Tributes have been paid to a man who opened one of Bristol's most loved cafes more than 40 years ago. Colin Nutt, the proprietor of Brunel's Buttery set up alongside his wife, Joan, has passed away aged 86.
Colin and Joan opened the cafe after a stroll along the historic harbourside one cold and dreary day in 1980, the family remembered. Longing for a cup of tea, the couple saw the potential of a small takeaway outlet on the dockside long before the planners and developers moved in.
He had previously run the hugely successful Taxi Driver Canteen at Temple Meads for 28 years, and his tea bacon butties empire continued to grow throughout the 1980s with a cafe in Sandy Park and a floating restaurant called Nutts Landing.
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Brunel’s Buttery was the destination that truly endured the test of time. The open-air cafe quickly attained cult-like status among Bristolians and is often regarded as serving one of the best bacon sandwiches in the city, a place where anyone is welcome to enjoy a cup of tea.
In a statement, the family said: "Remembering opening day at Easter time we had 16 beautiful pottery mugs, these disappeared very quickly. The chipper blew up, not a good start but for 30 years it became a well-known meeting place for people from all walks of life.
