Bristol Open Doors getting the keys to the city


Bristol Open doors festival gives both Bristolians and visitors a chance to discover more of the history of our city. For one weekend in September we are allowed to see inside fascinating and quirky buildings that are normally closed to the public. This year I was accepted as a volunteer and was able to appreciate some of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes staging the event.

Last year the event was cancelled due to Covid so  with the city opening up again the team worked hard to stage a safe event. They work  with local historians, architects, artists and designers to present stories of the past, present and future city.  They were able to stage lots of experiences  outdoors including boat trips around the harbour, self guided walking tours with an audio guide and open  air theatre.

Open doors is run by a charity on a not for profit basis. This year people were able to buy a wrist band for £10.00 for adults and £2.00 for children and this gave them a code to sign up  to 4 experiences. Most events had to be pre-booked to limit numbers. The wristband also gave people free bus travel within the city with First Bus. I was suprised to learn that the Open Doors festival costs about £100,000 a year to stage.

The chance to be a tourist in your own city proved to be incredibly popular and most events sold out very quickly. Venues ranged from a tour of Arno’s vale cemetery, to King’s Weston house. 

The PYTCHAIR Boeing 727

The fuselage of a Boeing 727 parked outside a factory.
One of the strangest of Bristol Open Doors, the Pytchair (Boeing 727)

A local business man bought the body of this plane for use as extra office space. It caused a lot of traffic jams when it was transported to his factory in Brislington.

Redcliffe Caves Bristol Open Doors

I was intrigued to learn that the most popular venue for Bristol Open Doors Days is always Redcliffe Caves. I have to confess that although I knew about the network of tunnels under the city I had never visited them and I was delighted to find out that I had been allocated to the caves as a volunteer. Before they opened to the public on Friday we were allowed in to explore the tunnels with an  MP3 audio guide. For the rest of the weekend visitors would be in the caves with about fifty other people and a group of cavers from a local caving group who were on hand to help any one who got lost. But we had a chance to explore on our own. The cavers had marked out a route with fluorescent arrows on the floor and walls the previous week.  We were told to wear sensible footwear and to bring a torch. Inside it was very dark and eerily quiet. It is a bit like walking on a beach and the walls and roof have a range of  vibrant red, yellow and ochre hues. I also noticed the absence of any smell. 

Strictly speaking it is a mine rather than a cave. The Redcliffe area of Bristol gets its name from the Triassic red sandstone outcrop on the bank of the river Avon.  The entrance we used is on Phoenix Wharf close to the Ostrich Inn.  The sand stone was used for making Bristol glass and glazing pottery.  

Suprisingly little is known about the mine. We don’t know when the sand was first extracted or how far the tunnels extend. The first tunnels are probably medieval and the network  was expanded in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.  At least an acre of tunnels were open to the public last weekend which covered about a third of the site. Part of the cave network was destroyed by a second world war bomb and another section was blocked by a railway tunnel.

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During the second world war this part of the cave was used as an air raid shelter

The huge caves are quite dry inside and were used as storage. Although there is no evidence that slaves were ever kept in the caves, cavers have found elephant tusks and hippo teeth as evidence of trade with Africa. More recently dangerous waste such as lead waste from Redcliffe shot tower was stored inside. 

Probably a lot of smuggled wine, spirits and tobacco also passed through the Caves. If you go into the local Ostrich pub you will see where part of the wall has been exposed to reveal an entrance to the caves.

The caves are only open one weekend a year and for special events like theatre productions and cinema screenings. During the Bristol Open Doors  weekend over 2,000 visitors were able to walk beneath the city and most were amazed by what they saw. My phone camera was not good enough to get the shots but I was fascinated by the variety of colours in the walls in other people’s photos.

A view over Bristol harbour with boats.
Looking the other way across the harbour. The Arnolfini art gallery and the cathedral are in the background.

We were told that customs men who failed to spot any contraband were rewarded with a drink in a local inn. I am pleased to report that the volunteers were similarly rewarded at the end of the event.

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7 responses to “Bristol Open Doors getting the keys to the city”

  1. I love learning the history of such interesting places as the caves. Kudos to you for volunteering, Anne. I would enjoy touring the caves, but I also like it when cities open doors to the past.