Stokes Croft

Stokes Croft

Stokes Croft in 2009 at night
Part of	A38
Length	0.2 mi (0.32 km)
Postal code	BS1
Other
Known for	The Carriage Works Westmoreland House The Mild Mild West

Stokes Croft is the name of a road and area in Bristol, England. It is part of the A38, a main road north of the city centre.

The road became a centre of industry during the mid-19th century, including the Carriage Works. After large-scale bombing in World War II, the area rebuilt itself as a centre of art, music and counter-cultural lifestyle. Banksy's mural The Mild Mild West is on Stokes Croft, and riots broke out after the controversial decision to open a Tesco Express on the street.

Geography

The road is around 0.2 miles (0.32 km) as a continuation of North Street, immediately north of Bristol city centre. At the junction with Ashley road, it then becomes Cheltenham Road, followed by Gloucester Road. The road forms part of the A38, which was once a main road north of Bristol, though long-distance traffic now takes other routes.

Stokes Croft forms the boundary between the districts of Kingsdown and St Paul's and comes under the BS1 postcode.

History

Westmoreland House and the Carriage Works, at the north end of Stokes Croft

The road takes its name from John Stokes, mayor of Bristol in the late 14th century,. His will recorded the area as "Berewykse Croft in Redeland", while the will of Nicholas Excestre, who died in 1434, named it "formerly John Stoke’s close (ibid.)". It runs through the historic manor of Barton, which was recorded in the Domesday Book and part of the City of Bristol since 1373.

Stokes Croft was predominantly rural until around 1700, being mainly used for market gardening. Urban development was first logged in the parish records of 1678, while St James Square, to the east of North Street and southeast of Stokes Croft, was laid out by around 1710. John Roque's map of Bristol 1750 shows the area built up and running north of a central courtyard between Stokes Croft, North Street and Wilder Street. Though industries were established on Stokes Croft during the 18th century, the road remained predominantly rural and agricultural in nature until around 1850. Construction of the Carriage Works at No. 104 began in 1859, and opened in 1862.

The road was damaged badly in World War II, when Bristol was extensively bombed, destroying many buildings on and around Stokes Croft. Postwar redevelopment was slow, as Bristol City Council tended to concentrate on building offices to the south, closer to the city centre, and social housing to the north, towards Gloucester Road. Owing to the lack of large-scale development, small and independent businesses set up on Stokes Croft, which contributed to the bohemian character of the street.

Community

The name Stokes Croft has also come to refer to an area around the road as an informal district encompassing Jamaica Street, the junction of Picton Street and Ashley Road, and the southern part of Cheltenham Road. The area is a centre of art, music and independent shops in Bristol, with clubs such as the Croft, Lakota and Blue Mountain; the nearby music college BIMM Bristol on King Square; numerous pieces of graffiti art and one of Bristol's oldest musical instrument stores in Mickleburgh Musical Instruments Ltd. The area’s character has given rise to a group of activists and artists calling themselves The People's Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC), who are seeking to revitalise the area through community action and public art.

The Carriage Works has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II* listed building, though it is not currently in use and has become increasingly dialapidated. Slightly later, in 1861, the City Road Baptist Church was built.

Today the area is known for its derelict housing, squats, anarchist activity, counterculture and alternative nightlife. The Carriage Works and neighbouring Westmoreland House are a popular place for graffiti artists to draw work on the abandoned structures.

In 2006 a Heritage Lottery Fund grant was obtained by Bristol City Council to help overturn the decline in economic activity and environmental quality and a rise in social problems seen in the area since the 1970s.

At the junction of Stokes Croft and Jamaica Street is a large mural,"The Mild Mild West", painted the 1990s by Banksy. It depicts a teddybear lobbing a Molotov cocktail at three riot police. In 2007 the mural was voted Alternative Landmark of Bristol.

The Stokes Croft Telepathic Heights Riot, April 2011

See also: Bristol Riots

Despite a campaign against the opening of a new 'Tesco Express' store at 138-142 Cheltenham Road spearheaded by the group, 'No Tesco In Stokes Croft', the new store opened on 15 April 2011. In anticipation of demonstrations Tesco had put in place additional security measures. Various protests took place outside and inside the store during the seven days after its low-key opening. Although most protesters were peaceful, a minority threw paint and urinated on the shopfront.

On 21 April the police evicted squatters from a property opposite the store (known as 'Telepathic Heights'). This action led to a riot involving several people and lasting for much of the night, during which the shop-front of the Tesco Store was damaged and some looting took place. Further confrontations between police and protesters occurred in the early hours of 29 April.

References

Citations

Sources

• Etheridge, David; Young, D.E.Y. (January 2009). The Full Moon Hotel and Attic Bar, No.1 North Street, Stokes Croft, Bristol Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment (PDF) (Report). Avon Archaeological Unit. Retrieved 21 July 2016. {{cite report}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)