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Trade

In the Eighteenth century towns and cities were a lot smaller than today, and the people of Bristol mostly lived and worked in the over-crowded streets of the original parishes built around the site of the Norman castle. Even though the castle had been demolished by this time the street plan still followed the medieval street layout in the centre. The wealth of the city, brought about by trade and shipping was beginning to make an impact and old small houses were being replaced by Georgian town houses for the merchants, investors and bankers who operated from the city.

However trade began to slip away from Bristol during the eighteenth century. The Port was not easy to reach because of the bendy shape of the river approaching Bristol, the mud banks and the rising and falling river level due to the tide. Soon rival ports were making rapid progress in taking trade from Bristol, and Liverpool was benefiting at Bristol's expense.

Talking Head Folder 10, Archive 47, Video footage

There is still a lot of evidence today of where trade took place in Bristol, and the interest shown in exotic foreign places by the architects and designers of some of the buildings constructed for use by commerce, banking, insurance and trade. This part of the trail concentrates on Corn Street, Broad Street and nearby sites connected to trade and the sugar industry.

Activites for this section:

What evidence about Bristol's trade can we see on local buildings?
Images of Trade - page 2

What did it feel like to be at sea?
Conditions At Sea - page 3