About BHBT

A landmark for Bristol. A new chapter ahead.

The Story So Far

Bristol Historic Buildings Trust (BHBT) is a charity working to save Ashton Court Mansion - a Grade I listed building that has sat largely derelict for decades, despite being one of Bristol's most significant historic landmarks. We are in discussions with Bristol City Council to take on a long lease of the mansion, restore it, and bring it into community ownership as a vibrant public space for the whole city. To do that we need to raise significant funds - not just to begin the work, but to give us the financial confidence to take on the lease and ensure the charity can sustain itself through the critical early years. Whether you can donate, invest through our upcoming Community Share Offer, volunteer your time, or simply spread the word, every bit of support makes a difference. To find out how you can be part of the campaign, visit our support page.

The Story So Far

Ashton Court Mansion has stood at the heart of Bristol for nearly a thousand years. Dating back to the 14th century, it grew from a fortified manor into one of the finest country houses in the West of England - its Elizabethan wings, Georgian facades and Victorian interiors bearing witness to centuries of the city's life. For over four hundred years it was home to the Smyth family, wealthy merchants who shaped Bristol's history as landowners, patrons and civic figures. In 1959, the estate passed into the hands of Bristol City Council, and its 850 acres of parkland became one of the city's most treasured public spaces.

But the mansion at the heart of that park has not fared as well as the grounds around it. A major programme of repairs in the early 1970s secured the external fabric and completed several of the principal ground floor rooms, but funds ran out before the work could be finished - leaving three quarters of the mansion internally derelict, its fine panelling and fittings removed to treat dry rot and never reinstated. An arson attack in 2013 caused serious damage to the Library in the West Wing, worsening an already precarious situation. For more than a decade the building has sat on Historic England's Heritage at Risk register: a building of national importance, slowly deteriorating. Since 2017, Artspace Lifespace and the Friends of Ashton Court Mansion have kept the remaining quarter alive - hosting events, exhibitions and guided tours - and their presence has been vital in slowing further decay. But their resources cannot deliver the scale of restoration the building needs.

A building of national importance, slowly deteriorating. The resources of those keeping it alive cannot deliver the scale of restoration the building needs.

The need for a dedicated charitable trust to take on the mansion had in fact been recommended as far back as 2019, when heritage architects Purcell concluded in a detailed study for Bristol City Council that only an independent trust, working in partnership with the council, could mobilise the scale and continuity of effort needed. That recommendation became reality in October 2025, when councillors voted unanimously to grant Bristol Historic Buildings Trust (BHBT) a Memorandum of Understanding - an exclusive period to develop a full business plan and begin emergency repairs. The charity was brought together by Norman Routledge, who had spent decades rescuing some of Bristol's most important historic buildings, including Kings Weston House, The Lamplighters and St Michael on the Mount Without. He assembled a team of heritage professionals, conservationists, business minds and community advocates united by a conviction that Ashton Court could live again - not as a private project, but as a place genuinely open to the whole city. Sadly, Norman passed away before the full scope of that vision could be realised. His loss is deeply felt by everyone involved in the project, and his belief in what Ashton Court could become remains at the heart of everything we do.

Since January 2026, BHBT has been working under licence from the Council to carry out critical repair work, surveys and planning. We are now in the building under a tenancy at will - responsible for its day-to-day maintenance and able to host events - while negotiations continue on the terms of a 125-year lease, with the Council retaining the freehold, which we hope to have in place by autumn this year. In the meantime, the charity is also transitioning to become a Charitable Community Benefit Society, a structure that better reflects our purpose and will allow us to launch a Community Share Offer in July 2026. That offer is the central mechanism by which we plan to raise the capital needed to take Ashton Court into community ownership and fund the first phase of restoration, beginning from autumn 2026.

We are working to raise significant funds - not just to begin the work, but to give us the financial confidence to take on the lease and ensure the charity can sustain itself through the critical early years. This is a long-term project, and the foundations we lay now will determine everything that follows. Ultimately we expect the full regeneration of Ashton Court Mansion to be a programme running into tens of millions of pounds - but right now, every pound raised helps us get to the starting line. Our ambitions for the building are organised around five community benefit pillars - Culture & Arts, Heritage, Skills, Food, and Nature & Outdoors - each offering distinct routes for volunteering, funding, and partnership, all operating alongside a commercial model that will sustain the project for the long term.

This is where the story stands. There is a great deal still to do - and there is a place in this story for everyone who cares about what happens here.

Years of History

Grade I

Listed Building

Unused

£0m

Estimated Cost