Spike Island, Bristol

Spike Island
Spike Island
	Spike Island Location within Bristol
OS grid reference	ST 587 721
Unitary authority	Bristol;
Ceremonial county	Bristol;
Region	South West;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BRISTOL
Postcode district	BS
Dialling code	0117
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Avon
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	Bristol Central;
	List of places UK England Bristol 51°26′52″N 2°36′31″W / 51.4479°N 2.6087°W

The Chocolate Block Path beside the Avon New Cut, Spike Island

Spike Island is an inner city and harbour area of the English port city of Bristol, adjoining the city centre. It comprises the strip of land between the Floating Harbour to the north and the tidal New Cut of the River Avon to the south, from the dock entrance to the west to Bathurst Basin in the east. The island forms part of Cabot ward. The area between the Docks and New cut to the east of Bathurst Basin is in the neighbourhoods of Redcliffe and St Philip's Marsh.^[1]^[2]

Spike Island was created by William Jessop in the early 19th century, when he constructed the New Cut and converted the former course of the River Avon into the Floating Harbour. Until the Second World War, a lock connected Bathurst Basin with the New Cut, and Spike Island was a genuine island surrounded on all sides by water. However, fears that an aerial attack on this lock at low tide could lead to a disastrous dewatering of the docks led to the lock being filled in.

Historically, Spike Island was the site of working quays, shipyards, warehousing and other associated dockside industry. The Bristol Harbour Railway runs the length of the island, and formerly connected these working areas with the railway network. With the redevelopment of the docks, the Island has become an area popular with developers looking to create prime dock side housing such as Baltic Wharf, The Point and Perretts Court. There are also a few restaurants and popular pubs such as The Orchard Inn and The Cottage.

Other formerly dock-related buildings have become cultural venues or museums. These include:

Spike Island Artspace, a collective of artists' studios located in a former tea-packing factory
M Shed, the museum of Bristol, on the site of the former Bristol Industrial Museum, in a former dockside transit shed
Bristol Archives in B Bond Warehouse, a former tobacco warehouse
Brunel's SS Great Britain, preserved in the dry dock in which she was built
CREATE Centre, also in B Bond Warehouse, an ecological art exhibition and Ecohome
Underfall Yard, a base for marine-related businesses plus an interactive visitor centre and café.
Puppet Place, a base for puppetry and animation-related businesses, and an artform support charity.^[3]

Other historic buildings have been converted into office space, housing small businesses and legal and financial companies such as Creditcall.

The path of the harbour railway across Spike Island is proposed for a £38 million rapid transit bus route from Ashton Vale to the city centre. The existing steam railway would be retained, but buses would gain a congestion-free journey into the city.^[4] Subject to planning permission and finances, work could start 2012 with services running 2014.

References

^ "Cabot Ward Map" (PDF). Bristol City Council. Retrieved 20 June 2006.
^ Ordnance Survey (2005). OS Explorer Map 155 – Bristol & Bath. ISBN 0-319-23609-9.
^ "Puppet Place: Rehearsal Studio - Bristol Creatives". 7 November 2022.
^ "West of England Rapid Transit Ashton Vale to Temple Meads and Bristol City Centre Scheme Summary II – Spring 2010" (PDF). West of England Partnership. Retrieved 8 July 2010.

External links

Map sources for Spike Island, Bristol

Prince's Wharf, including M Shed, Pyronaut and Mayflower adjoining Prince Street Bridge
Dry docks: SS Great Britain, the Matthew
St Augustine's Reach, Pero's Bridge
Bathurst Basin
Queen Square
Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Castle Park
Redcliffe Quay and Redcliffe Caves
Baltic Wharf marina
Cumberland Basin & Brunel Locks
The New Cut
Netham Lock, entrance to the Feeder Canal
Totterdown Basin
Temple Quay
The Centre
Canons Marsh, including Millennium Square and We The Curious
Underfall Yard
Bristol Bridge and Welsh Back

[wardmap1-1] "Cabot Ward Map" (PDF). Bristol City Council. Retrieved 20 June 2006.

[osexp155-2] Ordnance Survey (2005). OS Explorer Map 155 – Bristol & Bath. ISBN 0-319-23609-9.

[3] "Puppet Place: Rehearsal Studio - Bristol Creatives". 7 November 2022.

[4] "West of England Rapid Transit Ashton Vale to Temple Meads and Bristol City Centre Scheme Summary II – Spring 2010" (PDF). West of England Partnership. Retrieved 8 July 2010.

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v t e Subdivisions of Bristol
Parliament constituencies	Bristol Central Bristol East Bristol North East Bristol North West Bristol South
Wards	Ashley Avonmouth and Lawrence Weston Bedminster Bishopston and Ashley Down Bishopsworth Brislington East Brislington West Central Clifton Clifton Down Cotham Easton Eastville Filwood Frome Vale Hartcliffe and Withywood Henbury and Brentry Hengrove and Whitchurch Park Hillfields Horfield Hotwells and Harbourside Knowle Lawrence Hill Lockleaze Redland Southmead Southville St George Central St George Troopers Hill St George West Stockwood Stoke Bishop Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze Windmill Hill See also: List of electoral wards in Bristol
Neighbourhoods	City centre Arnos Vale Ashley Down Ashton Gate Ashton Vale Avonmouth Baptist Mills Barton Hill Bedminster Bedminster Down Bishopston Bishopsworth Blaise Hamlet Bower Ashton Brentry Brislington Broadmead Broom Hill near Brislington Broomhill near Fishponds Canon's Marsh Chester Park Chittening Clifton Cliftonwood Coombe Dingle Cotham Crew's Hole Crofts End Easton Eastville Filwood Park Fishponds Golden Hill Greenbank Hartcliffe Headley Park Henbury Hengrove Henleaze Hillfields Horfield Hotwells Kensington Park Kingsdown Knowle Knowle West Lawrence Hill Lawrence Weston Lockleaze Lodge Hill Mayfield Park Monks Park Montpelier Old City Redcliffe Redfield Redland Sea Mills Shirehampton Sneyd Park Southmead Southville Speedwell Spike Island St Andrew's St Anne's St. George St. Jude's St. Paul's St Philip's Marsh St. Werburgh's Stapleton Stockwood Stoke Bishop Totterdown Tyndall's Park Upper Knowle Westbury-on-Trym Westbury Park Whitehall Windmill Hill Withywood The following suburbs are in the same urban area, but lie in South Gloucestershire or North Somerset: Bradley Stoke Conham Downend Emersons Green Filton Frenchay Hambrook Hanham Kingswood Little Stoke Longwell Green Mangotsfield Oldland Common Patchway Soundwell Staple Hill Stoke Gifford Warmley Whitchurch Willsbridge