What question did this study set out to answer?

To assess archaeological features at Factory No.1 in Bedminster prior to redevelopment.

April 25, 2026Open Access

Factory No.1, East Street, Bedminster, Bristol: Archaeological Evaluation

Key Points

To assess archaeological features at Factory No.1 in Bedminster prior to redevelopment.
Excavation of five trial trenches within proposed new-build block footprints.
Initial plan included six trenches; one inaccessible due to safety concerns and unexploded ordnance.
Evaluated structures from the 19th-20th centuries, including a tobacco factory and terraced housing.
Identified structures associated with a 19th-20th-century tobacco factory.
Found remnants of a stone wall linked to the 19th-century Bedminster Tannery, possibly with earlier origins.
No findings related to the medieval hospital of St. Katherine.

Abstract

Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by City and Country Bedminster Ltd to undertake a program of archaeological evaluation at Factory No.1, East Street, Bedminster, Bristol as part of the proposed conversion of existing buildings and construction of new-build residential blocks with associated landscaping. The evaluation comprised the excavation of five trial trenches within the footprints of the new-build blocks. Initially six trenches were proposed however one could not be excavated due to access limitations and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) considerations. The evaluation revealed a number of structures associated with the 19th-20th-century Tobacco Factory, 19th-century terraced housing and earlier Bedminster Tannery. Part of a stone wall in Trench 6 corresponded to a building shown on the 1880 OS map of Bedminster Tannery, while this building may have been used as part of the tannery during the mid-late 19th century it could also have earlier origins, potentially representing the remains of an earlier structure in the eastern corner of the Site which was later was incorporated into the tannery. No confirmed dating evidence for this structure was present. No evidence relating to the medieval hospital of St. Katherine, was identified during the course of the investigations.

Ask AI

Helpful

Bookmark

View Full Paper