Crew's Hole, Bristol

RegionCountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townBRISTOLPostcode districtBS5Dialling code0117PoliceAvon and SomersetFireAvonAmbulanceSouth Western UK Parliament 51°27′33″N 2°32′28″W / 51.4592°N 2.5411°W / 51.4592; -2.5411

Crew's Hole is an area in east Bristol near St George. It is next to the River Avon, two miles upstream from Bristol Bridge.^[1]

From the early 18th century it began to be used extensively as an industrial area.^[2] The Bristol Brass Company began copper smelting in 1810 at Crew's Hole, and later expanded with a chimney further uphill which gave a better draught condition for the furnaces.^[1] Anthony Ammatt established a pottery at Crew's Hole in 1812, using clay transported from the Isle of Wight and Poole. Several bargeworks were built here during the 19th century.^[1]

Tar works

A tar works site was established by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1843 at the bottom of Troopers Hill, known for its distinctive chimney.^[1] It provided creosote to be used as a preservative for railway sleepers and by 1863 had passed into the ownership of Brunel's manager, William Butler.^[3] At the turn of the 20th century, the works were used to manufacturer tarmac for roads, which became its main use.^[4] British Steel Corporation (BSC) took over running of the tar works in 1970. Under their ownership, it expanded to be one of the most modern in Europe, allowing a continuous 24/7 production of creosote, road tar and smokeless fuel, among other products. ^[5] It continued to operate until 1981, by which time it had stopped producing road tar and become primarily a distillation unit. After closure, the works lay derelict for some years, until the area was redeveloped as Quayside Village in 1989.^[3]

Because Crew's Hole is adjacent to the River Avon, the area has been prone to flooding. Significant floods were recorded in 1894, 1960 and 1968.^[6]

References

Citations

Sources

External links

• History and photos of Crew's Hole Archived 28 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine