Stop 04 - Spike Island
Stop 04 Spike Island: free contemporary gallery, the Underfall Yard boatyards and a quieter side of Bristol's harbour. Coffee, art and a working steam engine.
Bristolians argue cheerfully about whether Spike Island counts as an island. It is a strip of land about a kilometre long, pinned between the Floating Harbour on one side and the tidal New Cut on the other - engineered into existence in 1809 so the docks could be locked off from the tide. In practice it feels like the quieter back side of the harbour: less shiny than the Harbourside proper, more working.
What to see
The main draw is the Spike Island gallery, a former tea-packing warehouse converted into a contemporary art space with an unusually ambitious programme (past exhibitions have included Rachel Whiteread, Jeremy Deller, Lubaina Himid). Entry is free. The cafe in the building is one of the best coffees in Bristol.
Next to the gallery, you will find the Underfall Yard - a working Victorian boat yard at the western end of the island, where you can watch shipwrights rebuilding wooden hulls and occasionally hear a steam engine running. Tours of the engine room run on weekends.
Further east, past the residential stretch, the old tobacco bond warehouses are now artists’ studios, climbing walls and small industrial businesses. The walk from one end of the island to the other takes about fifteen minutes.
How long to stay
Ninety minutes for a proper visit - one gallery exhibition, a coffee, a slow walk to the Underfall Yard. Add another thirty minutes if you like old engineering.
Nearby stops
- Stop 03 - Hotwell Road is across the water, reachable via the swing bridge.
- Stop 05 - ss Great Britain is a five-minute walk east along the quayside.
- Stop 06 - Bristol Zoo Project is a 12-minute bus ride up to Clifton.
Practical info
Step-free from the bus stop to the gallery. Underfall Yard has some cobbles; wheelchair users can do most of it but the engine room itself has a small step. Public toilets at the gallery.
