Underfall Yard, the historic Bristol boatyard that was destroyed by an arson attack in 2023, plans to use a restored building as a workshop for public engagement and education programmes.
Work will begin in December to restore the historic boatyard’s flagship building, ‘The Big Shed’, to its former glory.
Kaden Gardner, events and marketing assistant for Underfall Yard, said: “We wanted to open the education facilities because boat building is an endangered craft in the UK. Having our site, which is steeped in two hundred years of history, is important to build community.”
Bristol is an icon within the boat industry, with a rich maritime history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times including a historic trading port between the Avon and Frome and Brunel’s SS Great Britain. Education about the boatyard’s history being available to the public is vital for Bristol’s heritage.
Kaden added: “Before being a cultural site, it was a commercial site. It’s such a big part of our identity and we never want to lose that.”
Since the creation of the Floating Harbour in 1809, Underfall Yard has been crucial to its operation and maintenance. Before this time, much of the site was underwater and the original course of the River Avon ran through the Yard.
Today, Underfall Yard is home to maritime businesses involved in boatbuilding, marine engineering, metalworking, and training.
The Yard has a café and visitor centre open to the public and lots of information and interactive activities about the people and engineering that powered the docks.
The trust has yet to raise the final £100,000 in order to fund the project, which will be completed by Stone BCI, who have extensive experience restoring historic buildings.
When asked how funding was going, the response was: “Very well, we have raised enough funds to start the project, and the additional funds are to make the educational programmes more contemporary.”
The aim is to maintain the original look and scale of the workshops, while bringing them to modern standards required for a working boatyard.
“It’s something that a twenty-first-century boat yard needs while keeping traditional crafts alive.”
The arsonist who started the devastating fire has been jailed for life after being deemed a threat to public safety.
Robert Boyd-Stevenson started the blaze at the Yard only three days after getting a job there.
