Bristol and the Floating Harbour around 1900

An excellent series of reproduction large scale (25 inches to 1 mile) Ordnance Survey maps of Bristol issued around 1900 can be obtained cheaply from Alan Godfrey Maps.

These give a very clear idea of the look and feel of the city a century after the creation of the Harbour. They can be directly compared with Jessop’s plan (on this website) and modern maps.

The Harbour spreads across several maps – you will need

  • 71.16 Bristol (NW) and Clifton
  • 71.13 Bristol (NE)
  • 75.03 Bristol (Ashton Court)
  • 75.04 Bristol (SW) and Bedminster
  • 76.01 Bristol (SE)
  • 76.02 St Annes Park

to cover the entire area.

In addition, there are maps covering the whole river Avon to Avonmouth, where new docks were built after 1877 (71.11, 71.06 and 71.01). These maps help to convey the distance between the Harbour and the mouth of the river Avon where it meets the Severn.

Interactive map

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