Are they deconstructing more than a building?

Upon moving to Stokes Croft, Bristol in January 2018, it became apparent to me quite quickly that change was in the air.

If you went to Christchurch, New Zealand after September 2010, you would be struck by the amount of change and anticipation felt amongst local residence. After going through a number of devastating earthquakes, 80% of the city was going to be knocked down with over 15,000 residents unable to return to their home due to unstable foundations.

When I arrived in Bristol earlier this year, I couldn’t help but feel a familiar feeling. Change was in the air and you could tell many different people had many different ideas about what that change would look like.

On the 6th of February demolition of The Carriage Works begun. This was considered a victory for many people, a headline in the Bristol Post even read:

Demolition of prominent Bristol eyesore moves steps closer as contractors move on site

I couldn’t help but feel a little bit sorry for this alleged eyesore. From my experience, loss of any kind can create a wide variety of mixed emotions and with such a rich history, I wasn’t convinced that everyone was necessarily on board with the change. Of course there are a lot of positives in giving life to an unused building, after all they’re meant to be spaces for people, right?

But the question in my mind is, which people?

The most pressing concern that seems to be a trend in many cities is one of gentrification and it was clear that some people may be more opposed to restarting this buildings heart beat than keeping it dormant.

Stokes Croft ‘gentrification’ fears raised over Carriageworks development

So many questions to be explored; will Stokes Croft become the equivalent of London’s east end and gentrify? will locals welcome the change or will they fight it? am I part of the gentrification? who gets to shape the future of this community and what gives them the power?

As demolition is well underway, I’ve decided to begin following the progress of the work as well as document peoples reactions. If you have a special relationship to this building and it’s history and would like to share this with me, I’d love to hear from you.

You can contact me on Twitter or email on harry@knightlife.co.nz.