Bristol Harbour

Bristol Harbour is a 28-hectare stretch of water in the centre of Bristol. It was created in 1809 by damming the tidal River Avon and cutting a two-mile bypass called the New Cut. The harbour keeps a constant water level so boats never ground at low tide. It runs from Temple Meads station downstream through the city to Hotwells. At Hotwells the water rejoins the tidal Avon via locks and flows into the Avon Gorge. The harbour was built to solve the problem of ships running aground when the tide fell. William Jessop designed the Floating Harbour with locks, basins and canals costing £530,000. It opened in 1809 and soon hosted Brunel’s SS Great Western and SS Great Britain under construction. The harbour once handled tobacco, slate and coal, and even saw early voyages to Iceland and the Americas. Visitors walk or cycle along the quays and towpaths beside the still water. The Cumberland Basin at Hotwells is a wide expanse with listed walls and bollards. Broad Quay in St Augustine’s Reach marks the historic heart of the docks. Steam packets once left from here for ports across the Bristol Channel and Ireland. Today the harbour is lined with cafés, museums and historic vessels, offering a quiet view of the city’s working waterfront.