Bristol in the New Millennium

© David Hoey 2002

Another aerial view from the tethered balloon, this time facing the Broadmead Shopping Centre. Stretching from the bottom of this view to about two-thirds upwards is Merchant Street, ending at Debenhams. Just above the centre of this view is the Podium, framed by the four concave-curved facades. This was originally built as a roundabout for traffic, which ceased in about the mid-1970’s, when the plan to pedestrianise the Shopping Centre was inaugurated. To the left of Merchant Street, below its intersection with the Podium can be seen part of the Galleries Shopping Mall, built where Fairfax House used to stand. In the ‘cut-out’ part of the Galleries stands the 18^th century almshouse, which used to be a bank in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, and is now a snack/coffee bar. Behind the row of shops on the right of Merchant Street can be seen part of the Quakers Friars complex, part mediaeval and part 18^th century. To the left of Debenhams is the one-time Lewis’s / Bentalls store; now owned by the House of Fraser. Above ‘HoF’ is the old ‘Avon House’ high-rise office block, since converted to a hotel. Snaking across the top of this view from the right of Avon House is what was originally Copthall Holdings, which must surely be Bristol’s largest and longest single building, with its unusual ‘bridge’ across Stokes Croft. At the very top of this view are parts of the districts of Kingsdown and St.Pauls.