RECENT HISTORY (October 2025)
Research: FAM volunteer
1959 Bristol Corporation, acquired Ashton Court Mansion & parkland for £103,000 following protracted negotiations & a threat of CPO.
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1960s Bristol Corporation carried out demolitions of medieval domestic buildings in ‘poor condition’. Some wanted to pull everything down.
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1970s Bristol Corp. carries out extensive repairs to the Mansion roof and windows, & extensive demolitions inside the Mansion. Avon County Council took over, stopped works & later made some limited ground floor ‘restoration’ only. Never finished.
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1980s Bristol City Council (BCC) developed a successful events business at the mansion within a limited ground floor area. The income was not reinvested.
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1987 – 92 BCC commissioned detailed reports on the Mansion & parkland to inform English Heritage & the BCC marketing brochure. Hotel groups, education establishments & others found too many constraints.
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1990s Heritage Lottery funded works to toilets, stable wing, car parks & roads.
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2000s Commencement of repair works to lodges, cottages & walls around the estate.
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2007 A draft version of the Business West Scoping Report lists 19 reports and studies since 1975 on the development of the Mansion.
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2013 Extensive fire in the NW Wing severely damaged the architectural masterpiece at the mansion.
2013 3rd Draft of a comprehensive Conservation Management plan was never completed.
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2017 Bristol Civic Society (BCS) called public meeting; a steering group was established.
2017 BCC withdraws from any active events management from end of 2017.
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2018 Artspace Lifespace charity took over the lease for ‘useable’ ground floor area, (about 25% of total area).
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2019 Friends of Ashton Court Mansion, FAM were established.
2019 BCS call 2nd public meeting to launch a smaller & much revised 2013 Purcell report. https://www.bristolcivicsociety.org.uk/launch-of-purcell-report-towards-a-sustainable-future/. It says that a ‘Do nothing approach’ is calculated to cost BCC up to £200,000 per annum. ‘Mothballing’ would still cost BCC around £175,000 per annum.
2019 Several from local heritage businesses offered to be involved or to try to find a way but their approach was rejected.
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2021 FAM wrote to the Council highlighting urgent repairs for this ‘Building at Risk. BCC commented : ‘there isn’t and hasn’t been any funding historically to cover these (repairs) hence we are so excited about this (Prince’s Foundation) project’. The Prince’s Foundation also withdrew.
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2025 Overall Control of the Mansion moved from BCC Parks to Culture who have resumed the search for future options.
2025 October 13th, BCC voted to develop a long-term lease with the Bristol Historic Buildings Trust to repair & run the Mansion for all Bristolians.