ferry 1875 – Reece WinstoneSS Merrimac pleasure steamer and tug 1880s – Reece WinstoneTug Peri at Cumberland Basin 1880s – Reece WinstoneIsambard Brunel’s first iron steam vessel 1832 a dredger which used a blade like structure to scrape mud away from the quaysides- Bristol Museum Keen Collection 8-135Howards inner junction lock to Cumberland BasinPABX3331 c1890 Water rushes through the sluice gates of the dam built about 1890 to close off Brunel’s lock, Cumberland Basin.
The funnel and masts of a steamship can be seen in the Basin beyond. To the left are the houses of Hotwells, and above the lock footbridge the clock tower of the Harbour Master’s house can just be seen.
Rownham Ferry Ashton Meadows Fair 1890s – Reece WinstoneSteam Tug Star beside Howards Junction Lock 1871 Behind Pump House Cattle sheds and slaughter house c 1900 – Bristol Museums Keen Collection 7-51Cumberland Basin from Rownham Hill circa 1900Rownham Ferry c1906 with Ashton Avenue Bridge nearly built. The ferry had moved South by 1973 as part of the opening of Howards Entrance Lock. It eventually ceased operating in 1932. Steam tugs in Upper end Cumberland Basin By S Loxton – 1912 – Bristol Central Reference Library.1929
PBA545 Aug 1935 Seen from the outer end of Brunel’s entrance lock, ss ‘Montreal City’ is leaving the City Docks with m.t. Volunteer as stern tug. The lock gates are shown open in the photograph. The Clifton Suspension Bridge can be seen in the background, as can the houses of Hotwells and Clifton. At far left is Wellington Cottage; demolished in the 1950s, this was the last surviving dwelling on the Rownham side. – Bristol Museums Galleries and Archives
PBA487 Aerial view of the Cumberland Basin July 1934 – shows houses and churches, bridges and roads, as well as the cargo berths and fixed and movable bridges and entrance locks.Holland Steamship Co. “Vechstroom”entering City Docks.Dock Cottages at Brunel’s Junction Lock 1930s – Bristol ArchivesPBAN9647b The greek vessel Panagiotis 9 on the gridiron at Cumberland BasinPBAN3414, Norwegian coaster Lindhaug in Cumberland Basin in deep ice outbound under tow from John King.1946
To the left of the middle of this picture you can see Merchants Dock, built in 1768 as Champions Dock. Its entrance was blocked off in 1965 and it was built over in the 1980s for the Rownham Mead housing development.
Above it is Hotwell Dock built in 1770 as Stotherts Shipyard and now Pooles Wharf Marina.
PBAN4685 22 April 1965 Mooring bollard bearing Society of Merchant Venturers – Bristol on the top. Evidently little used by the time of this photo – Merchants Dock
Cumberland Basin from Rownham Hill 1950s – Bristol ArchivesThe Dock Masters House, built in 1858, had to be demolished in 1964 to build Brunel Way and Plimsoll BridgeCumberland Basin 1949 – Reece WinstonePBA2003 Shipping held up in Cumberland Basin, City Docks owing to fog. 20/21 January 1953 -Tug “Sea Prince” vessels “Longboat”, “Spaarnestroom“ & “Pluto”.PBAN6794 The tug John King towing the submarine Grampus towards the Cumberland Basin lock.
Clifton Suspension Bridge in the background and bust of Samuel Plimsoll to right of picture.
PBAN1697 Admiralty Diving Bell YC466, built by Charles Hill, being towed from Bristol for Gibraltar – entrance lock.
The Georgian building in the background (beyond the Ladies’ Waiting Room) was originally the Lower Assembly Room, a fashionable meeting place in the heyday of the spa at Hotwells. At the time of this photograph it was a school, soon to be demolished for the Cumberland Basin road scheme.
PBAN8943AThe 1962 bust of Samuel Plimsoll alongside the Portway at Hotwells , near the Cumberland Basin entrance lock. A small coaster, “Arlingham”, is passing by.PBAN3317 Holland Steamship Co. vessel Vechtstroom outbound, passing the bust of Samuel Plimsoll at Hotwells 1963PBAN3572,Russian training cargo ship mv “Zenit“ entering lock at Cumberland Basin. C1960PBAN2313 From Rownham Hill of Cumberland Basin and City Docks entrance lock with Ystroom outbound.PBAN3189 Lord Mayor unveiling bust of Samuel Plimsoll alongside Portway at Cumberland Basin lock. 1962
Plimsoll was born in Colston Parade, Redcliffe in 1824 and was MP for Derby 1868-1880. He died 1898. His untiring efforts to improve the safety of ships led to the Merchant Shipping Acts of 1875 and 1876, which made load-lines compulsory.
