Gardiner'S Warehouse, Former Soap Works

Gardiner's Warehouse, formerly a soap works, is a building located on Straight Street in Bristol. The lower sections were constructed between 1841 and 1843, while the upper part was added in 1882. It was built for Christopher Thomas and Brothers. The structure is made of brick, and the roof is not visible. It has five storeys and features a seven-window range. The facade includes shallow full-height segmental-arched recesses with segmental-arched windows that have iron frames. At the top, there is a polychrome Florentine battlemented parapet, which includes decapitated corner turrets and an octagonal chimney on the southwest side. Each gable end has a similar two-window range with circular oculi. The interior has been entirely reconstructed. Historically, it was built for Charles Thomas Brothers' soap works. An engraving by Loxton from around 1890 shows machicolated towers at the eastern end and a bellcote on the western gable. The building's stripped elevations are decorated with distinctive Florentine or Sienese Quattrocento details, making it a prominent feature in the townscape.