New book on Bristol’s most knocked-about suburb!
It is a wonder that there is any community at all in Bristol’s Hotwells as the district has seen more major changes over the centuries than any other.
It is a wonder that there is any community at all in Bristol’s Hotwells as the district has seen more major changes over the centuries than any other.
Now, a new book by local resident Sue Stops tells the story of this remarkable area and the resilience of the community spirit, which is still alive and well and manifests itself in an annual pantomime every year.
“Hotwells – Spa to Pantomime”, published by Bristol Books, tells the story of this fascinating area next to the River Avon created in the 17th Century by rich merchants keen to take advantage of the natural hot springs to provide a spa that would rival fashionable Bath and Cheltenham.
That saw a massive building boom in the area but Hotwells has never been able to rest peacefully as it has been at the forefront of important changes that have enabled Bristol to thrive as a port and as a modern city.
Sue Stops says: “The community of Hotwells and Cliftonwood has learnt to cope with some extraordinary changes. Imagine in the early 1800s having to cope with 1,000 men digging the massive pit that would become Cumberland Basin, or the distress of the community in the 1960s when the road system over the basin involved destroying the heart of Hotwells to enable cars to become more important than people.
“The book was almost finished when news arrived that plans are afoot for more changes around the Cumberland Basin. Among the streets knocked down when the ‘Flyover’ was built, was Western Square. One can only hope this is the inspiration for the name Western Harbour.”
As well as a canter through the history of the area the book chronicles the remarkable story of how the community rolled up its sleeves in the late 1970s and renovated the derelict Hope Chapel, turning it into a thriving and vibrant Community Arts Centre.
For 20 years, Hope Centre hosted an extraordinary array of bands, performers and touring theatre companies. From puppetry to poetry and from writing to music workshops, the range of creative activities on offer for young and old was amazing. Hope Centre reverted to a place of worship in the late 1990s, but the annual pantomime lives on and the book celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.
The book will be launched at this year’s pantomime “The Mardyke Mermaid” which runs from March 11 to 14 and which is written, performed and produced by local people from this remarkably resilient community.
“Hotwells-Spa to Pantomime” is on sale at Hope Chapel every night of the pantomime, where a book can be bought from Sue Stops for £10 cash. Alternatively, give Sue a call on 0117 939 7999 to order a copy or you can pop into a range of local book and gift shops or buy online Here
M Shed guide in award shortlist
The M Shed Souvenir Guide produced by Bristol Books for the city’s stunning museum alongside the historic harbour has been shortlisted for a national award.
The M Shed Souvenir Guide produced by Bristol Books for the city’s stunning museum alongside the historic harbour has been shortlisted for a national award.
The guide is one of four finalists in the Best Guide Book category of the Cultural Enterprises Awards 2020 held by the Association of Cultural Enterprises.
The winner will be announced at the Gala Dinner of the Cultural Enterprises Conference and Trade Show in Harrogate, Yorkshire in March.
The judges comments were that the guide is “a well thought-out user journey with clever use of pull out sections”. Bristol Books also produced the guide to art at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.
The award nominated guide book is available from the M Shed gift shop or online on the Online Bristol Museums Shop
Bristol Books in China!
The biography of Louise Brown, the world’s first IVF baby, published by Bristol Books has now been published in Mandarin for Chinese readers.
The biography of Louise Brown, the world’s first IVF baby, published by Bristol Books has now been published in Mandarin for Chinese readers.
Bristol Books first published the story in a hardback book in 2015. It tells how Lesley and John Brown from Bristol became the first people in the world to have a “test tube baby” and the impact that event and the worldwide publicity had on the family and Louise.
Written first-person as Louise by Martin Powell in association with the family the book was updated in 2018 as a softback special 40th anniversary edition to mark Louise’s 40th birthday.
Now “My Life As The World’s First Test Tube Baby” has been updated further and published by the Chinese Society of Reproductive Medicine to inform those working in the state-run fertility clinics in China about the history of the technique and how it affected the family involved.
Martin Powell said: “I never imagined for one moment when I was writing the story that it would end up being published in Mandarin. I went to Chongqing with Louise last year and saw first hand the amazing work now being done in China to help people with fertility problems.
“Louise and her family are proud of their Bristol roots. The IVF technique perfected by Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe was one of the great scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century and changed forever the way people can be conceived. There are now around 10 million people born through IVF in the world.”
