Great Western Coffee Shop

Started a new thread as this is a fairly self contained subject and not really, I think, part of the Temple Meads refurb.
Does anyone know what's happening to Bonaparte's?  The sign on the door says they aren't open yet but looking inside, all of the furniture has gone and the bar along with all the fixtures and fittings have been removed.
It's looking quite desolate and abandoned.  Anyone heard if there are any plans for it?

I, for one, hope it will reopen as a bar. I always enjoyed a pint in there after work if I had a bit of a wait for the next train to Sea Mills.

Dave

I'm sure it will return.  I have to say I was never very impressed by Bonaparte's - I think another operator could run a much more appealing bar there.

Huge competition close by, not least the Wetherspoon but also the King's Head, Barley Mow and Cornubia (and more).  All the same a Bristol Tap (for example) there would be really popular.

I was last in Bristol at the beginning of March last year.  I miss it.

It's a great space with a lot of potential, not least it's architecture.  I'm not too concerned who takes it over as long as there still is some form of cafe bar there and the architecture is respected.

Never seemed to really make the most of its real potential, but with the Knights Templar so close maybe it was always going to struggle
On a personal level ever since asking for a couple of different draft pints and each attempt saw bar flies come out of the pumps I will stick to cans and bottles from in there !!

Have to agree with most of the comments above. It is a space with huge potential for an enjoyable bar/cafe/restaurant, but I've usually been disappointed whenever I've ventured into it. It was a good place to escape the cold winds that blow down Temple Meads' platforms, but sadly I found little else to entice me in.

Having just done a quick check on Google, it seems many others felt similarly.

Indeed, save for the massive saving grace of meeting wonderful friends in there - many of whom are here on the Coffee Shop. And I look forward to such meetings again ... "don't (actually) know where, don't know when" ... but I hope "when" won't be too long off.

I have avoided it for many years.
A long time ago I had to intervene when a member of the local low life attempted a run between the tables to snatch a handbag and make a quick exit.

Blinkin' flip!  We're you successful in foiling the ne'er-do-well's dastardly deed?

I sent GWR a query earlier on Twitter:

"Hi there. Is the bar on Platform 3 at Bristol TM merely shut for a makeover or has it gone permanently? I used to enjoy a pint there after work so I hope it is the former."

I have just (at the time of writing this) received this reply:

"Hi Dave, SSP who have the lease have closed it permanently as a bar sadly, however they will be opening it back up under a new brand. We have not been told yet by Network Rail what brand it will be."

A pity. I guess there is always a chance it might return as a bar though so we will have to wait and see.

Dave

Probably a wise decision. As the Emperor Napoleon re-introduced slavery into the French Empire the bar furniture might otherwise end up in the Avon or the Canal Basin.

That made me one wonder how on earth the First Class Refreshment Room came to be called 'Bonaparte's..! Luckily we have Google. It seems that it may have been an attempt at humour; there was a similarly-branded operation at Waterloo Station (geddit?) This is now a coffee franchise. Perhaps the same fate is in store for the First Class Refreshment Room. Maybe they'll have the wit to call it 'Brunel's' when it reopens, and serve coffee so bad it tastes like badly-roasted corn...

I rarely venture as far east at Bristol, but my usual approach is to end up drinking in the Cornubia in Temple Street, then making sure I leave 15 minutes before my train (and I'm sure others will walk faster than me). Easiest way of killing 45 minutes in my experience (and others would have jogged on and caught the previous hour's train, no doubt!).

As an alternative, I can recommend the Barley Mow (https://www.bristolbeerfactory.co.uk/pages/the-barley-mow) on Barton Road, just over 500m from Temple Meads.

Here's how Bonapartes looks now. Let's hope they do it justice in its next incarnation!

(https://fosbr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/bonapartes_bri_jun2021.jpg)

Fin d'une epoque!

That bloke needs to put his phone down if he wants to be served! :P

A row of desks has appeared in one corner of the room when I looked through the door today....they do look a very temporary affair though.  Sorry no photo due to the thought not occurring to me at the time.

I hope that future renovation and re-use retains the "old railway type" light fittings. Even if recent they certainly look like old railway lights.
Probably contained multiple incandescent bulbs originally but easily retrofitted with LED lamps.

Any indication of what or who is going in there?

Possibly contractors office during the renovation of the roof structure,and afterward how about a first class waiting room .....

I'm sure I read recently that the ticket office is moving in to Bonapartes during the concourse redevelopent, though I can't for the life of me find where now.

I mentioned it in the Temple Meads Redevelopment thread last December as it was something that I had just read on the Network Rail Temple Meads Redevelopment pages.

