News / Cattle Market Tavern
Historic Bristol pub demolished
In the end there were just too many ‘ifs’ to prevent the demolition of the Cattle Market Tavern.
If the arena is ever going to built just over the road and across the bridge, it could have become a popular place to grab a drink before a show.
It could have remained as a historic pub while all around it changed, with the sorting office behind it also due to be demolished to make way for the University of Bristol’s new £300m campus.
is needed now More than ever
But it has now disappeared from view forever underneath a pile of rubble, with a huge grabber destroying the building on Tuesday morning like a toddler destroys Duplo:
https://www.facebook.com/bristol247/videos/10155926822759807/
The Complete Guide to Bristol Pubs published in 1976 gave the pub a three out of five star rating, calling it “a very simple pub like they were before breweries started buying up and tarting up”.
The guide reported that it was the only place in town selling Draught Ind Coope bitter, as well as E, 6X and Truman’s Prize Brew. It added: “Don’t be misled by Ansells sig outside – there is none.”
In 1982, The Bristol Pub Guide described the Cattle Market Tavern as having darts, a jukebox, TV and video.
Its entry read: “Down the back end of Temple Meads station, next to the cattle market (not surprisingly), perhaps an unexpected situation for an established real ale pub, and indeed, evening trade here is slow. Two fairly basic bars serving Badger’s, Davenport’s and Archer’s on hand pump, backed up by a keg range and Guinness. If rather austere, it’s recommended as a lunchtime pub.”
The Cattle Market Tavern was deemed too dilapidated to save
The Cattle Market Tavern was built in 1910 to serve the workers in the nearby sorting office. It closed in 1997 when Royal Mail moved to Filton and has been empty ever since.
In 2017, a last ditch effort was made to save the pub and restore it to provide a link between Bristol’s past and future.
Bristol & District CAMRA and the Bristol Civic Society issued a joint appeal calling for the building to be retained and restored as part of the area’s regeneration plans.
Bristol Wood Recycling Project, who used to be based behind the pub, moved to a new home in early February at William Street in St Philip’s.
The Cattle Market Tavern viewed from Temple Meads prior to its demolition
All that now remains is a pile of bricks
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