An ode to Bristol’s boozers before coronavirus
Photos: Colin Moody
Remember pubs? Yes, they’re going to be allowed to open from 4 July, but with social distancing measures in place, and disagreement over whether or not it’s a good idea to risk it, pubs aren’t going to be the same for a long time. In this photoessay – from our last print magazine which we had to pause because of coronavirus – we take a loving look back at some of Bristol’s beautiful boozers.
Even before the pandemic, the future of many pubs was uncertain, while others were closing at an alarming rate across the country. Many of Bristol’s community favourites are being turned into flats, like The Pineapple on St George’s Road, or making way for cosmopolitan eateries, coffee shops and, more depressingly, supermarkets, like the Friendship in Knowle and the Fellowship in Horfield. Both are now Tesco Express shops.
Street photographer Colin Moody and Save Bristol Nightlife campaigner Annie McGann started the ‘Use It Or Lose It’ photo project to draw attention to Bristol’s receding pub scene, and to celebrate the proper Bristol pubs we have left.
Together they have begun to chart the pubs that are real, amazing community hubs, some struggling, some with long traditions in diverse communities. At the heart of the story are people, and here are some of the people they have found so far.
Some are finding inventive ways to keep their locals open, like the drinkers in the Windmill in Bedminster, who recently started up a fundraiser to do a community buy-out of the pub.
“We say that the community spaces are there already if they are not pushed out by property speculation,” says Colin. “Venues need protective status, investment and stability. Use it, and please don’t take it away so we lose it.”
The Masonic, Bedminster: “The Bedminster Ladies Darts League has been running for well over 50 years. My nan, mum, godmother, aunt and cousin have all been, or still are, part of the team. Lots of teams in the League are the same way and it’s a brilliant way for cross-generational social time. It keeps the proper pubs going.” 
The Criterion, St Pauls: The police nearly shut this pub down last year, but the owners managed to keep it open. It’s one of the few to survive in the area. The Prince of Wales, opposite, has gone the way of many boozers within a mile of Stokes Croft and become a coffee shop, and the nearby Duke of Sussex is waiting to be turned into flats. Hopefully, the Criterion will hold fast. 
Star and Garter, Montpelier: “The pub was recently refurbished and the new decor is partly a shrine to Bristol legend DJ Derek,” says Annie. “In this picture, Carmen is looking up at Derek’s minidiscs displayed in their case.” 
The Merchants Arms, Hotwells: Colin and Annie asked one of the regulars at the Merchants Arms if he’d missed any pubs. This is him writing out a lengthy list. 
The Windmill, Bedminster: Locals are fundraising to bring the struggling Windmill into community ownership. It’s been on the market for a year and supporters are hoping they can follow in the wake of the Bristol Ferry Boat and make it into a community-owned, not-for-profit pub. 
The Barley Mow, Bedminster: “Local pubs are an extension of people’s living rooms,” says Annie. “I was working to save a local pub and I asked an elderly man ‘what will you do if the pub gets closed down?’ and he said, ‘get divorced’. 
The Barley Mow, Bedminster: “I was a landlord for years and years here, and now I come in here. Have half a Blackthorn and Thatchers, just the way I like. In here, it’s all about the social. Always.”
These photos will also appear in a new book about Bristol’s nightlife, out next year. If you’re interested in having your local feature in the photo project, get in touch with Colin: mrcolinmoody@gmail.com / Twitter: @moodycolin
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