Now a tourist-friendly destination with restaurants, bars, hotels and museums, it’s easy to forget that Bristol’s Harbourside was once a busy working dock.
It was a thriving port where sailors and merchants traded goods and set sail for famous voyages on the high seas.
Walk around the docks today and you’ll still see plenty of boats and reminders of its maritime heritage, as well as people taking part in watersports like paddleboarding, rowing and yachting.
It’s also home to Brunel’s SS Great Britain, which continues to be one of Bristol’s tourism jewels, and the iconic cranes outside the Mshed museum.
Bristol’s docks have certainly altered a lot over the years so we’ve trawled through the archives to find ten photos showing the changing face of the harbourside.
9. Shipwreck
The wreck of the sailing ship Mary Ann Peters at the entrance to the docks at Rownham on March 31, 1857. Notice in the background the start of the Clifton Suspension Bridge which was completed seven years later. | Bristol City Council
10. Mud Dock
In this 1966 photo of the floating harbour you can see long-gone cranes where the Thekla is now moored. The red brick building is now the Mud Dock cafe. | Bristol city council