# Old Bristol pictures



## lizzieloo (Nov 20, 2011)

Have been researching Stapleton Union Workhouse, some of my ancestors spent time there. I came across this set on flickr which has LOADS of old photos of Bristol, thought some of you might like to see.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/4196855839/in/photostream/



And the Bristol Social History Archives which is the stuff that fascinates me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/2133031316/


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## Geri (Nov 20, 2011)

I was looking at some of those the other day, can't remember why or what they were of!


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Nov 20, 2011)

*waves hello to Lizzie's possible relatives in photo*


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## lizzieloo (Nov 20, 2011)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> *waves hello to Lizzie's possible relatives in photo*



They'll be the scrubby kids 

My great grandmother was living in a lodging house on Great Ann Street in 1891 or 1901 (can't remember which).



> In the 1880s you could find 30 lodging houses in the small area around Eugene Street and Great Ann Street, each holding between 10 and 80 persons a night. A report on these places stated 'The lodgers must be satisfied with what is offered them, stone floor thickly strewn with sawdust... good fire and plenty of it.' Satisfied or not, the lodgers were pretty well crammed in with several to a room and not necessarily separate beds, in many cases. ' Sleeping accommodation 2d a night for half a bed, 4d or 5d for a whole one'.
> In 1893 it was written that ' thousands of poor are huddled in abject misery and thousands of others can boast no better home than that afforded by the tentative protection of a common lodging house, with which Bristol is unfortunately better supplied than with hotels.' It was not until well into the 20th century that the balance was redressed.



I always find it really hard to fathom the awful conditions they lived in just 3 generations ago


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Nov 20, 2011)

lizzieloo said:


> They'll be the scrubby kids



Yeah, those ones with the pram sitting on the bench are probably middle class tourists come to see the slum dwelling natives.


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## lizzieloo (Nov 20, 2011)

Minnie_the_Minx said:


> Yeah, those ones with the pram sitting on the bench are probably middle class tourists come to see the slum dwelling natives.



They did that, mind you, they still do, middle class tourists can do tours of slums on their gap year jaunt.


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## Geri (Nov 20, 2011)

lizzieloo said:


> I always find it really hard to fathom the awful conditions they lived in just 3 generations ago



I'm 45 and we didn't have a house with an inside toilet until about 1970.


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## lizzieloo (Nov 20, 2011)

Geri said:


> I'm 45 and we didn't have a house with an inside toilet until about 1970.



Not quite as bad though is it?


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## Minnie_the_Minx (Nov 20, 2011)

lizzieloo said:


> They did that, mind you, they still do, middle class tourists can do tours of slums on their gap year jaunt.



yep, exactly what I was talking about

Bet you your ancestors even sold them some native jewellery or hats


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## Geri (Nov 20, 2011)

lizzieloo said:


> Not quite as bad though is it?



No. My point is that things have moved on a lot in a relatively short space of time.


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## big eejit (Nov 21, 2011)

Big fan of brizzle's photos on flickr. And the stories that go with them. Well worth a look.


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## big eejit (Nov 22, 2011)

Christ, this new one's a grim one. Victorian parents photographed with their dead daughter:




Victorian Post-mortem photography  by brizzle born and bred, on Flickr


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## Dr Dolittle (Nov 23, 2011)

There are whole websites devoted to these kinds of photos - it was quite common in those days. Hence the 'book of the dead' in the film _The Others_.


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