Conkwell

Black Castle

Paintworks · 12 miles

A striking example of 18th-century Gothic Revival stands on Junction Road in Bristol’s Brislington suburb. Known locally as the Black Castle and also recorded as Arno’s Castle, the building holds a Grade I listing and currently operates as a public house under the Flaming Grill Pub Co. The nearest settlement identified on mapping data is Paintworks, placing the site within easy reach of the surrounding residential area. Constructed between 1745 and 55, the structure was intended as a folly but may have originally served as a stable block and laundry for the lord of the manor. Design is attributed to either William Halfpenny or James Bridges and was commissioned by factory owner William Reeve, who supplied the black copper-slag blocks from his Bristol Brass Company foundry. The façade displays symmetrical square-courtyard planning, crenellated circular corner towers and moulded two-centred archways, while decorative white flush-work panels and Y-tracery windows add Gothic detail. A coach house extends from the right-hand tower, echoing the main building’s arch motifs. Contemporary commentary from Horace Walpole in 1766 described the edifice as “coal black, and striped with white,” initially mistaking it for a “devil’s cathedral.” Reuse of freestone carving from demolished medieval gateways and St Werburgh’s Church links the castle to earlier Bristol architecture, and a 1912 relocation moved the former Arno’s Court Triumphal Arch a short distance away. Visitors can reach the Black Castle via Junction Road, with the public house offering the usual amenities of a licensed establishment. As a listed historic feature, the building remains under the care of Historic England, ensuring its preservation for future observation.

Temple Church

Temple Quarter · 14 miles

The ruined remains of Temple Church, also recorded as Holy Cross Church, lie in the Redcliffe area of Bristol near the district known as Temple Quarter. The site originally hosted a round-nave preceptory built by the Knights Templar after Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, granted the land in the early-mid-12th century. Following the suppression of the Templars, the Knights Hospitaller took control in 1313 and, by the early 14th century, the building was serving the parish of Temple Fee. Reconstruction on a rectangular plan began around that time and was finished by 1460, when a leaning west tower was added. Ownership passed to the Crown during the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540, and the church later became part of the Bristol Corporation’s holdings. Bombing during the Bristol Blitz of 24/25 November 1940 left the structure an empty shell; most of the arcades were removed as unsafe, though several fittings survived elsewhere in the city. The building is now a Grade II* listed structure and a scheduled monument, owned by the Diocese of Bristol and placed under English Heritage guardianship in 1958. Excavations in 1960 revealed the outline of the original 12th-century church, which has been marked on the ground in stone. A major conservation project between 2021 and 2023 restored the site, allowing public access for the first time in over three decades. As an archaeological site, it offers insight into medieval monastic architecture, the legal privileges of the Templar estate, and the later Perpendicular alterations that shaped its present form.

Castle Park

Bristol · 14 miles

Castle Park is a public open space in Bristol, England, managed by Bristol City Council. It is bounded by the Floating Harbour and Castle Street to the south, Lower Castle Street to the east, and Broad Weir, Newgate and Wine Street to the north. Its western boundary is less obviously defined and has been the subject of controversy, perhaps because the area around High Street and St Mary le Port Church, though not part of the park and always intended for development, is often considered at the same time as the park.

Old City Gaol

Wapping Wharf · 14 miles

The New Gaol was a prison located in Spike Island, Bristol, England, operational between 1820 and 1883.

M Shed

Wapping Wharf · 14 miles

Industrial museum – Museum about Bristol with a collection of historic ships

John King

Wapping Wharf · 14 miles

A diesel-powered tug from the mid-1930s now operates as a floating exhibit in Bristol Harbour, moored beside the M Shed museum on the waterfront. The vessel, known as John King, was constructed by the shipbuilder Charles Hill & Sons Ltd in Bristol and measures 65 ft in length with a 17 ft beam and a depth of 7.1 ft, displacing 49 gross tons. Its official United Kingdom number is 163865, and it is listed as a historic ship on OpenStreetMap, with the nearest landmark identified as Wapping Wharf. Built for the firm C.J. King and Sons Limited, John King entered service after being launched on 21 October 1935 and handed over on 15 November of the same year. The tug initially assisted vessels entering and leaving the City Docks, a role that diminished when commercial traffic shifted to Avonmouth. In 1962 the original Petter engine was replaced by a Lister Blackstone unit. Notable assignments included towing the SS Great Britain from Avonmouth to the City Docks on 6 July 1970 and subsequently moving it into the Great Western Dockyard on 19 July. After a series of ownership changes – becoming Peter Leigh, then Pride, and later Durdham – the tug remained active on the River Severn and in Bristol until the late 1970s. The vessel was acquired by Bristol Museums Galleries & Archives in 1995, restored to its appearance during the C.J. King and Sons period, and returned to the name John King. It now carries visitors on harbour trips alongside the museum’s other historic vessels, Mayflower and Pyronaut, offering a practical insight into Bristol’s maritime heritage. Access to the tug is through the M Shed, which serves as the operating base and visitor centre for the exhibit.