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.
1960s Bristol Corporation carried out demolitions of medieval domestic buildings in ‘poor condition’. Some wanted to pull everything down.
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.
1980s Bristol City Council (BCC) developed a successful events business at the mansion within a limited ground floor area. The income was not reinvested.
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.
1990s Heritage Lottery funded works to toilets, stable wing, car parks & roads.
2000s Commencement of repair works to lodges, cottages & walls around the estate.
2007 A draft version of the Business West Scoping Report lists 19 reports and studies since 1975 on the development of the Mansion.
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.
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.
2018 Artspace Lifespace charity took over the lease for ‘useable’ ground floor area, (about 25% of total area).
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.
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.
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.