FROM BRIDGEHEAD TO BREWERY The medieval and post-medieval archaeological remains from Finzel’s Reach, Bristol

This richly illustrated book presents the fascinating results from a major project to examine
the heritage of Finzel’s Reach, the site of the former Courage and Bristol Breweries near the
centre of one of England’s greatest port cities. Archaeological, geoarchaeological and historic
building investigations have revealed a fascinating story of change and urban evolution
at the site. Naturally a tidal marsh, the area played an important role in the late Saxon
defensive system protecting the settlement of Brycg Stowe. From the twelfth century largescale
land reclamation provided the conditions for speculative urban street and tenement
development, promoted and administered under the ownership of the Knights Templar, and
from the fourteenth century by new owners, the Knights Hospitaller. These medieval urban
landlords oversaw the growth of an established and densely populated area full of life, trade
and production on one of the town’s principal roads, Temple Street, and crossroads, Temple
Cross. Later medieval and early post-medieval decline gave way to new enterprises in the age
of Empire, leading to the site’s long-standing association with sugar production and brewing.
The accompanying DVD,
(available from ADS,doi.org/10.5284/1047571) contains documentation that formed the basis of the heritage
strategy and guided its implementation, along with a complete set of full specialist reports
on the artefacts and ecofacts recovered, and reports on the historic building recording of the
brewery structures as they survived before modern redevelopment. A photo gallery and short
Film illustrate the work of the archaeologists who undertook the excavations.