Bristol made headlines last year with the toppling of the slave trader Edward Colston’s statue. Keen to find out more, we discovered that the South West’s largest city harbours a rebellious streak, an artistic bent — and a heart of gold

Words Markus Bidaux

IN SUSPENSE: The iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge over the Avon Gorge

photography Markus Bidaux

Looking down at the statue of Edward Colston covered in graffiti, I notice that the word ‘prick’ is written in blue spray paint across his long coat. The 17thcentury slave trader deserves worse, but it feels appropriate that a city synonymous with graffiti has used the medium in protest.

My boyfriend, Leigh, and I are in M Shed, a three-floor museum on the Avon River’s Spike Island. Housed in a 1950s’ dockside transit shed, the venue tells the story of Bristol — including that of the Colston statue being toppled by an impassioned crowd during last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests. We learn that the bronze statue has a long history of hate — calls for it to be removed go back years. In 1998, “Fuck off slave trader” was painted across it, and in 2018, it was decorated with shackles — albeit knitted ones.

“The works of modern-day street artists are hung as if they are old masters — and they’re just as valuable”

Also at the M Shed is the Vanguard exhibition (on until the end of October). Devoted to the four-decade history and evolution of Bristol’s illegal street art scene, it takes us back to the early 80s and graffiti’s connection with music. The works of modern-day street artists are hung as if they are old masters — and they’re just as valuable, with several pieces by Bristol’s most famous son, Banksy, among them.

For lunch, it’s a stone’s throw to Cargo, a series of stacked shipping containers similar to London’s Boxparks, with restaurants and shops. After much debate over whether to go for Seven Lucky Gods’ Japanese Izakaya bar-style food or Root’s vegfocused fare, we opt for Gambas tapas restaurant. The Tortilla & Alioli oozes with slices of garlic, and after we’ve polished off the prawns in the Gambas Pil Pil, we use up every last crumb of bread to mop up the oil.