The English version of Louise’s book is available in softback and hardback here:
The Colour Of Football Launch
Steve Stacey’s book The Colour of Football was launched at Ashton Gate Stadium with former Bristol City players, Steve’s family, football fans and officials attending.
Steve Stacey’s book The Colour of Football was launched at Ashton Gate Stadium with former Bristol City players, Steve’s family, football fans and officials attending.
Richard Jobson, Chairman of the Professional Footballers Association was among those attending, together with City players Trevor Tainton, Tony Ford, Jantzen Derrick, “Shadow Williams and others and City President Marina Dolman.
Empica PR captured the atmosphere of the evening in this video.
The life of a football pioneer
Steve Stacey will fly from his home in Australia to talk about how he progressed from his humble beginnings of kicking a ball around in the gas-lit streets of post-war Bristol to playing in the top tier of the English game.
The first black African-American to play professional football in the UK returns to his childhood home of Bristol next month to share his story with youngsters growing up in the city today.
Steve Stacey will fly from his home in Australia to talk about how he progressed from his humble beginnings of kicking a ball around in the gas-lit streets of post-war Bristol to playing in the top tier of the English game.
During his six-week visit to his home city, Steve will speak at Fairfield High School, which he attended as a child, and Orchard School in Horfield, the area of Bristol where he lived and first dreamed about being a professional player.
He will also launch his autobiography, The Colour of Football, on Friday, September 6, at 18.00 in the Sports Bar at Ashton Gate, home of Bristol City, the club where he began his pro career – despite being a Bristol Rovers fan!
Steve’s black American GI father had not been allowed to marry his white English mother, and returned to the United States, leaving Steve as the only black face among a sea of white peers.
But when his football ability saw him become captain of a street team, he felt he fitted in and realised that colour played no part in football.
He said: “No matter what had happened in the past, name-calling, being ignored, I never felt I was less worthy than anyone else on the street again, ever.
“I have considered this often on my journey. With all the glamour of a professional football career, perhaps being captain of the street team was the most important and crucial appointment of my whole life.
“As I grew up, all my friends and those I played football with were white. As I turned professional, I was admired for my skill with the ball, not for the colour of my skin.
“Today, teams are brimming with players of different nationalities and colour, and that is the way it should be.
“But I like to think that, in some small way, I was part of the beginning.”
Steve was a versatile player who could occupy pretty much any position, including that of goalkeeper!
He was eventually sold by Bristol City’s chairman, Harry Dolman, to Wrexham to help raise the funds needed to build the Dolman Stand. His career took him to Ipswich, back to Bristol City and then Exeter and Bath City, until he emigrated with his wife and two daughters to Australia in 1974, where he continued to play – as one of the first ever black footballers in Australia – and coach.
He was nearly 40-years-old when he managed to track down and then meet his father and his US family, which opened his eyes to the suffering of the black community in the area where his father was born and raised – Kemper County and the infamous ‘killing fields’ for black African-Americans.
Steve’s story – and his book - contains fascinating insights into dressing room banter, lots of wheeling and dealing, the frustration of dealing with injuries, and features a host of famous names, from Bristol City legend John Atyeo to one of Steve’s Ipswich – and future England – managers, Sir Bobby Robson.
He spent his life thinking about his ancestral roots and trying to trace them and is looking forward to returning to his own roots, and the city which played such an important role in his formative years. He’ll also be taking part in events to mark Bristol Black History month in October, with a lecture at M Shed on October 9 at 18.00 titled, Ancestral Roots and Football Boots.
Gordon Taylor OBE, Chief Executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, said: “People of all backgrounds, races, religions and cultures can come together through football.
“Steve Stacey is not one of the big stars. But as the son of a black American GI and a white English woman, he was a pioneer. Professional football is all about the Steve Stacey’s of this world.
“The PFA is proud to have helped Steve tell his story. It is one that will resonate with football lovers everywhere and is a great insight into what it was like to be a professional footballer in Steve’s time.”
The Colour of Football is priced at £12 and will be available from book shops, Ashton Gate Stadium from Friday, September 6.
Steve Stacey rose from kicking a ball in the gaslit streets of post-war Bristol to running out in the top flight of English football. Often the only black face in the team he was the first African-American to grace the professional English game.
This poignant, funny and at times deeply moving tale, takes you behind the scenes as a professional footballer working up through the ranks while at the same time searching for his roots.