November 2006 - The Thistle Hotel in Broad Street - which most Bristolians still affectionally call The Grand - was built on the site of two ancient inns. Now old documents have come to light which illuminate that past.
Historical documents have been unearthed from the dusty cellars of Broad Street's Thistle Hotel - formerly The Grand - one of Bristol's oldest hotels.The papers - some dating back to 1624 - were discovered in a large steel box by manager Paul Rogers, who has had several copied and put on display in the hotel's reception. 'Some of the oldest documents are in a fragile condition and have to be handled with great care,' he told Bristol Evening Post.
'The collection contains lease agreements, contracts, correspondence, ledger accounts and minutes of meetings. 'They cover a wide range of subjects from leases dating back to 1869 to the ownership of a road in 1939. 'While they are of interest to us, we believe that they have greater relevance as part of the city's heritage, so we are donating them to Bristol Museum's historical library department. 'We hope that they will provide a valuable record for those with an interest in Bristol's history.' Many of the documents relate to the original White Lion tavern, an inn on the site which dated back to 1606.
There is an unverified story that Shakespeare and his strolling players once entertained the crowds outside. But that tavern and its neighbour, the White Hart, were sold off in Victorian times for £55,000 and a new hotel built on the site.
The only remnant left from the original building is a hand-carved stone lion - now on display in the hotel's Marlow's bar.
The White Lion, bustling with pot boys and ostlers, was an important stopping off place for Bath and London-bound mail coaches. In its heyday the landlord was one Isaac Niblett - well known for serving up expensive dinners on silver plates.
At election times, with his windows constantly smashed by revellers, he didn't worry too much but made up the cost by the number of extra drinks he served.
Another notable landlord was the father of Bristol artist Thomas Lawrence (1769 - 1830). His talented son was often seen there, as one admirer put it, 'strikingly handsome with lovely chestnut locks flowing down his shoulders, his appearance romantic in the extreme'.
The romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge frequented the inn, as did the novelist William Thackeray and sea safety campaigner Samuel Plimsoll. After the much-loved Lion and Hart had been sold off and demolished, a newly-built White Lion, designed by the acclaimed local architectural team of Foster and Wood, opened for business. But five years later the name was changed to what one writer described as 'the self- importantly, boring Grand'.
The architectural historian Pevsner might have compared the gallery with Florence's Palazzo Guadagni but customers and staff in Victorian days were far more impressed with such marvels of modern technology as the speaking tube between the manager's office and his department heads, the huge roaster in the kitchen, and the vintage wine cellar.
Back then, you could dine on smoked salmon, potted shrimps and curried chicken, or snack on canapes, woodcock and cheese. Cocktails - long before the name was invented - included a Grand Cooler (vodka, Drambuie, orange curacao, ice, lemon, orange, cherry and ginger) or what was known as the Cliftonian (gin, Grand Marnier, punch and orange juice).
During the last war, the hotel was at the Bristol end of the so-called 'Ghost Train' - with famous people, such as Winston Churchill, coming down from London, staying overnight, and then taking a flight to Lisbon or Ireland from Whitchurch airport. Centrally located, The Grand didn't escape wartime damage. On one occasion, more than 500 doors and windows were lost, and on another, Churchill was forced to bath in water heated in milk churns on the kitchen stoves.
In the 1960s and 1970s, as the reputation of College Green's Royal Hotel declined, nearly every major ball and banquet was held at The Grand. It was then the biggest hotel in the city, with 200 rooms and the ability to serve 1,200 meals at a time.
The hotel might have welcomed prestigious guests like Sir Winston Churchill but it turned away the Rolling Stones because they arrived without ties and wearing jeans. Things have changed a great deal since then, with the rebuilding and refurbishment of the Swallow Royal and the opening of many other new city hotels, but the Thistle, as it's now known, still retains a special place in the hearts of Bristolians.
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