The whole station is being re-wired. Offices will be temporarily relocated in turn while the works take place. The first area being tackled is the ticket office and offices above. A temporary ticket office will be situated in Bonaparte's.

Inside the gatelines? How will that work?

Doesn't the "far end" door - away from Platform 3 - open out beyond the new gateline?  If so, people arriving to purchase tickets could enter that way, buy tickets and perhaps there will even be a ticket gate inside to they could exit onto the platform from there.

Actually seems to make a great deal of sense to me.  Only thing it won't offer is an all day breakfast or a beer, but does anyone want to eat of drink while travelling these days?

Ah, yes. I was forgetting about what was the fire exit.

As for your second point. Me.

Me too!

I had to kill 90 minutes in Salisbury today, mid morning. Thanks to the current timetable. Oh for a nice station bar to grab brunch and a beer. Not the Pumpkin Cafe for an overpriced warm can and a tasteless sausage bap. Which is all Salisbury Station offers. And besides, Finn isn't welcome inside Pumpkin so the only option is to sit on the platform and be gassed by diesel fumes. I walked up to The Bishop's Mill on Fisherton St instead.

Quick update as I went past the site of Boney's yesterday evening.  There's a lot of woodworking being done in there right now.
I took a photo but the resolution was too high for this thread and my mobile doesn't have the ability to reduce the size once taken.  Instead, I sent the picture to the good people at FoSBR who have included it on their Facebook page.
Next time, I'll set the resolution to a little less before taking the picture.

And here's johnneyw's picture:

(https://fosbr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/273803809_4819300944821996_4383589057767887208_n.jpg)

Thank you RS.
I'm no builder but to me that looks like new flooring and walling which might be consistent with facilitating easier wiring installation both now and in the future?

Thank you, Red Squirrel, for reminding me of this rather amuzing image of some historical re-enactment event, captioned "French Infantry at Waterloo". ;)

(https://avatars.mds.yandex.net/get-zen_doc/3412021/pub_5ef2403887f4ed6cc2d10df9_5ef24094ad14bd72571092e1/scale_2400)

CfN :D

My own favourite memory of Bonapartes was  of Monday 20 February 1995 (I had to look it up), when I ended up boozing with Michael Foot and missing my train. That won't happen again.

Indeed. Sadly, Michael passed away in 2010, though he had reached the ripe old age on 96.   He presided over a time of turmoil in the Labour Party, which seems to have dogged it repeatedly (or continually?) through its life.  I can imagine it must have been a fascinating conversation over a very wide range of topics.

#1 Janner & Plymouth Argyle's most famous supporter, with the possible exception of Umbrella Vi (if you know, you know!)

Shameful that Plymouth City Council haven't done more to commemorate him......I remember my Grandfather telling me how he used to listen to him speak outside the Dockyard gates, even if you didn't agree with him he was a tremendous orator.

His opportunity to lead the Labour Party came a few years too late, and at (another) time when they were busily tearing themselves apart.

Everything but politics. It was the day after the Sunday Times published the spy story, and my newspaper had a photo of Mr Foot out walking his dog, and brandishing his walking stick menacingly at the photographer - or so it seemed. He laughed having not seen it earlier in the day. He said he was walking Dizzy (for Disraeli) and waved to his friend, not noticing the pressman. When he realised the papers were about to publish, he decamped to his sister's in Weston super Mare to let the heat die down, and was making his way back. I think conversation was mostly about the railway and West Country seaside resorts, although I recall him asking what I did for a job and being interested when I told him. He drank neat scotch, I think I was on cider, and it was a pleasant chat. Sadly, the autographed newspaper was binned by accident some time later.

While waiting for The Beach line at Temple Meads I took a quick peek through the door of Bonaparte's.
Things have changed so here's a few pics:

It's getting harder to see what's going on in Bonaparte's-as-was, what with new vinyl artwork obscuring the windows, but here's a sideways squint taken today:

(https://fosbr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/bonapartes_20220414.jpg)

It's always something very important when a chap in hi-vis is pointing.

Usually worryingly so, and costing an extra million.

"And that one in the top corner is the red spotted tarantula, Arachnidus fatalicus, which I am about to squidge before it bites me, using this walking stick usefully left behind by a former leader of the Labour Party."

Pictures on Network Rail's Twitter account show the unit has been fitted out as a temporary ticket office.

