This was started at 88 West Street by ironworkers and miners from the nearby South Liberty pit. A public meeting was held in the British Schoolroom,  a provisional committee was formed, and the Bedminster Industrial Co-operative Society was launched.

West Street was well known for its public houses. Many of the original names reflected the Street's link to the countryside:  The 3 Horseshoes (now the 3 Lions), the Plough & Windmill, the White Horse, the Red Cow, the Lamb and the Spotted Horse (now the Albert Inn).

by the West Street Heritage Group for Futures Past Jenny Stone This is a photo of my parents, Frank and Olive James wedding. They owned Frank's Model Bakery in West Street opposite the White Horse pub. I remember the other businesses in West Street as Chapmans butchers, a chemist shop, Mrs Stevens haberdashery, Hector Tanners television shop and Brooks cleaners on the corner of Chessel Street. My Uncle Fred and Auntie Margaret owned the greengrocers shop on the corner of Osbo

This free resource contains maps, memories, photos, drawings, and voices of people who live and work here.

This is a street map travelling up the Chessels in Bedminster. These are the shops I remember from the sixties. Anyone else remember them?

by the West Street Heritage Group for Futures Past This artwork is produced by children at Compass Point School, who have learned about the West Street coalmine and the lives of the miners. The exhibition focuses on the pit explosion of 13th August 1891 when 10 men were killed. In 2016, the West Street Neighbourhood Group organised a two day pop up museum in the United Reformed Church Hall. 500+ people visited, many with stories and photos of their lives on and around our hi

Today West Street and its neighbourhood are home to a large mixed community of all ages. The West Street Neighbourhood Group, established in 2009, has done much to improve the area through dedicated fundraising.

By 1911, there were over 80 shops and public houses including bakers, butchers, tailors, boot repairers, fish fryers, hairdressers and newsagents.  

Churches, public houses and places of work were where most people found a social life and sports activities such as football and cricket. Bedminster Cricket Club exists to this day. 

In the 1800’s three schools served the West Street Neighbourhood, although we are told there was also a school started by the miners on the site of the then gospel church on West Street, later the United Reformed church.

The Bristol Blitz during of 1940/41 was fierce.  The raid of 24 November lasted over six hours. 148 bombers dropped 1,540 tonnes of high explosives and over 12,000 incendiary bombs down on the city. Within an hour over 70 fires were raging.

by the West Street Heritage Group for Futures Past Ebenezer Methodist Church (now Bedminster Methodist) British Road Amongst those pictured: Bern Naas, Bill Davies, Don Cross, Jack (“Skip”) Holder, Rev. Harry Carr, John Picken, George Brown, Ted Tremlett. Rev Harry Carr was minister at Ebenezer 1952-1958.

by the West Street Heritage Group for Futures Past Ebenezer Methodist Church (now Bedminster Methodist Church) British Road May Fair 28th May 1960 The May Queen was Margaret Palmer and the attendants Hilary Cross and Mary Rossiter. Rev Arthur Hickling was the Minister The May Queen and attendants were driven around the area by Mr. Les Maple in his car after the queen was crowned. Hilary Cross gave the dress she wore to the City of Bristol Museum Social History Collection. I

The Sisters of Charity attached to St. John’s Church  occupied a house on West Street from where they distributed to poor families food which was donated by the regular worshippers of St John’s on “pound days’- you had to bring a pound of food.

by the West Street Heritage Group for Futures Past East St end of West St: now demolished “Slade’s Buildings”, by legend our crime spot, situated very near to us but on the opposite side of the road. It was rumoured to contain at least two murderers and no policeman would venture there alone; they always went in pairs or threesomes. Our parents forbade us to enter it and we never did. But its children came regularly and received a good word and a handful of sweets from my mot

At the beginning of the 1800’s Bedminster was a small rural town served by the parish church of St. John the Baptist; however, the population soon began to expand. 

The coal pits and brickworks closed, but the tobacco industry and docks were close by.  Nearer to home Robinsons (paper bag production), Colodense (cellophane manufacturers), and Mail Marketing on West Street provided employment for some years, but when their doors also closed many shops went out of business and the public houses struggled to survive.

by the West Street Heritage Group for Futures Past Outside the Malago Pit after the explosion, drawing by Anton Bantock A  previous shaft accident had killed 5 miners on 9 August 1851, and a pit explosion on 31 August 1891 killed 10.  An inquest on the latter tragedy found that the habit of the miners using naked candles instead of gas lamps was the cause.  It didn’t mention that this practice was because the lamps had to be held, whereas candles could be fixed into the miner

By the end of the century, there were eighteen pits operating in the Bedminster and Ashton Vale coalfield. 

The West Street neighbourhood remained rural in character and given over to agriculture throughout the post-medieval period (16th-18th centuries).  This was reflected in the names of pubs along the street:  The Three Horse Shoes, the Plough and Windmill, the White Horse, the Lamb.