Heritage. Creativity. Community.
A Place for Everyone
We have an opportunity to take Ashton Court Mansion from the most exclusive building in Bristol, to one of its most welcoming.
Our role as Bristol Historic Buildings Trust is not simply to restore a building - it is to create a living, working, civic place for the people of Bristol and the West of England.
We use the word regeneration deliberately.
Restoration suggests returning something to how it was - preserving the past for its own sake. What we are doing is something more ambitious: bringing Ashton Court Mansion back to life as a working, breathing part of Bristol, shaped by and for the people who live here today.
Our Guiding Principles
Our Guiding PrinciplesWe believe that community benefit cannot be delivered as a side-effect of commercial activity. It requires intentional design, skilled people, and a clear framework. Ours rests on five principles:
- 1
Commercial activity exists to sustain community benefit, not replace it.
- 2
Community benefit must be people-led, and scaled to match our capacity and the pace of regeneration.
- 3
Regeneration of the building is the means, not the end - the Mansion’s value lies in what it makes possible for people.
- 4
Clear, distinct programmes prevent mission drift and create genuine accountability.
- 5
The most valuable outcomes - belonging, skills, shared ownership, care for place - cannot be assumed. They must be actively created.
A complete framework for public value
Five Community Benefit Pillars
We have organised our charitable work around five pillars, each representing a distinct strand of public value. Together they form a complete framework for community benefit - designed to grow alongside the Mansion’s regeneration, and to operate in balance with the commercial activity that funds it.
Ashton Court Together
Culture, Arts & Wellbeing
The cornerstone of our charitable purpose. Ashton Court Together will deliver a public programme of events, workshops, talks and exhibitions that invite everyone to take part - from family days and creative workshops to music, conversation and civic dialogue. We want this Mansion to feel lived in, loved, and welcoming to all.
Ashton Court Heritage
Heritage & Conservation
Ashton Court's history spans seven centuries. This pillar will open up that story - through research, oral histories, guided tours, temporary exhibitions and digital interpretation - ensuring the Mansion's heritage is not just preserved but actively shared as part of Bristol's living story.
Ashton Court Works
Skills
As the Mansion is restored, we want the site itself to become a classroom. Ashton Court Works will explore opportunities in conservation, building, horticulture and traditional craftsmanship - bringing together colleges, training providers and industry partners to help nurture the next generation of heritage and construction talent in Bristol.
Ashton Court Food
Food
Food has always been at the heart of Ashton Court, from grand dinners to family picnics on the lawn. This pillar looks to revive that tradition with a modern, inclusive approach: starting with community food skills and partnerships with local producers, including work alongside Team Canteen CIC - a Bristol organisation connecting hospitality with community food projects - with ambitions over time for community growing and a hospitality offer that showcases Bristol's vibrant food culture.
Ashton Court Nature
Nature & Outdoors
The grounds of Ashton Court are as much a part of this place as the Mansion itself. This pillar looks to explore how our charitable role might, in time, extend beyond the building and into the natural landscape - creating a bridge between heritage and the natural world. We hope to develop opportunities for outdoor learning, nature connection and community activity as the project matures and the right conditions allow. This is an area of real ambition for us, and one we look forward to shaping carefully with others who share that vision.
Be part of the journey
Get Involved
We are in the early stages of this journey, and there are many ways to be part of it - as a volunteer, a donor, a partner organisation, a contributor to our charitable programming, or a community shareholder through our Community Share Offer launching in July 2026. Whatever your connection to this place, we’d love to hear from you.
Or email us directly at info@bhbt.org