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Quay Head House Colston Avenue, Bristol, 1884

About this project

Quay Head House is a Grade II listed building on Colston Avenue in the centre of Bristol, built in 1884 as the head office of Bristol Municipal Charities. This is an open archive of its history: who used it, how it changed, and what it meant to people.

This site is where we share what we find and collect what you know. Every photo and memory sent in comes to us first. We only publish it if you tell us we can, credited the way you choose.

Your photos and privacy

We never publish email addresses, and we remove hidden location data from photos when they are uploaded. If you send a photo, you keep the copyright: you are giving us permission to show it on this site and use it in our research. If you would like something taken down or changed, just email us and we will do it.

Where our information comes from

We cite our sources under every story, and list every image and its licence on our image credits page. The main ones are Historic England’s listing of the building, the records of Bristol Municipal Charities at Bristol Archives, Bristol Culture’s reviews from 2010 and 2011, and the memories people send us.

If you would like to help with the research, start with Help us research.

Were you ever inside?

An office job, a night out, a sleeping bag on the floor, a photo in a family album. Whatever your connection, it belongs in the archive.

  • Photos of the inside or outside, from any decade
  • Memories of working, drinking, eating or living here
  • Letters, menus, adverts, plans or anything with the address on
Share a photo or memory

Takes about five minutes. You choose if and how it is published.