Broadmead Expansion

BROADMEAD EXPANSION ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS

Excavations are being undertaken by Cotswold Archaeology and Pre-Construct Archaeology for the Bristol Alliance in advance of construction work on the Broadmead Expansion, which is due to open in 2008. The trenches, which will cover three areas of Quakers Friars, have been requested by Bristol City Council to unearth information about the origins and development of human settlement in this historic area of the city.

What do we know about Quakers Friars already?

The name 'Quakers Friars' reflects the development of the area for a religious house of the Dominican or Black Friars in the 13th century, and the later re-use of the Friary buildings as a meeting place for non-conformist religious groups, such as the Quakers. The area lay just outside the medieval walled town and directly north of the castle, and was granted to the Black Friars between 1227-8. This was at a time when many other religious orders were establishing their monasteries around the edge of the medieval town. Following the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in the 16th century, it is thought the Friary buildings were converted for residential use before becoming the Quaker Meeting House in 1670. The structure, which was later rebuilt in the 18th-century, now forms the rendered part of the Register Office. The additional two remaining stone buildings, Cutler's Hall and Baker's Hall, represent the standing remains of the 13th-century Friary.

What do we expect to find?

Historical references suggest the dyeing of textiles, tanning and leather manufacture took place in the area south of the Friary from the medieval period onwards. These activities would have taken place within long, narrow medieval plots laid out between the two channels of the River Frome, which run parallel with the line of modern day Broad Weir. Initial excavations in Trench 3 have already revealed stone boundary walls which mark out the line of the medieval plots, and several circular stone-built structures used for tanning. A massive 19th-century stone culvert, built over the River Frome, is visible, and we may also find outbuildings of the medieval Friary.

How to follow developments

The excavations can be seen through viewing holes in the hoardings along Broad Weir, and through the fencing in Quakers Friars. Regular updates will be posted on the hoarding along Broad Weir. PDF copies of these updates can be downloaded by clicking on the links in the righthand column. Information about the development can also be found on the Broadmead - Bristol City Centre website.