ThePort of Bristol comprises the commercial, and former commercial,docks situated in and near the city ofBristol in England. ThePort of Bristol Authority was the commercial title of theBristol City,Avonmouth,Portishead andRoyal Portbury Docks when they were operated byBristol City Council, which ceased trade when the Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Docks were leased toThe Bristol Port Company in 1991.
The Port of Bristol grew up on the banks of the RiversAvon andFrome, at their confluence upstream of theAvon Gorge which connects the city with theSevern Estuary andBristol Channel. This part of the port was known as the Bristol City Docks, and is now more usually known asBristol Harbour. The Avon and Frome are small, shallow rivers incapable in themselves of accommodating ocean-going ships, even those of the age of sail, as can still be seen by inspecting the branch of the Avon known as theNew Cut at low tide. The harbour depended on the extreme tides (14 m, 46 ft) experienced in the Bristol Channel. Ships that wished to enter the harbour waited for the tide to begin to rise and floated up the river, through theAvon Gorge, and into the harbour on the tide. Ships leaving the harbour set out at the high tide, and floated down to the sea with the ebbing tide. In the 1800s the harbour was enclosed bylocks, together with a diversion of the River Avon, resulting in its alternative name of theFloating Harbour, the Float, taken from the fact that the ships were able to float at all times, rather than resting in the mud at low tide, as had previously been the case.
Shipping Masters appointed under theMerchant Shipping Act included Henry Hellier Peters.[1][2]
| Bristol Dock Act 1884 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to enable the Mayor Aldermen and Burgesses of the City of Bristol to purchase the Undertakings of the Bristol Port and Channel Dock Company the Bristol Port and Channel Dock Warehouse Company Limited and the Portishead Warehouse Company Limited and the Dock Undertaking of the Bristol and Portishead Pier and Railway Company and for other purposes. |
| Citation | 47 & 48 Vict. c. cclv |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 14 August 1884 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The navigation of the Avon Gorge always presented a challenge, and became more and more difficult as ships got larger. In 1877, Avonmouth Old Dock, the first of theAvonmouth Docks, was opened, and in 1884 the Bristol Corporation acquired both the Avonmouth andPortishead Docks by theBristol Dock Act 1884 (47 & 48 Vict. c. cclv).[3] In 1908 the Royal Edward Dock was built at Avonmouth to the north of the mouth of the River Avon and with direct access to theSevern estuary andBristol Channel.
In 1972, the large deep waterRoyal Portbury Dock, across the river mouth from the Royal Edward Dock was constructed, again with direct access to the Bristol Channel.
These developments rendered the old Bristol City Docks in the Floating Harbour redundant as a commercial dock, and they have since been redeveloped as the centrepiece of many leisure, residential and retail developments in and aroundBristol city centre. A sand company was the last to use the docks commercially in 1991.[4]
The closure of the power stations at Portishead also made the Portishead Dock redundant, and it was finally closed in 1992.
In 1991, Bristol City Council sold a 150-year lease of the Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Docks to First Corporate Shipping Ltd,[5] a private company owned by Terence Mordaunt andDavid Ord. The business trades as The Bristol Port Company (BPC). Since then over £600 million has been invested in the docks and the annual tonnage throughput has increased from 4 million tonnes to 14 million tonnes.
Up to 2014, the company made several applications to buy the site's freehold but these were rejected. Following a referendum in 2012, the city voters created the role of Mayor, subsequently electingGeorge Ferguson. In March 2015 he and his cabinet decided to sell the freehold for £10 million but retain a 12.5% non-voting stake in the company. The city's council members voted on 2 June to object to the decision on the grounds of poor value for money, and referred it back to the mayor.[6] Two weeks later the Mayor's cabinet resolved to sell the freehold.[7][8] Following criticism by the editor of Money Week magazine,[9] George Ferguson told the Financial Times the deal was exceptional value for the city.[10][11]
First Corporate Shipping donated £25,000 to bothBoris Johnson andJeremy Hunt during the 2019 Conservative party leadership contest.[12]
The Port of Bristol is one of the six sites Boris Johnson proposed for aFreeport, saying they were an "excellent" way to boost investment in left-behind parts of the country.[13] The Bristol Port Company welcomed the news, seeing it having the potential to boost investment opportunities in and around UK ports.[14] However some port and trade experts predicted the main effect would be to divert activity into the port from the surrounding region rather than create new jobs.[15]
 | This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is: 14 years out of date. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(October 2024) |
As of 2010[update], a new deepseacontainer terminal is planned in Avonmouth.[16]
51°30′12″N2°42′58″W / 51.50329°N 2.71621°W /51.50329; -2.71621