Bristol has its fair share of high-rise buildings today, but its very first at One Redcliff Street certainly caused a bit of a stir both locally and nationally when it was unveiled back in 1963.
At 60 metres tall and with 14 floors, not only was it the first construction in Bristol to top the previous high of 30.5m, it was one of Britain’s first flexible open plan, air-conditioned office buildings. It also enjoyed stunning and unique views from the upper floors, stretching for miles across the city and beyond - but only if you were lucky enough to have a desk up there.
People seemed to be either enchanted or horrified by its lofty height and its hyper modern concrete design, and especially the fact that it dominated everything else around it. Critics complained that it didn’t fit in with the other, predominantly Victorian red brick, buildings in the neighbourhood, and was particularly out of keeping with the Grade II listed former Church of St Thomas next door. Others took the opposite view, hailing it as an excellent example of what the progressive modern office should be, with renowned architect Sir Basil Spence calling it “a gift to the city”.
