Robinson's frieze

Image: © Neil Owen Taken: 9 Sep 2017

E.S. & A. Robinson was an important employer in Bristol. Hailing from Gloucestershire, the firm came to Bristol due to the trade and supplies links. Part of the expansion included their offices at Redcliffe Street, which opened in 1875. A magnificent five storey structure, it included a round entrance tower with a frieze depicting many aspects of their processes. The frieze was some fifty feet long and weighed several tons. However, when the offices were completely rebuilt into a massive concrete block in 1961 the stonework was held in council storage and largely forgotten. Having taken the chance to convert the redundant Malago works into homes in 2008, the frieze was returned to the fore and now forms a highlight of the atrium area. Looking at the carvings, it is quite remarkable how much important and accurate details can be appreciated. The roughly equal numbers of make and female workers in everyday Victorian clothes and the various types of labour engaged in give an insight into the company. Note the sorts of paper packaging and printing, the various machinery and the occasional child worker! Some of the details of the carving are astonishing - especially considering the years spent in the city centre.

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