Andrin - Samuel - Julian

Bristol’s floating harbour

Bristol’s floating harbour has played one of the most
important roles in England's and the worlds history. It
was the second most important port in England behind
Liverpool. In the early years Bristol's sea port’s main
purpose was to provide England with goods and to trade
slaves. Over the last few decades its importance has
decreased steadily which is clearly visible if you visit
Bristol today. Some might even say that the harbour has
no longer got a purpose. During the port’s peak time a
lot of Containerships entered and it was a busy place,
everyday. In contrast, today you barely see container
ships, only the famous narrowboats which are mainly for
tourists. Since the port obviously does not play an
important role in shipping goods anymore, what makes
it so special.
Even if the port doesn’t compete with the world‘s
greatest ports and is considered rather small, about 200
years ago it was the complete opposite. As we know the
port is an important piece of history, that should not be
forgotten. But what can you still see if you visit the city
nowadays? As we walked along the streets, statues have
caught our eye from time to time. On closer inspection
we noticed that all these people played an important
role in Bristol‘s past and were also involved in the
growth and expansion of the port. Something else that
reminds the inhabitants of the past are several
museums, especially the SS Great Britain, a huge ship,

During our study week we interrogated some people in

Bristol as well as in Bath to see the difference between
their knowledge, interests and opinions about the
Bristol sea port and in particular its floating harbour.
While some people in Bath were simply not interested in
the floating harbour and consequently knew hardly
anything about it, others were not even aware of the
fact that there was a port in Bristol. A young lady told us
Brunel’s SS Great Britain
the following: “Oh, I didn’t even know there is a harbour
in Bristol." Thus, we noticed, even if we did not ask
visible from afar. It was the first of its kind, built of iron
many people, that the harbour is no longer of such
and with screw propellers. Furthermore it was the first
importance as we thought and it does not play any role
great ocean-liner. Today it’s located in the centre of
in the life of casual people.
Bristol and open to the public. The most important and
impressive sight, which dates back to the past, is
However, there are parts of the port, like the Underfall
probably the floating harbour. Although it is not
Yard that we have visited, which are still in use today.
obvious, it was the key invention for Bristol and
It is the most important part of the port and its function
contributed mainly to the success of the harbour.
is to maintain the water level at a constant hight. As we
know the floating harbour was named „floating“ due to
An older lady from bristol said: „Oh, I like to sit down
its constant water level unlike the river Avons‘, passing
and drink a coffee, the port is wonderful for that.“
nearby and through, whose difference between high
and low tides amounts to approximately 14 meters
which makes it the second biggest tidal difference in the
world.

Bristols harbour at night

It is really wonderful to sit down in a small café and

The Underfall Yard in action checking a boat
enjoy the beautiful view over the water and the
reflections glimmering on its surface while drinking a
Thanks to the Underfall Yard it is possible to let water in
coffee and eating a croissant. There are many shops,
and out of the floating harbour with the help of two
cafés, restaurants and take-aways around the water and
sluices located underground. The Underfall Yard is also
people love them. The water attracts tourists and makes
responsible for the reparation and cleaning of various,
the city centre calm and enjoyable, there‘s no big traffic
rather smaller ships. Our guide said: “It can take from
noise or other distractions. So, if you ever decide to visit
not even a week up to several months to clean, repair
Bristol, take a seat in a café and enjoy the ambience.
or check the boats”

Andrin – Samuel - Julian