Brislington Transport Depot Entrance And Attached Gates, Wall And Shed

Brislington Transport Depot Entrance and Attached Gates, Wall and Shed is a tram depot entrance block dating from 1899. Designed by W Curtis Green for the Bristol Tram Company, it was originally built for the Bristol Tramway Generating Station. The building is constructed of Bath stone and Pennant rubble, with a slate roof. It is designed in a Georgian style.

The main block is a 4-bay range of two storeys, with wings set back at an angle to either side. A symmetrical front features a tall, semicircular keyed archway, topped by an open modillion pediment on banded pilasters. The elevation is divided into bays by pilasters, with a modillion cornice and parapet. Large semicircular-arched ground-floor windows have alternate chamfered voussoirs and jambs, set within rubble bays. Above a banded plinth are paired, rectangular first-floor windows with glazing bars, set in ashlar. The pediment includes a cartouche in the tympanum displaying the monogram of the Bristol Tram Company. A tall square clock tower sits atop the entrance block, featuring attached, fluted corner columns, a moulded cornice, a small dome, and an iron spike.

The interior offices contain few decorative details. Outside, a detached line of single-storey garages sits within the Sandy Park Road boundary wall to the east of the entrance block, and a rubble perimeter wall with a moulded plinth extends west along Sandy Park Road to the bridge ramp. The design of the entrance draws inspiration from an 18th-century stable block. As one of seven depots originally operated by the Bristol Tram Company (which began business in 1876), this is the only one to survive largely in its original form, demonstrating considerable architectural interest, not only in the entrance block but also in the depot sheds.