Georgian House, Bristol
| The Georgian House Museum | |
|---|---|
The Georgian House Museum | |
Location within Bristol | |
| General information | |
| Location | 7 Great George Street, Bristol, England |
| Coordinates | 51°27′14″N 2°36′12″W / 51.45391°N 2.60337°W |
| Year built | 1788–91 |
| Client | John Pinney |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | William Paty |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | The Georgian House, attached front area railings and rear garden walls |
| Designated | 8 January 1959 |
| Reference no. | 1202244 |
The Georgian House is a historic building at 7 Great George Street in Bristol, England. It was originally built around 1790 for John Pinney, a wealthy sugar merchant and slave plantation owner, and is now furnished and displayed as a typical late 18th-century town house. The period house museum includes a drawing room, dining room, study, kitchen, laundry and housekeeper's room. There is also a small display on slavery and sugar plantations. The Georgian House has been a branch of Bristol City Council since it was presented to the city as a museum in 1937.
The museum is open from 1 April to 31 December on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays from 11am–4pm. It received 32,127 visitors in 2019.[1]
History
The Georgian House is a well-preserved example of a typical late 18th-century town house, which has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building.[2] It was built around 1790 for John Pinney, a sugar merchant and slave plantation owner, and is believed to be the house where the poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge first met.[3] It was also home to the freed slave Frances Coker who was a maid[4] and Pinney's slave, Pero, after whom Pero's Bridge at Bristol Harbour is named.[5]
It contains some of the original furniture and fittings, such as the bureau-bookcase in the study and a rare cold water plunge bath, and has been used as a location for the BBC television series A Respectable Trade, which was adapted from the book by Philippa Gregory, about the slave trade.[6]
Areas of the house
- The Dining Room
- Pinney's Study
- The Drawing Room
- Library and a Ladies' Withdrawing Room
- The Bedroom
- A hidden staircase
- A small lift (dumb waiter)
- The Housekeeper's Room
- The cold water plunge pool
Film and media
On 5 July 2010, Amanda Vickery filmed scenes for her series At home with the Georgians at the Georgian House.[7]
See also
- Blaise Castle House Museum
- Bristol Archives
- Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
- Bristol slave trade
- Grade II* listed buildings in Bristol
- Kings Weston House
- The Red Lodge Museum
References
- ^ "ALVA – Association of Leading Visitor Attractions". ALVA. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "The Georgian House, attached front area railings and rear garden walls". Historic England. Retrieved 14 March 2007.
- ^ "Georgian House". Homes and Gardens. Archived from the original on 6 March 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2007.
- ^ Matthew, H. C. G.; Harrison, B., eds. (23 September 2004), "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. ref:odnb/73299, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/73299, retrieved 9 February 2023
- ^ "Bristol's Georgian House". Bristol Museums. Archived from the original on 5 April 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2007.
- ^ Amor, Adriana (30 May 2024). "We visit a slave owner's house to learn what life in 18th century Bristol was like". Bristol World. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
- ^ "Amanda Vickery tweet 5 July 2010". Retrieved 14 February 2016.