Every room in this building has a story. Some of them are yours.

Quay Head House has been charity offices, an empty shell, a squat, a secret supper club, a speakeasy and now a gin distillery. We are piecing its history together. If you have a photo, a memory or a rumour, we would love to hear it.

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Six lives, so far

c.1240 The head of the quay Where ships tied up at the top of the River Frome
1884 Charity offices Built for the trustees who ran Bristol’s almshouses
1938 Unknown Offices, then empty. That is nearly all we know
2010 Squat and supper club Cloak & Dinner, a candlelit pay-what-you-like restaurant
2011 The Milk Thistle Four floors of speakeasy behind a doorbell
2026 The distillery The Spirit of Bristol makes gin in the attic

1938 to 2009

Seventy-one years, and almost all we have is a handful of photos from the mid 2000s, when it was still a working office. Who worked here after the charity moved out? When did it fall empty? Who were the squatters? If you know, you know more than we do.

Help fill the gap

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

Mid 2000s Found: ten photos of the offices

Late 2000s

Where did Bristol Municipal Charities go in 1938, and who took the lease?
Was the building damaged or requisitioned during the war?
Which firms had offices here in the 60s, 70s and 80s?
It was still offices in the mid 2000s. When did it fall empty, and who were the squatters?

From the archive

All stories

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Help us tell the story of Quay Head House

One of the most interesting buildings in central Bristol, and we know surprisingly little about it. Here is what we have found, and where you come in.

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The distillery (2026 onwards)

A distillery in the attic

In July 2026 the building took on a new job. The Spirit of Bristol now makes gin on the top floor.

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The Milk Thistle (2011 onwards)

Ring the bell: the Milk Thistle years

No sign, no menu in the window, just a doorbell. For more than a decade, Quay Head House was one of the best hidden bars in the country.

Sent in by you

All memories

Your photo here

This wall fills up with the photos and memories people send in. Be one of the first.

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Were you ever inside?

An office job, a night out, a sleeping bag on the floor, a photo in a family album. Whatever your connection, it belongs in the archive.

Photos of the inside or outside, from any decade
Memories of working, drinking, eating or living here
Letters, menus, adverts, plans or anything with the address on

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