PBAP2298 1972 National Dock Labour Board training school at Avon Quay, Hotwells – dockworkers learning to handle cargo gearCumberland Basin 1964 – Just before Brunel Way – Reece WinstoneBuilding Cumberland Basin Bridges 1964 – Reece WinstoneCumberland Basin Swing Bridge with Howards 1870 Swing Bridge in foreground 1964 Reece WinstonePBAX 2628 c1964 Cumberland Basin Road Scheme under construction. Bristol Gate below on the left, Cabot Way flyover on the right. Rose of Denmark pub visible.PBAX 2630 c1964 Cumberland Basin Road Scheme under construction. Bennett Way at left, curving towards the Portway from the future Plimsoll Bridge (behind camera). Bristol Gate below, heading for the city. Former Stork Hotel (18th century) at far left, a remnant of old Hotwells; Lady Haberfield’s Almshouses on the right.PBAX 2632 c1964 Cumberland Basin Road Scheme under construction. Cabot Way rises from the left, Humphry Davy Way from the rightPBAX 2637 c1964 Cumberland Basin Road Scheme under construction. Bennett Way ahead, curving toward Hotwell Road.
The Cumberland Basin Scheme was constructed between February 1963 and April 1965 and was officially opened to traffic on 14th April 1965. The overall cost of construction of the scheme was £2,650,000.
Cumberland Basin Road System 1966 – Reece WinstonePBAN8710C Sir Winston Churchill in the entrance lock at Cumberland BasinPBAN8710D Sir Winston Churchill leaving the entrance lock and moving into Cumberland Basin
The wrought iron bridge – known as Brunel’s other bridge – was built in 1849 to take traffic over the lock at Cumberland Basin. In 1872 Howard was authorised to adapt Brunel’s bridge and install it to cross the north (Howard’s) Lock. The bridge needed to be shortened by 10 ft, and the counterweights adjusted. The lock was opened for traffic on 19 July 1873. At some point the bridge was converted to hydraulic operation. The bridge is owned by Bristol City Council and was decommissioned in 1968 after the construction of the Plimsoll Bridge. It remains on the dock under Plimsolls Bridge.
The bridge is listed Grade ll* and is on Historic England’s Register of Structures at Risk. In 2019 it was announced that Brunel’s Bridge is to be “saved” with a £62,000 grant from Historic England.
PBAN10428 Brunel’s old bridge at Cumberland Basin in its swung positionPBAN10429 The fixed bridge spanning Brunel’s entrance lock at Cumberland BasinPBAN1999 View of Brunel lock with bridge.1960sThe bridge now permanently closed across the sealed south lock (Brunel’s Lock) under Plimsolls Bridge (known as the ‘Replica Bridge’) is the same bridge that was installed there in 1875-1876. Looking out to the Avon from Brunels Junction LockEntrance to former Merchants Dock at Rownham Mead
Part of original Junction Dock Gate from 1870 at Princes Wharf
Howard Junction LockHowards Junction Lock
Howards Junction Entrance Lock approaching from East under Plimsoll Bridge
Howards Junction Entrance Lock approaching from West
Plimsoll Bridge opened in 1965
Plimsoll Bridge opening
Cumberland Basin late 1970s – Jane FewtrellNovia Scotia Yard and Brunels Junction LockMerchants Road Swing Bridge and Pump House
Merchants Road swing bridge, was built by John Lysaght in 1925.
The Pump House 2014
The Pump House was built in 1873 by Thomas Howard as a Hydraulic Pumping House to provide power to the bridges and machines of Bristol Harbour. It was replaced by the hydraulic engine house at Underfall Yard in the 1888. It became a Pub in the early 1980s.
In 2018 the City Council referred to the Cumberland Basin area as ‘Western Harbour’ and launched a development proposal covering 15 to 20 hectares of land, 75% of which is already owned by the council. The white line on the photograph below shows the land in question which includes the 1960 road system which would have to be replaced.
The land would be used for leisure and housing as depicted in the council model above.
Harbour Hopes
Public consultation as of Spring 2022: https://harbourhopes.co.uk/
Cumberland Bridge 2023
September 2023
Councillors have approved more than £4.2m of work on a swing bridge and road network after fears it could suffer a “catastrophic failure”.
A report said the Cumberland Basin in Bristol was “no longer approved in the UK for any new proposed highway structures” due to high safety risks.
Bristol City Council members approved the funding to carry out inspections and maintenance work.
Repairs are expected to last five years. The Cumberland Basin carried two-and-a-half times the volume of traffic anticipated when it was built, the report added.
