A group of six Bristol Soroptimists, and three Soroptimisters, enjoyed a tour of St Nicholas Market and Air Raid Shelter.
We had a ‘Brizzle Drizzle’ on the day, but it didn’t dampen our spirits as our guide kept us very interested and upbeat. This Bristol historical site was fascinating and offered a glimpse into the city’s experiences during World War II.
The tour was led by Duncan, a knowledgeable and entertaining guide, who shared Bristol’s early history from a Saxon settlement in Castle Park, the history about the Nails at the Corn Exchange and stories of life in the air raid shelter.
At the air raid shelter, situated deep inside the beautiful Corn Exchange building in Corn Street, we experienced the atmosphere of wartime days with dim lighting and sounds which would have accompanied the time people spent there. We saw feature exhibits, including photographs, personal stories, and artifacts from the war, that provided us with a deeper understanding of the impact of the air raids on the local community.
On 24 November 1940, Bristol experienced its worst bombing raid and approximately 150 people had to shelter there for over 6 hours. 148 bombers rained 1,540 tonnes of high explosives and over 12,000 incendiary bombs down on the city. But the longest raid on Bristol occurred on 3/4 January 1941, and lasted 12 hours, during which the Luftwaffe dropped their biggest bomb on the city. It was nicknamed “Satan”, and weighed 2,000 kg.
During the tour we were able to visit the upper floor areas of the Corn Exchange often featured in films and tv series and normally closed to the public.
Our guide, Duncan, is recording stories of local people’s experiences during those difficult days in Bristol and working towards creating a museum in the air raid shelter.
The tour offered valuable insights into the spirit of the people of Bristol during the war and we can highly recommend it. Thank you Ruth for organising yet another amazing visit.