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/britick.jpg)

...and here it is, in action on Tues 3rd May:

(https://fosbr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/bonapartes_ticket_office_20220503.jpg)

Going through Temple Meads yesterday I was aware that the temporary ticket office is still there.  I had some vague recollection of reading that the rewiring in the old ticket office should be about done by now but a quick look at Network Rail's Temple Meads redevelopment gives an October finish date, mentioning the need to remove asbestos.
The link is below:

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/our-routes/western/bristol-rail-regeneration/

I was at Temple Meads on Thursday last week.  The old ticket office is now open again and staff were busy dismantling the temporary one in former Bonaparte's.  I've read somewhere that the materials used to building temporary office will be reused elsewhere.... commendable if achieved.
I wonder if a replacement for Boney's has been found yet?

A 'Tap' like those at York, Sheffield and Harrogate stations would be a great addition to Bristol TM.

I wasn't familiar with any of them but their websites give a great impression.... there's even a microbrewery at the Sheffield one.
All this leads me to wonder about what other potential suitors for the Temple Meads vacancy would Coffee Shop members suggest?  Especially given their undoubtedly refined tastes.


Edit to add:  I'd certainly welcome a branch of JayMac's "Station Tap" suggestion fulfilling the role but at present, they do seem to be centered up north.
Personally, I think it would aptly reflect some aspect's of Bristol culture to look for an independent outlet (indeed, we have a host of microbreweries and bars that have set up in the station's broad locality).

A picture taken this morning of work continuing to dismantle the temporary ticket office in the former Bonaparte's at Temple Meads.  Couldn't spot any signage to indicate what will replace it.

Looks like the temporary ticket office at Temple Meads has been fully dismantled now.

It's quite a magnificent space without all the clutter.

It is. It has an almost church-like quality, but I think that's jut the influence of the Gothic architecture. What was its original purpose? Booking office, waiting room... ?

I can remember it as a buffet in the late 1960s

With the space formerly occupied by Bonaparte's now vacated for a couple of months and with no indication of any replacement, I emailed Network Rail to enquire about it's future.  Within a few days I received a reply as follows:

Thanks for getting in touch with us about the area where the former café at the station.

Going forward we will be looking at what we can do for the Bonaparte's vacated area, however with ongoing roof and rewiring projects there will not be any imminent plans. The location will be reviewed for future options.

Kind regards

Chris O'Connell

Community Relations Executive

Western Route – Devon and Cornwall


It rather looks like there will be nothing happening in the very near future but I would be surprised if (contrary to what is implied in the reply) NR are yet to look at what to do with the space.

Just noticed that Network Rail put in a planning app several months ago for Bonaparte's (23/01662/LA at https://pa.bristol.gov.uk/online-applications/). Not very exciting - basically they just want to get it ready for a future client, if they can find one. Also worth pointing out that the planning service in Bristol has pretty much ground to a halt in the last year...

Looks like Bonaparte's, or whatever it will be called, is projected to reopen next summer according to this report in Bristol Live about plans for the redevelopment of the station.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/derelict-part-temple-meads-reopen-8778449?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target

Let's hope they restore the clock that wasn't working.

It looks like there's a bit of activity in the former Bonaparte's.  Work benches have appeared, doors removed and a couple of people in hard hats and hi viz were evident... although they had gone back behind the open door by the time that I had wound the camera up.

Looks like lengths of conduit or service racking leaning against the wall. I suspect they’re just laying on the bones of structured electrical services that’ll be needed whatever the space is used for.

From Network Rail's Bristol Regeneration website pages:

"Alongside this rewire work is completed inside the former Bonaparte’s Bar, with basic ‘core and shell’ fitting out to make it ready for letting for retail due to take place in early 2024".

Now, I don't think that anything quite that date specific was there when I looked previously so maybe something is happening now.  On the other hand, I've seen timescales lapse and late revisions on their website before.  I'll have another nose around next time that I'm down there.

I've just spotted this today.  The wood panelled ceiling has been removed revealing a lantern roof in Boney's.  Is that  a recent change or did it come down when the temporary ticket office was removed?

I think it's quite a recent change. Your photo from 30/11/22 (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=25015.msg328006#msg328006), taken after the temporary ticket office was decommissioned, shows the ceiling still in place.

The change leaves me with divided opinions.  I liked the look of the wood panelled ceiling but the revealed glass roof also looks splendid.  Environmentally, while the panelling keeps the heat in better, the glass allows for much less artificial lighting.  I wonder what will be favoured?

Edit to correct sentence.

I went over to have a look at the ceiling at Bonaparte's today. Here's my photo:

(https://bristolrailcampaign.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/bona_ceiling.jpg)

So... what johnneyw saw was an optical illusion caused by reflections in the mirrored glass! It is really deceptive; you have to look through the right window to see it properly and even then there are some odd reflections. Very odd!