Sometimes the best things come in small packages, as is the case at the Bridge Inn pub in Bristol city centre. The interior squeezes just 35 patrons at the tables and around the bar, and music memorabilia lines the walls.
Paul Surridge, 54, has been part owner of the pub for eight years, taking over from Bath Ales, and has been sole owner since 2019. The pub’s history dates back to the 19th century, and it is one of the last remaining pubs in the street – when the nearby St Philips Bridge was built to replace the ferry service, which was subsequently bombed in 1940.
The pub is not to be missed if you walk down Passage Street pronounced by the huge Jimi Hendrix mural outside. Paul worked as a professional musician for years, even landing a recording contract with Universal, and after his band ended, he wanted to find a way to preserve the musical memories he had acquired over the years.
Read more: Bristol pub owner accuses power company of ‘blatant profiteering’ after £7K bill
When asked the reasoning behind the mural of the famous rock guitarist, Paul said: “I wanted a theme for the pub and to include something tangible. My business partner and I were at the time discussing what we were going to put on the front.
“Bristol is known for graffiti so I thought I’d embrace it and it’s not a listed building. He wanted John Lennon and I wanted Jimi Hendrix. We also had a prop company make our sign, which is a spike, which was laser cut and cost and fortune.”
Inside, there are original copies of Led Zeppelin posters, as well as a Frank Sidebottom head, which was a brilliant Facebook series during the Covid years. This caught the attention of not only the family of Frank’s creator, Chris Sievey, but people across the country who were fans of the cult character.
The Bridge Inn has had a reputation as a lunch and after-work spot for many years, due to its location in the downtown office district. Paul has noticed a change of pace after the Covid years, with many people still working at home.
“Fridays are dead now, which used to be the big day, which would normally do your numbers. Now it’s Thursday because I think people work from home on Fridays, which is killing us.”
The lockdown has also led to an increase in at-home drinkers and the cost-of-living crisis has meant people have less disposable income to drink outside. In 2022, almost 400 pubs were lost in England and Wales, according to analysis of official government data by property adviser Altus Group.
Paul explained: “The lunchtime trade has been hit badly because people are still working from home and that has really hit the whole of hospitality massively, unfortunately, but that’s slowly coming back. We are always hitting above our weight.”
The bar may be small, but the bar offering certainly covers a lot of ground with four keg lines, one cider keg line, and eight keg lines, with around four offerings in regular rotation to offer different beers. “We try to cater to both the modern consumer and the oldies with their flat caps,” he said.
“Everything is a bit uncertain as our suppliers are affected by the conflict in the Ukraine and Brexit is a very important factor. Prices have absolutely skyrocketed and traffic has dropped so profit margins have literally halved and our billing is much lower.
“If you include inflation, our trade is down by 70 per cent of what it was before Covid and Brexit, which has impacted us with exports from the EU and supply chains have been disrupted. We try to keep suppliers local whenever possible.”
Inside there is enough space for around 35 patrons and the outdoor space nearly doubles the capacity when set up in the warmer months.
In addition to its charm and musical memorabilia, the Bridge Inn has a strong reputation as a community space. It has been hosting a cheese night almost every Sunday since 2006, which started for free but is now run on give-what-you-can donations, of which all proceeds raised go to St Mungo’s, a charity that does crucial to help the homeless, which is on the rise in the inner city.
“We believe in what they do and they do it very well, especially in the center of the city where there are many things that people don’t see. We just want to help people when we can and donate every month.
“The main purpose of the pub was to be a community center and I grew up in the Welsh Valleys where every pub had a community spirit. When I first came to Bristol I was coming from London and I noticed there was a lot of community, it doesn’t feel like a city, it feels like a bunch of small towns put together.”
Bridge Inn is planning a takeover with Good Chemistry Brewery and has created a beer called Billy’s Bitter to help support Dean Farm in Chepstow, whose costs have quadrupled, where they sponsor a pig named Billy. Billy’s Bitter will be on sale from the weekend with a pub takeover with Good Chemistry also on the horizon.
In addition to Sunday cheese nights, the pub serves lunch Wednesday through Friday, including Caribbean-style fare such as curried goat alongside burgers and burritos. The pub will be serving some Welsh dishes on March 1 to mark St David’s Day.
The Bridge Inn, 16 Passage Street, Bristol. Open Wednesday through Friday (12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.) and Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday (1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.): Please note that it will be open seven days a week from spring 2023.
Until next time: