King Street is a 17th-century street in the historic city centre of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, England. The street lies just south of the old town wall and was laid out in 1650 to develop the Town Marsh, the area then lying between the south or Marsh Wall and the Avon. The north side was developed first and the south side in 1663, when the street was named after Charles II. The section of the city wall is a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

Historic buildings

Among the historic buildings in the street are: * The

Llandoger Trow The Llandoger Trow is a historic public house in Bristol, south-west England. Dating from 1664, it is on King Street, Bristol, King Street, between Welsh Back and Queen Charlotte Street, near the old Bristol Harbour, city centre docks. Named by ...

, originally merchants' houses, now a historic public house (1664) * The Old Duke, a public house (1780s) * St Nicholas' Almshouses (1652) * Theatre Royal (1766) and Coopers' Hall (1743), both now part of the

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

. * Number 6 an example of an early Georgian frontage. It dates from c. 1665, but the present early Georgian frontage dates from about 1720. It is thought that the original roof had

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

s, like those seen on the neighbouring 7 and 8, which were cut back to form the hips seen today. The interior retains many eighteenth century features. It has been designated by a grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. * Numbers 7–8 date from 1665. During restoration in 1976 it was found that recycled ships timbers had been used for much of the

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

studding and bracing in the buildings, and barrel staves had been used as lathes. The

oriel window An oriel window is a form of bay window which protrudes from the main wall of a building but does not reach to the ground. Supported by corbels, bracket (architecture), brackets, or similar cantilevers, an oriel window generally projects from an ...

of number 7 is an original feature, whilst the windows of number 8 were replaced during the eighteenth century. 7 and 8 King Street have been designated a grade II*

. * Numbers 14–15 were built around 1860 as a warehouse and are now occupied by a restaurant and offices. The contemporary number 32 is of similar design. It has been designated a grade II

. * Number 16 is a historic house, which now serves as an office. It dates from around 1665 and was designated a Grade II* listed building by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

on 8 January 1959. The house is a timber-framed four storey building with a basement, and features an 18th-century timber parapet in front of the gable on the roof. The ground floor front dates to the 19th century. The inner staircase, to the right of the centre features "turned

baluster A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

s and square

newel A newel, also called a central pole or support column, is the central supporting pillar around which a helical staircase winds. It can also refer to an upright post that supports or terminates the handrail of a stair banister (the "newel post") ...

s with ball

finial A finial () or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a dome, spire, tower, roo ...

s and roll-topped rail, door frames with

ovolo Ovolo is an Italian language, Italian word that means "little egg". The ovolo or echinus is a convex molding (decorative), decorative molding profile used in Ornament (architecture), architectural ornamentation. Its profile is a quarter to a half ...

mouldings and cyma stops". * Number 17 dates from 1665 and has been designated a grade II*

. Together with number 18 it is operated as The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

. * Numbers 19 and 20 are now partly occupied by the King William Ale House. * Number 32 is a former warehouse building. It was built around 1860, and is now occupied by a restaurant. The contemporary 14 and 15 King Street are of similar design. It has been designated a grade II

. * Numbers 33–34 (1653) the only surviving buildings of the original development, including parts of the old town wall * Number 35 was built around 1870 and is an example of the Bristol Byzantine style. A former cork warehouse, it is now an office/studio space. It has been designated a grade II

. * Old Library (1738–40) probably by James Paty the Elder, now a Chinese restaurant * Merchant Venturers Almshouses (1696–9)

Queen Square

Queen Square lies just to the south of King Street, and a small 21st century open space connects the west end of King Street to the north-west corner of Queen Square.

References

Bibliography

* Andrew Foyle, ''Bristol'', Pevsner Architectural Guides (2004)

External links

{{commons category, King Street, Bristol Buildings and structures in Bristol Streets in Bristol Scheduled monuments in Bristol