Exclusive first look inside new £4m rugby club facility in South Bristol

St Bernadette's Rugby Football Club is moving from its base of more than 60 years on Bamfield in Whitchurch to its new home on Fulford Road in Hartcliffe.   

The new clubhouse, on the former Whitehouse Primary School site, has been built by contractor Stepnell on behalf of Bristol City Council, which is leasing it to the rugby club.  

Club chairman Eddie Quirke said the move has been almost a decade in the making, with the old clubhouse due to be demolished so that the council can build around 1,450 homes on Hengrove Park.  

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He told BristolWorld: “This is a facility built for the next 60 years and will accommodate the expansion of St Bernadette's Rugby Club.

"We've not had the proper facilities for women's and junior rugby before. Now we're going from three changing rooms to six.     

"The goal with this new facility is that I think we're going to get more engagement from kids and adults who may want to play sports and rugby.” 

The clubhouse is due to open in September for the new rugby season. But the club will continue to use its old pitches on Hengrove Park for the season to let the new pitches establish themselves.   

The old club is also next to the former Whitchurch Athletics Track, where a campaign has been started to prevent it from becoming housing.