Talk: Bristol's Lost City
Winterbourne Medieval Barn
We are delighted to welcome back Clive Burlton for another fascinating talk on Bristol's history. This is the tale of the Bristol International Exhibition of 1914, sited near the Cumberland Basin. The Exhibition was part trade fair, and part theme park, costing £110m in today’s money. It was an extraordinary venture that few local people know much about.
The 30 acre site was host to a roller-coaster, a jungle, massive international pavilions, art galleries, exhibitions of machinery, daily pageants, musical shows and sports events, replicas of Bristol Castle and Drake’s ship Revenge, and an area called Shakespeare’s England. With no public funding, unlike the London exhibitions of 1908 and 1911, it was doomed to financial failure. When the first World War broke out, the exhibition closed and the War Office used the site as barracks for volunteer soldiers of the Gloucestershire Regiment and several artillery units.
The story is told from the exhibition records held in Bristol and the National Archives in Kew. The talk is well illustrated, and includes a recruitment song written for the volunteer soldiers at the White City barracks.
Doors and bar open from 6.30pm. Cash and card payments accepted. Free parking on site.
Tickets are £7.50 and seating is unreserved. Booking online is advised. The talk will also be available to watch live on Zoom - please ensure you book the correct type of ticket!
For further details about Winterbourne Medieval Barn Trust see website www.WinterbourneBarn.org.uk and facebook.com/winterbournemedievalbarn
WMBT Registered Charity number 1112908
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