Bristol BID launches Playful Broadmead
As towns and cities across the UK rethink their high streets, Playful Broadmead launches on National Play Day (Wednesday 5 August), culminating a six-month placemaking programme exploring how people can transform places long before redevelopment is complete
Over the past six months, Bristol Business Improvement District (BID) has brought together more than 250 volunteers, generated over 500 hours of volunteering, commissioned a major new public artwork, celebrated immigrant-founded organisations and recruited more than 30 businesses to take part in what may be Bristol’s smallest public art project, yet one of its largest community collaborations.
Rather than asking people to wait for regeneration, Bristol BID has invited them to become part of Broadmead’s next chapter. From The Big Broadmead Spring Clean – a city centre spring clean involving hundreds of volunteers – to Global Broadmead, celebrating the stories, food and cultures that make the area unique, Love Bristol, Love Broadmead has shown how creative community collaboration can inspire people to rediscover Broadmead and play an active role in its future.
Now, launching on National Play Day (Wednesday 5 August), that six-month programme reaches its conclusion with Playful Broadmead – bringing together a major new public artwork, more than 30 handcrafted fairy doors and a programme of family-friendly experiences that invite people to rediscover the city centre with fresh eyes.
As Interim Head of Place at Bristol BID, Anna Farthing, notes: “We may not be able to control the big forces shaping our cities, but we can convene, collaborate and create.”
At the heart of Playful Broadmead is Glass and Colour Works, a major new public artwork by internationally recognised artist Edward Rhys Jones, produced with Upfest Projects. Created as the lasting legacy of Love Bristol, Love Broadmead, the installation transforms the exterior of The Galleries, drawing inspiration from the historic John Hall Glass and Colour Works that occupied the site for more than 150 years.
Developed over many months through heritage research, creative collaboration and consultation with local stakeholders, the artwork explores colour, light and reflection using contemporary techniques while celebrating Broadmead’s industrial past. Expected to remain in place until The Galleries is redeveloped, it represents a lasting investment in the area’s cultural identity, demonstrating how public art can reshape perceptions of a place long before redevelopment reshapes its streets.
If Glass and Colour Works represents the programme’s permanent legacy, Broadmead Urban Fairy Doors explores the impact of small interventions on everyday experiences. What began as an ambition to involve around 10 businesses has grown organically into more than 30 locations, with handcrafted six-inch fairy doors created by everyone from primary school children and community groups to hobbyists, professional model makers and artists.
Created as the programme’s final public engagement project, the temporary installations encourage visitors to slow down, notice details and rediscover the city centre with fresh eyes. As families shop, eat and explore throughout the summer holidays, they’ll be invited to imagine who might live behind each tiny door while uncovering shops, cafés and hidden corners they may otherwise have walked straight past.
Anna Farthing, Interim Head of Place at Bristol BID, said: “When people talk about regeneration, the conversation usually starts with buildings. We wanted to ask a different question: what if it started with people? While large-scale redevelopment takes time, communities don’t have to stand still. Love Bristol, Love Broadmead has been about creating opportunities for people to reconnect with Broadmead through creativity, collaboration and shared experiences. Be it a permanent artwork, a six-inch fairy door or a community event, every project has been designed to help people see Broadmead differently, feel part of its future and recognise the creativity, businesses and communities that already make this part of Bristol special.
“At a time when towns and cities across the UK continue to debate the future of their high streets, we hope Love Bristol, Love Broadmead contributes to a growing conversation about the role creativity, culture and community participation can play alongside physical regeneration.”
Edward Rhys Jones said: “Glass and Colour Works draws inspiration from Broadmead’s remarkable history while responding to the city as it is today. By exploring colour, light and reflection, I wanted to create something that rewards curiosity and encourages people to pause, look again and experience this familiar place differently. I hope it sparks conversations about Broadmead’s past, present and future for years to come.”
Alongside the installations, Playful Broadmead also brings together a programme of family-friendly experiences hosted by businesses and cultural partners across the city centre. Activities include Georgian games, dressing up, toy-making workshops and the Parlour Game Trail at John Wesley’s New Room, storytelling and Crafty Fridays at Sparks Bristol, youth activities in Castle Park, and experiences at Treetop Golf, King Pins, Escape Hunt and ODEON Luxe, encouraging families to spend longer discovering everything Broadmead has to offer.
Love Bristol, Love Broadmead is a Bristol BID initiative exploring how creativity, community participation and cultural activity can strengthen relationships between people and place while supporting Broadmead through a period of transition. Playful Broadmead launches on Wednesday 5 August, with installations and activities running throughout the summer holidays until Wednesday 2 September.
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