A short history of Totterdown
Totterdown is a hillside neighbourhood in south Bristol, above the River Avon and Temple Meads station. Most of it was built in the Victorian era, and much of its middle was knocked down in the 1970s for a road that never came.
Quick answer
- Built for the railway: Totterdown was developed in late Victorian times to house workers from Temple Meads. [1]
- Three Lamps: the cast-iron signpost where the Bath and Wells roads split is Grade II* listed. [2]
- First mosque in Bristol: the Bristol Jamia Mosque on Green Street opened in a former church bought in 1968. [3]
- The lost middle: more than 500 homes and businesses were demolished from about 1968 for the Outer Circuit Road, which was never built. [4] [5]
Why is it called Totterdown?
Nobody knows for certain. The most common explanation links the name to the area's steep slopes. [6] The residents' association TRESA says the origin of the name is uncertain and has asked residents for information. [7] Other places in England share the name, so it isn't unique to Bristol.
When was Totterdown built?
The Knowle & Totterdown Local History Society says the hilly area was developed in late Victorian times to house railway workers from nearby Temple Meads. [1] The Victorian terraces that survive, many now painted in bright colours, are what most visitors come to see. [8]
What are Totterdown's historic landmarks?
- Three Lamps signpost: a cast-iron column with two finger posts, one pointing to Bath and one to Wells, at the junction of the A4 Bath Road and the A37 Wells Road. It was listed on 8 January 1959 and is now Grade II*. It was restored around 1985 with three glass lamps. [2]
- The Thunderbolt: the pub at 124 Bath Road is a former turnpike tollhouse from about 1840, listed Grade II on 4 March 1977 under its old name, the Turnpike. [9]
- Totterdown Bridge: the bridge over the River Avon at the foot of the hill was built in 1888. [10]
Where was the first mosque in Bristol?
The Bristol Jamia Mosque on Green Street, Totterdown, was the first mosque in Bristol. [3]
- 1889: the building opened as St Katharine's, a mission church of Holy Nativity, Knowle.
- 1968: the Bristol Muslim Association bought the disused church for £2,500.
- 1980: the building was adapted again, and a dome and minaret were added. [3]
Why were Totterdown's houses demolished?
In the 1960s, Bristol planned an Outer Circuit Road, a ring road through the inner suburbs, with a large interchange at Three Lamps. The scheme gained ministerial approval in 1969. [11]
- Demolition: clearance of Middle Totterdown began around 1968. The Bristol Cable puts the loss at more than 550 homes and businesses, including pubs and shops, with about 2,000 people moved out; the University of Bristol says more than 500 homes and businesses. [5] [4]
- Before it was settled: when Middle Totterdown was demolished, the road had no final design, no government approval, no confirmed funding and no vote by city councillors, according to the Bristol Cable. [5]
- Abandoned: by December 1973, Bristol City Council had asked the government to delete later stages of the road from the development plan. [12] The road was never built, and the cleared land stood empty for years. [5]
- Remembered: the University of Bristol's 2017–18 project "The Road" and its 2018 exhibition "The Missing Numbers" collected residents' memories of the lost streets. [13] [4] The book Totterdown Rising tells the story of the community's campaign. [14]
Totterdown timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| c.1840 | Turnpike tollhouse built on Bath Road, now the Thunderbolt pub [9] |
| 1888 | Totterdown Bridge built [10] |
| 1889 | St Katharine's mission church opens on Green Street [3] |
| 1959 | Three Lamps signpost listed [2] |
| 1968 | Demolition of Middle Totterdown begins; Bristol's first mosque bought [5] [3] |
| 1969 | Outer Circuit Road plan approved by the minister [11] |
| 1973 | Council asks for later stages of the road to be dropped [12] |
| 2001 | First Front Room arts trail [15] |
| 2019 | Vale Street named England's steepest street [16] |
Read on: Vale Street and the arts trail.
Sources
- Knowle & Totterdown Local History Society, Avon Local History & Archaeology: alha.org.uk
- Sign post and Three Lamps, Bath Road and Wells Road (list entry 1203998), Historic England: historicengland.org.uk
- Bristol Jamia Mosque, Wikipedia; About us, Bristol Jamia Mosque: wikipedia.org; bristoljamiamosque.co.uk
- The Missing Numbers: remembering Totterdown before the road that never was, University of Bristol, November 2018: bristol.ac.uk
- The community razed to the ground for a road that was never built, The Bristol Cable, May 2017: thebristolcable.org
- Totterdown area guide, PlaceBuzz: placebuzz.com
- Totterdown: the origin of the name, TRESA (Totterdown residents' association): tresa.org.uk
- It's a tight-knit street life in Totterdown's coloured houses, Bristol Post via inkl: inkl.com
- The Turnpike Public House, 124 Bath Road, Grade II listing, British Listed Buildings: britishlistedbuildings.co.uk
- Archaeological excavation of site at Totterdown Bridge, TRESA: tresa.org.uk
- 20th century road schemes in Bristol, Wikipedia: wikipedia.org
- Bristol (Circuit Road), written answer, House of Commons, 21 December 1973: parliament.uk
- The Road, Brigstow Institute seedcorn project 2017–18, University of Bristol: bristol.ac.uk
- Totterdown Rising, Tangent Books: tangentbooks.co.uk
- 10 years of Bristol24/7: Totterdown and North Bristol arts trails, Bristol24/7: bristol247.com
- Street in Bristol named the steepest in England, ITV News, 18 April 2019: itv.com