The George Railway Hotel, Bristol - Feb 2013
(Visited Feb 2013, with A, R, J, D, and J.)
Hi 28DL, this is my first report - it's fascinating to be part of the urbex community and I promise it won't be my last:
The George Railway Hotel is one of those buildings that almost everyone in Bristol will have seen, but despite the thousands who drive past every day, very few people know what’s actually behind the scaffolding and decorative cover.
A few sources on the web say it was built in the 1860s, and was a pub/hotel for its whole existence until being abandoned at least 15 years ago. The latest object inside that gave us any hint of a date was a local paper from Aug 15th 2001 (strange thinking that the news that day predated 9/11).
The inside is mostly stripped, making the odd hints of what was there that still remain even more surprising and jarring (see children’s room photos below!). The floor had fallen through in many of the upper rooms, although the stairwell and landings seemed robust enough and the whole building was accessible. Some of the highlights included the bar, cellar, roof and large smashed mirrors. I left a note on the bar for whoever gets there next, saying hi with instructions on how to get to the cellar (update: well done seffy & co).
If you’re going in, then bring good torches and maybe a breathing mask if you've got one (we were fine without but I’d probably take one if I went again). Be careful with the floor, not all of it looks stable and there are chunks missing. Here’s a selection of photos from the trip (thanks R for taking them - sterling effort especially without a tripod):
Entry:
Right at the top:
Unfortunately no longer true:
This room was unexpected and utterly terrifying:
Well done seffy & crew for being the first to find my note:
Scaffolding beams seem stable enough (the wooden boards less so):
You'd never guess from outside:
