By Martin Booth, Monday Mar 15, 2021
In days gone by, ships sailing up the River Avon towards Bristol would unload their cargo of gunpowder in two sheds built next to the river in Shirehampton.
The ammunition was stored here so that it would not accidentally ignite when in Bristol’s docks, with a private home known as the Powder House now within the Grade II-listed late 18th century stone jetty and sheds.
Nowadays, most large ships no longer choose to make their way up the Avon. Instead, cargo is unloaded in Avonmouth, where the creation of a freeport – a key platform of WECA mayor Tim Bowles – was earlier this month roundly ignored by Rishi Sunak in the Budget.