Postcode: bs1
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‘i, flaneur’, queens square, bristol 1
originally uploaded by james koch
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the arnolfini is an arts centre and gallery in bristol, england
it has a programme of contemporary art exhibitions, live art, music and dance events, poetry and book readings, talks, lectures and cinema
arnolfini is funded by bristol city council and arts council england, with some corporate and individual supporters
the gallery was founded in 1961 by jeremy rees, and was originally located in clifton
in the 1970s it moved to queen square, before moving to its present location, bush house on bristol’s waterfront, in 1975
the name of the gallery is taken from jan van eyck’s 15th century painting, the arnolfini portrait
the gallery reached a new audience in april 2010, when it was chosen to host one of the three 2010 general election debates
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‘squeezing the juice’, narrow quay, bristol 1
originally uploaded by james koch
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‘aaa frame’, narrow quay, bristol 1
originally uploaded by james koch
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‘dmt (everything’s connected)’, narrow quay, bristol 1
originally uploaded by james koch
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bristol grew up on the banks of the rivers avon and frome
since the 13th century, the rivers have been modified for use as docks including the diversion of the river frome in the 1240s into an artificial deep channel known as “saint augustine’s reach”
saint augustine’s reach became the heart of bristol’s docks with its quays and wharfs
the river avon within the gorge, and the river severn into which it flows, has tides which fluctuate about 30 feet (9 m) between high and low water
this means that the river is easily navigable at high-tide but reduced to a muddy channel at low tide in which ships would often run aground
many ships were deliberately stranded in the harbour for unloading, giving rise to the phrase “shipshape and bristol fashion” to describe boats capable of taking the strain of repeatedly being stranded
as early as 1420, vessels from bristol were regularly travelling to iceland
it is speculated that sailors from bristol had made landfall in the americas before christopher columbus or john cabot
much of the harbourside is under redevelopment – a plethera of questionnably styled new build appartments
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‘a deciduous life’, the harbourside, bristol 1
originally uploaded by james koch
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‘sharing the shadows’, the harbourside, bristol 1
originally uploaded by james koch
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‘walk on water’, porto quay, bristol 1
originally uploaded by james koch
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there are three views on the origin of this name:
1) the obvious: the site of a corn market
2) john corn of shropshire used to own land in the area
3) after coernicus who succeeded ella as warden of bristol castle
corn st is home to ‘the nails’, upon which bargains were struck by eighteenth century businessmen
there is a clock in the corn exchange whose extra hand shows ‘bristol time’, eight minutes behind gmt
bristol time was abandoned with the advent of the railways and their timetables
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