Bristol Design

[AndyT]

There's a nice profile of long established old tool shop Bristol Design on our local news/events listing site, where it features as "shop of the week". I thought you might enjoy it.

https://www.bristol247.com/lifestyle/sh ... ol-design/

 

[CHJ]

The things that folk do to encourage another trip up all those darn steps.

 

[Stanleymonkey]

Nice - thanks for sharing

 

[thick_mike]

A great shop...well worth a detour to visit.

 

[Sideways]

Doesn't seem to have changed much since I called in - in 1992

 

[Andy Kev.]

It looks like the sort of place where you'd spend ages going through every item just to make sure that you hadn't missed anything. If I can find the time next time I'm in the UK, I'll make a diversion to Bristol.

 

[thick_mike]

Bristol is well worth a visit anyway. Plenty of art, history and interesting places to eat. Lots of independent shops doing something interesting.

 

[Rorschach]

I rarely go to Bristol, and I guarantee that next time I am there, the shop will be shut! lol

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Bristol Design used to issue postal listings of their better stock about once every couple of months. If you saw something you wanted, you rang up and reserved it. First come, first served. That worked well - but oh boy, did you have to be quick off the mark reserving something!

I did read somewhere that Charles started out making furniture, and put a few old tools in the window more as dressing and to draw interest from anybody passing. When he had far more interest in people wanting to buy the old tools than his furniture, he just went with the flow!

Another thing we should be grateful to Charles for was pretty much starting the revival of the new fine tool business. I think he was the first to try making new chisels to the standards of the old Cast Steel 19th and early 20th century examples, and added quite a few hard to find tools to the range (travisher irons, for example, and a range of infill plane castings). He issued a seperate 'new tools' list for a while. If nothing else, he proved that there was a market for new fine tools, showing the path for others to follow.

Absolutely cracking business. Somewhat eccentric, but wonderful in it's way.

 

[AndyT]

On the new tools front, he does still have a few of the own brand chisels - probably just the cranked ones now. But the investment in carving tools must have been substantial, as they still take up most of a narrow corridor, racked up from the floor to above head height. There are a few plane castings left and one or two finished planes. But as far as I know he's not likely to repeat the exercise.
However, he does carry a good selection from current small makers, especially for green woodworking. These include rounders and shaves from Ray Iles, knives from Ben Orford and Mora and doubtless others I can't remember.

I should mention that in an informal way, the shop can sometimes be a pleasant place to chat with strangers about old tools and compare the merits of one design with another.

 

[memzey]

A great shop and Charlie is top bloke. Every time I’ve been in there Andy I’ve half expected to see you but not yet!

 

[Sheffield Tony]

When I managed to break yet another handle off my homemade froe the other weekend (the eye is too small), I thought about buying a proper one. Looking on Axminster, I see they have a forged froe, with Ansell handtools (Sheffield) listed as manufacturer. Looking closely at the picture, if my eyes don't deceive me, on the tool itself it says "Bristol Design - Made in Sheffield" ?

Perhaps I'll hang on and hope my sister asks for birthday present suggestions - her walk to work passes the shop.

 

[Student]

I have a confession to make! Although I have lived in Bristol for over 40 years, I have never been inside the shop despite having passed by it numerous times. One excuse that I have is that I didn't get into woodworking, other than DIY around the house, until after I retired some 10 years ago and have done most of my work since using power tools. However, as I have now acquired the urge to get hold of some better hand tools, it looks as if a visit to Park Row is on the cards.

Some advice to Chas. If you want to visit the shop and avoid Christmas Steps or, even worse, the climb up St Michael's Hill, you could always park in Trenchard Street car park, a flat 200 yards walk from the shop. And, as others have mentioned, Bristol is well worth a visit in its own right to see, inter alia, the SS Great Britain, the Matthew and the new Aerospace Museum at Filton.

 

[AndyT]

It's good to see all the positive responses - useful shops like this one are a bit of an endangered species.
One tip for anyone planning a first visit is that by a quirk of old fashioned-ness they only take cash, not cards, so visit an ATM first. ( The nearest ones are on Queens Road or in the lobby of the Bristol Royal Infirmary, close by.) And yes, Trenchard Street multistorey is very handy if you need to drive.

 

[sundaytrucker]

Bringing an old thread back from the dead. Have a gig to attend in Bristol this weekend and I am hoping to make a visit to this shop.

I am not really after anything but an old record no7/8 or decent no5 may tempt me. I would also be interested in full size hand saws as I don’t like my Pax rip saw.

 

[Droogs]

I popped in last month when down getting a a look at a car I was buying. i had flown down and was flying back up so couldn't get much but plan to go back down soon for a proper shop.

 

[Woodmonkey]

Last time i was in they had loads of unhandled turning chisels for really not very much money, making your own handles is very pleasing and good practice for a beginner.