BEST LIVING ROOM DECOR

The Louisiana ( formerly the Bathurst Tavern - The Smugglers - Garrick‘s ) If you had taken a walk across the Prince Street bridge in the early nineteenth century you would have had the water on one side and an extensive view over the surrounding countryside ahead of you across the River Avon.

Then, in 1809, you could have been forgiven if you had thought you were in New Orleans as the lace ironwork balconies on the The Louisiana stood out on the horizon like a ship’s prow.

The Louisiana, now on the corner of Wapping Road, then stood proudly at the entrance to the Basin with a splendid view over the green fields of Bedminster. The Basin itself was constructed as part of the Floating Harbour scheme in 1804-9 by William Jessop, where the Malago Brook once entered the Avon, turning the wheels of the old Trimm Mill as it did so.

The Basin formed a locked link between the New Cut and the Floating Harbour and The Louisiana overlooked the southern lock. The Bathurst family had a long association with Bristol when Charles Bragge was its member of parliament at the end of the eighteenth century.

He changed his name to Bathurst in 1804 and so, when the new Basin was created it was named in his honour, Bathurst, rather than Bragge’s Basin.

The Tavern or Hotel as it was then called was originally purpose-built in 1809 to cater for the seafarers and travellers brought to this area once the Basin was created. It was this association with the sea which inspired the design for the new hotel; the first-floor tented balcony covering seven bays with the iron standards and railings so reminiscent of New Orleans, gave a sailor’s eye view over the countryside.

The ironwork was probably the work of a local craftsman who first designed it and then actually made it himself. It is aesthetically pleasing at this corner. A fan-light over the entrance door is of patent metal with the well-known ornamentation so often seen in Bristol.

A feature of many nineteenth century houses and inns is the ‘window-tax’ blocked-up casement. The Louisiana has many of these visible reminders of the iniquitous tax which was not repealed until 1851. Just opposite the Tavern in Commercial Road is the ruined gatehouse of the Old Gaol built by 1820 to replace the dreadful Newgate Prison.

The Corporation had begun excavating for the new prison in 1816 believing that 'it would be the means of employing a considerable number of hands during the ensuing winter, who perhaps otherwise will be reduced to starvation and misery'.

These early philanthropic city fathers invited tenders for the excavation and 'plans could be seen on application to Mr William Cleak at the then named Bathurst Hotel. ' It is difficult to imagine the excitement which this new prison must have caused with, as reported a newspaper of the time, 'gardens laid out in esplanades and parterres filled with beautiful flowers, among which were thousands upon thousands of roses and lilies in full bloom, filling the air with the most delicious fragrance.'

Now, only the gatehouse remains as the gaol itself was the target of the 1831 Rioters who burned it to the ground. The Governor of that gaol, William Humphries, was actually taking refreshment at the Bathurst Hotel when the mob attacked his gaol and he was forced to stay there and watch the destruction.

The gateway of the gaol was the scene of the last public hanging of a woman in Bristol, when in 1849 Sarah Thomas was hanged for murder. In 1978, the Bathurst was renamed the Garrick's, when the landlord of the demolished Garrick‘s Head on Bristol's Centre took over the inn and hoped to keep most of his old clientele.

Then, in 1982, the name was again changed to the Smugglers and some new external decoration and internal decor added. Murals of disappointing artistic quality depicting smugglers in action have been painted below the superb iron balconies and the smugglers’ motif has also invaded the interior.

The Tavern stands at the junction of Wapping Road and Bathurst Parade and is part of an ambitious scheme which has brought life to a once threatened derelict area. The early nineteenth century merchants’ houses in the Parade have been superbly restored as Merchants Landing and though small craft have replaced the tallmasted ships, the Bathurst Basin is once more the home of seafarers.

The pub is now used as a live music venue for up and coming bands and renamed The Louisiana - the upstairs of this public house is now a venue for live music sees many different local and touring bands each week playing a variety of styles.

The Nubian Queen is a New Orleans-style restaurant on the east side of Austin, Texas. The owner, Lola, cooks everything herself, and a meal can subsequently take a long time -- but it's well worth the wait. While you're anticipating your lunch, you can drink in the eclectic decor -- everything from Mardi Gras beads and masks to antique dolls.