Historic Bristol boatyard reopens after arson attack caused millions of pounds of damage

A historic piece of the Bristol Harbourside has reopened following a fire that damaged several buildings and destroyed six boats nearly a year ago. Underfall Yard has re-opened its gates after the first phase of repair works were completed.

Underfall Yard was severely damaged in a fire last May which saw five buildings damaged including “the Big Shed”. The man who set fire to the boatyard, Robert Boyd-Stevenson, was jailed for life in November after causing damage that will cost at least £2.6 million to repair.

The Underfall Yard Trust confirmed that the first phase of repair work at the site has now been completed, which means the gates have now been opened to the public once again to walk through the boatyard. Structural work has been completed across the three buildings which suffered the most damage in the fire - “the Big Shed” and two workshops.

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The yard has remained open to businesses throughout the works to restore the site. But the Trust has said visitors are now returning in great numbers, and the café has seen its busiest week since the fire.

Sarah Murray, director at Underfall Yard, said: “It feels like we have our character back. Whilst it may have appeared shut, work has continued without halt behind closed doors and we have been making plans to re-build with a renewed sense for the future. Opening up the Underfall Yard section of the Harbourside Walk and welcoming the public back in is a huge milestone on our journey to recovery.

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“Now that the walkway is open, we’re looking forward to even more people popping in, taking a look at what’s going on in the yard, or simply stopping for a coffee on their trip around the harbour. We have a long road ahead, but this is a real step in the right direction, and we look forward to welcoming more of the public and yard businesses back.”

Barriers remain in place in the boatyard around the damaged buildings despite the walkway being open and safe to use. As it is a working site, the walkway will be closed if any hazardous works are taking place.

Star Yachts, based at the boatyard, said the charity, The Underfall Yard Trust, had been a huge support for the business since the fire closed the site to the public. The award-winning boat building company’s director, Will Raffety, said: “Underfall Yard has been through a traumatic year, and we are pleased to be part of its road to recovery.

“The Trust has supported us at every stage and helped us to continue working as much as possible under very difficult circumstances. I thank them for their efforts and look forward to the future.”

The boatyard is one of the only surviving Victorian dock workshops in the world, having been built in 1809 when the Floating Harbour was created. It created the Overfall dam which allowed surplus water to flow out of the harbour and is now home to several businesses, a visitor centre, café and the Harbour Master and Docks Engineer.

The visitor centre and café will be open on Tuesday through to Sunday. The gates to the boatyard will open from 9am to 4.30pm.

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