architecture, Banqueting House, belvedere, Bristol, country house, eyecatcher, Folly, garden history, landscape garden, public park, sham castle, Tower

Blaise Castle, Bristol.

In the first half of the 1760s Thomas Farr, a Bristol merchant, bought land at Henbury near Bristol, which included the prominent eminence called ‘Blaize Hill’. In 1766 he commissioned designs from the architect Robert Mylne for a sham castle eye-catcher to top the hill.

Anonymous 1789 view of Blaise Castle. British Library, King George III Topographical Collection. Public Domain.

Early Bristol historians describe the hill as the site of a Roman camp, and Farr was said to have dug up ‘great quantities’ of coins when the foundations for the castle were made. It was also said to have housed an ancient chapel, and more recently had been home to a summerhouse approached by a formal double-avenue. Farr (1732-1791), a ‘person of exquisite taste’, followed fashion and abandoned this straight approach, creating instead meandering serpentine walks and rides which wound through woodland up to the fine new gothic folly.

One of Mylne’s designs for the folly showing a taller central tower, but the same ground plan as was built. ©Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives. K5318. Purchased with the assistance of the Friends of Bristol Art Gallery, the Friends of Blaise, and the Wills Fund, 1984.

A single drawing by Robert Mylne (1733-1811) is known to survive, and as it is annotated ‘no.3’ it is assumed that Mylne provided several variant designs. The castle had offices at ground level where the servants could prepare food, and three rooms on the first floor for socialising. The principal circular room was 25 feet in diameter and ‘very highly finished in the Gothic stile’. Stairs in one of the smaller turrets led to the roof, where the views took in ‘many miles’ of the River Severn and the Bristol Channel, as well as a prospect over the surrounding counties and across to Wales. Contemporary sources suggest that Farr would watch his ships arriving in Bristol from the top of his ‘Summer or Pleasure House’, and it was also an eye-catcher, announcing Farr’s elevated status to all who saw it.

The Severn, Henbury Village and Blaize Castle from the road in the Mill, undated, gray wash, and pen and black ink on four joined sheets of medium, slightly textured, cream laid paper, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection, B1977.14.5539.

Farr’s ambitions for his estate were foiled by bankruptcy in 1778, and he sold the estate to one Dr Denham Skeet. The poet Edward Davies was a guest of Skeet and recorded his visit in verse. This was published in 1783 as Blaise Castle: A Prospective Poem, and he includes a rather disturbing description of the effort required to ascend the footpath to the folly:

The fat and lazy would ne’er reach the Top.
Were there not Seats prepared for them to stop,
And breath [sic], while they their reeking Foreheads mop.
But after various Perils, Stops and Pain,
With trembling Knees, we reach the Castle Plain,
And panting view the Horizon again.

The artist Samuel Hieronymous Grimm visited a few years later (it is not recorded if he walked the tortuous footpath or opted for a sedate carriage ride) and took a number of views of the folly. His sketches show that the door was originally flanked by a pair of sphinx statues, which are sadly no longer in situ.

Samuel Hieronymous Grimm’s 1778 ‘S.W. View of Blaise Castle’. British Library Add 15540,f.111. Public Domain.

In 1789 the estate was bought by the Harford family. They built a new mansion, and invited Humphry Repton to remodel the grounds: he suggested raising one of the turrets of the castle to give it a more interesting silhouette, but his advice was not taken.  Tourists were allowed to explore the walks through the woods to the folly, although there were restrictions: one early nineteenth century visitor was unable to persuade (bribe?) the ‘churlish porter’ to allow access on a Sunday.

The Flâneuse is a fan of these picture postcards incorporating a potted history – but don’t believe everything you read: the date of 1776 is incorrect. Early 20th century postcard courtesy of a private collection.

Blaise Castle (the folly soon gave its name to the entire estate) remained in Harford ownership until the early decades of the twentieth century, and by the later nineteenth century the ground floor of Blaise Castle was earning its keep as a residence for estate workers. The family continued to allow access to parties of naturalists, antiquarians and ramblers, and the reports of their visits in the first decade of the twentieth century provide detail of the upper room in the tower. It was by then furnished with a collection of arms and armour, rare old china and furniture, and had ‘beautiful stained glass windows’. Like the earlier tourists, the groups could climb up to the top to appreciate the magnificent scenery.

The interior of the folly in 1919.

In 1926 access became available to all when the Bristol Corporation bought the estate as a ‘charming natural playground’ where the city’s citizens might enjoy ‘the beauty with which nature has endowed this place so lavishly’.

The Butcher’s Cave as illustrated in a mid-20th century guidebook to Blaise Castle.

As well as the hilltop folly the grounds also featured a castellated lodge, a ‘fairy tale’ thatched lodge and places of ‘childish delight’ such as ‘The Butcher’s Cave’ and ‘The Giant’s Footprint’. In 1949 a Folk Museum was opened in the mansion, and there was also a ‘pleasant restaurant’ where visitors could dine off elegant crockery bearing the arms of the city.

Plate from the former restaurant, made by local firm Pountney & Co, now in the collection of Bristol Museum ©Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives.

By the 1970s, after years of neglect and abuse by vandals, the folly was in poor condition. The interior had fallen into complete disrepair and, as Barbara Jones noted in her research files, the stained glass had been destroyed ‘by hooligans’.

