The property holds an extensive history, much like many of the buildings lining Bristol’s Park Street. We’ve delved into the past of 48 Park Street, exploring the many chapters leading up to its current refurbished state.
Situated on the eastern side of Park Street, directly across from the junction with Great George Street to the west, the rectangular site sits in a brilliant location, with notable landmarks nearby such as Cabot Tower, Brandon Hill Park, and St. George’s Hall.
Our findings regarding the history of this property date back to 1884, where it was thought to be a mid-terrace property, likely featuring a rear garden area. Park Street at the time was a well-developed area promising of primarily residential property. It’s surroundings during the 1880’s included neighbours such as the New Theatre Royal (later known as Prince’s Theatre) and Carriage Manufactory (later Cycle Factory, Stables, Malthouse).
According to the planning history data, planning permission was granted in 1946 for the site to be redeveloped as a shop. Although according to our findings, 48 Park Street’s history indicate no significant changes to the building until 1948 where no building is shown on site, and the property is marked as ‘Ruins’, indicating bomb damage/clearance. Both properties immediately north and south of the building we’re also marked the same. This is likely to be a direct result of the World War II bombings that devasted a large amount of property on Park Street in the 1940s, often referred to as the ‘Bristol Blitz’.
In the above image, you can see 48 Park Street starting to be rebuilt, next door (going uphill) to Playfair shoe shop at no. 38.
By 1952, some rebuilding along Park Street had began to take place. And by 1969, a new terraced property was completed at 48 Park Street. Majority of former ruin areas had also now been rebuilt, including those immediately north and south of the site so once more forms a row of terraced properties along Park Street.
Since then, the property has housed various owners and retailers, with it’s most recent standing as a nightclub established in 2012.
Just over a year ago, Urban Creation acquired the property and immediately set out to revamp the space into modern apartments for students. The project commenced with the retention of the front building while demolishing and rebuilding the rear structure using a robust metseck construction method. Additionally, we installed a brand-new mansard roof to enhance the building’s structural durability.
You can read all about the details of this project here.