This edition of the St Luke’s Gazette is packed with discoveries, local legends, and vivid glimpses into the lives of the people who built St Luke’s as we know it today. Our Futures Past Heritage Project has unearthed remarkable stories from St Luke’s Road and Crescent — tales of bustling pubs, bustling families, steep steps and steeper struggles, and the colourful characters who once called our streets home.

In the 1800s, the majority of women living in and around St Luke's Road worked from home earning a pittance in 'sweated trades'; these mainly involved sewing and seamstress work. A women's group working as part of the St Luke's Community Heritage Project 2024 have created approximately 50 pillow-cases printed and embroidered in memory of just some of these bygone women. Their work can be seen along St Luke's Road adjacent to the worker’s former homes - demolished in 1962 to m

by the St Luke's Heritage Group for Futures Past

The St Luke’s Steps are an iconic emblem of this part of Totterdown and over the past 160 years, hundreds of thousands have ascended or descended this historic stairway.

by the St Luke's Heritage Group for Futures Past Struggle for equality and emancipation, Totterdown 1867 - 1918 As we have seen elsewhere in our project, the impact of the 1867 Voting Reform Act was felt in St Luke’s among the newly enfranchised male builders working along the road (see Edwin Bennett). But this act also bookends the struggle for representation for women up to the 1918 (first) Voting Reform Act. Work on the building of St Luke’s Road began in 1867, so it is ap

by the St Luke's Heritage Group for Futures Past Edwin Bennett - Bribery in Bristol’s Corrupt Election - ‘One in Ten’ ‘Beer flowed like water and votes bought in scores’ Edwin Bennett of 9 St Luke’s Road, a stone mason, and his friend, Aaron Styles, also a mason, were headed for the top of the road where it joined the New Cut. Here they were to meet another friend, Albert Hawkens. All three were going to the polling station to cast a vote in a parliamentary bye-election. This

by the St Luke's Heritage Group for Futures Past Sweated trades - St Luke’s Road - Women’s Clothiers 1871-1881 Milliners, bootmakers, tailoresses, dress-makers, seamstresses, staymakers, knicker-makers, gloves, coats, shirts, chemises, petticoats. Clothing manufacturing in and around Totterdown was one of the 4 cornerstone trades. St Luke’s Road in particular, abounded with lowpaid ‘sweated’ seamstresses working long hours for a pittance to help make ends meet. The overwhelmi

However, Bristol had the extraordinary Annie Kenney, albeit for 4 years. She was the beating heart of the movement. Sent here to establish the Bristol branch of the WSPU in 1907, as 3 of the 4 local MPs were Liberal and were to be pressurized.

1894 domestic sewing rates and hours worked – 1s would be worth £8.00 in today’s money. 15 hours per day for 5 ½ days per week may only bring in as little as £80.00 by current rates.

This edition of the St Luke’s Gazette is packed with discoveries, local legends, and vivid glimpses into the lives of the people who built St Luke’s as we know it today. Our Futures Past Heritage Project has unearthed remarkable stories from St Luke’s Road and Crescent — tales of bustling pubs, bustling families, steep steps and steeper struggles, and the colourful characters who once called our streets home.

by the St Luke's Heritage Group for Futures Past Far Left: Rev Dr David Daudney St Luke’s may never have become St Luke’s if it were not for this man – the Rev Dr Daudney. We have been researching who he was & how he became so pivotal in the story of the parish & the naming of our roads. David Daudney was born in 1811 and grew up in Portsea on the south coast. He left home to become a printer’s apprentice at 13. He later began his own printing and publishing house and became

After being asked to describe history, Arnold Toynbee once declared – ‘it’s just one damned thing after another’. He was speaking of all history, but sometimes there are places where this statement seems to be particularly applicable.