The castle with boarded-up windows. Undated mid-20th century photo from Barbara Jones’s research files, courtesy of a private collection.

The exterior fabric was also in a poor condition, and in 1979 the council proposed pulling down the most dangerous section, and preserving the rest as a ‘conserved ruin’. Public opinion was vociferously in favour of restoring the whole castle, and in March 1981 a local paper could announce that the dangerous turret was currently being rebuilt and that it was ‘hoped to fully restore this fanciful building over the next three years’.

Today an active community charity, Friends of Blaise (born out of the campaign to see the castle restored in the 1980s) supports the city council in their efforts to maintain the estate. The volunteers open the castle (grade II*) to the public on certain days in the warmer months, but you can walk up to it at any time. There’s a walking guide here. There’s still a museum and a cafe – just don’t expect the fancy china.

Thank you for reading. Please scroll down to the comments box if you would like to share any thoughts.

 

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11 thoughts on “Blaise Castle, Bristol.”

  1. Carrie Jaffe says:

    And there’s also Blaise Hamlet a short walk away, a collection of cottages ornée around a village green, designed by Nash.

    1. Editor says:

      Good morning Carrie. The hamlet is a delight, as is the dairy by the house, but I didn’t have space to include them all. Thank you for ensuring they get a mention. That area of Bristol has so many wonderful follies and garden ornaments to explore.

  2. Margie Hoffnung says:

    Great article. Sadly due to lack of funds the museum iin the mansion at Blaise (which had gt archives in Blaise Estate) has closed, and looks set to be permanently shut. You may have received this from Friends of Blaise. I forwarded it to the Avon Gdns Trust : Bristol City Council have proposed the permanent closure of Blaise Castle House
    and the Georgian House and Red Lodge museums.

    These three buildings, and their collections, are an important part of the city’s heritage and community. They play a pivotal role Bristol’s cultural offer.

    It will be a real tragedy if this proposal goes through. The saving proposed is tiny in comparison to the cultural vandalism that their closure would cause. If closed the Council would still have to maintain and insure the listed buildings but would lose the ability to derive any income from the assets.

    The proposed closures are short sighted. The three sites should remain open to the public whilst the council looks at other means to raise income from the buildings.

    A petition to oppose the closure of these historical museums has been started by Councillor Mark Weston. 3500 signatures are required to force a full Council debate – at time of sending this email the petition has 3023 signatures so your input can make a very real difference to Blaise and the other museums under threat of closure.

    This ePetition runs from 05/01/2025 to 19/02/2025, and can be found here: (copy and paste the link into your browser)

    https://democracy.bristol.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=329&RPID=32471784&HPID=32471784&$LO$=1

    Please sign and share the petition if you live, work or study in Bristol.

    1. Editor says:

      Oh Margie that’s awful news, but sadly echoed across the country. I checked it was reopening for the 2025 season before I published, but clearly the situation is changing rapidly. Thank you for bringing this to everyone’s attention. At least we can still enjoy the park. For now at least.

  3. Gand says:

    Well let’s hope it doesn’t go down in a Blaise of glory.

    1. Editor says:

      Good afternoon Gand. A bed of roses would be preferable.

  4. TOM GARDNER says:

    AS A SEMI-RETIRED … ART NOUVEAU – ANTIQUES DEALER:
    ‘TIFFANY STUDIOS, GALLE, DAUM, MARTIN BROTHERS, SEVRES, GUIMARD, ROYAL COPENHAGEN’, ETC. ETC. – SADLY, TODAY’S ‘YOUNG ADULTS’ HOLD PAST ‘CREATIVE ARTS’ – IN LOW REGARD.
    EDUCATION WISE, THIS MOST TREASURED ASPECT OF THE HUMAN ACHIEVEMENTS IS LEFT TO, FEND FOR ITSELF.
    THIS YOUTHFUL GROUP IS SO … ‘UNEDUCATED’ – IN THIS AREA; THEY DON’T EVEN REALISE WHAT THEY’VE LOST.

    BRAVO FOR THOSE WHO ATTEMPT TO SAVE THESE … ‘TREASURES.

    NYC TOM

    1. Editor says:

      Good evening Tom. Fashions come and go. Hopefully, in time, a younger generation will discover the love of the past that you and I share.

  5. Jim, Thixotropist of Beverley says:

    Dear FF – Reasons to be cheerful? I am reading regularly these days of the young, or perhaps just influencers having run out of material, and developing interests in pre digital matters. This is noticeable in the world of photography with the production of a number of new, easy to use, film cameras. Then there is the return of the vinyl record. So, FF, maybe you can lead a way back by a more extensive distribution of work across social media? Our historic arts influencer?

    1. Editor says:

      Good afternoon Jim. That sounds quite a challenge. Of course if I followed on from the retro trend of vinyl records and film cameras I would have to run copies of the weekly posts off on a Roneo machine (that will baffle younger readers) and take them to the postbox!

      1. Jim, ToB says:

        Just back from a sunny trip to my sad and neglected post box. Romantic Roneo, how superb, a blend of fuzzy text and fuzzy pictures? How wonderful that would be. The atmosphere of times long gone captured. Then scanned and sent, early on, to the digital audience, while awaiting analogue enlightenment. Later to think of the FF communication as a post card? The anticipation would be delightful.

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