Brutalist hotels and hospitality, Bristol
Modernist Bristol
Bristol’s modernist and brutalist buildings are rarely celebrated. Some are listed, many are threatened, a few are already gone. This book is a record and an appreciation of the buildings and the era that made them possible.
As you walk down the ramp of Temple Meads Railway Station, the first building you see is the Holiday Inn, Temple Gate. For now. Plans are afoot to demolish the whole building which includes the Sidings pub and 7 floors of offices to replace with flats.
Premier Inn my be getting a bit of a complex about Bristol, as its high-rise which stood over the Bear Pit was demolished in 2025.
I stayed at The Marriott Hotel (built in 1972) once in the early 90s for a Courage Brewery conference. The evening was memorable and fun, although I preferred beer to modernist architecture in those bygone days.
The Bristol Hotel (1964-6, designed by Wakeford, Jeram & Harris) occupies a plum spot on Bristol’s Floating harbour. It’s square modular concrete facade sits in the shadow of its more architecturally pleasing neighbour, Prince Street Car Park and its diamond lozenge cladding.
