An incredibly ambitious online project aims to reconstruct a fully explorable and immersive 3D virtual Bristol as the city appeared around 1825.

Using photographs, paintings, books, maps and city records, Bristol – Venice of the West is an exciting living history exercise that is already slowly taking form.

“First we must remove every modern building, gleefully tearing away the brutal, faceless concrete and glass jungle returning command of the skyline to the 19 City Churches,” the project’s creator writes.

“We must restore the Sugar Houses, chimneys and 13 glass cones, including Redcliffe, the largest ever built at 120 feet high. Every car, lorry and bus must go; even the trams were not around. There is no electricity and gas lighting in the streets has only just begun. All tarmac must go; most roads are just dirt, with only the main important streets being cobbled in stone sets, with side or central gutters. Neither is there any police force, with just three dozen watchmen’s boxes scattered across the embryonic city for protection of citizens during the night.

“We must rip open the quarter mile city centre and uncover Rupert Street and Fairfax Street, all the way back to Wade Street, revealing the stinking, meandering river Frome’s three courses. The Back Ditch, The Mill Leat and Castle Moat, flowing around three sides of the Castle Precincts.

“We replace the city centre traffic and empty Welsh Back and Redcliffe quays with 200 plus sailing ships of all sizes and rig, up to 600 tons each, plying trade between the Caribbean, Canada and coastal Britain.

“There is no Suspension Bridge and No Colston Hall. There is no Cabot tower and Brunel is still in London helping his Father, so no railways yet and no aircraft for sure! There is no Great Western or Great Britain, and no tugs. Small packet paddle steamers have just begun to ply the Cork and Dublin routes. The oarsmen of Pill still bring the Indiamen up and down the Avon on the tides, with up to a dozen tow boats of up to 100 oarsmen!

“The city of the 1820s exists only as two square miles centred on Bristol Bridge, having barely expanded in 500 years except for ribbon development out from Old Market and Redcliffe Hill. It has a population less than 21st century Bath. The little villages of Clifton and Bedminster and a few cottages scattered amongst the surrounding fields are all there are in 1825 of the rest of the now built up 100 square mile conurbation,

“The only ‘modern’ thing is the new cut (which most Bristolian’s would not realise is man made!) and the floating harbour (the old tidal Avon) Up until only a decade before (1809) the river level between Bristol Bridge and Rownham Meadows would drop between 20 and 33 feet respectively, twice every 24 hours and any of the unsecured 200 plus tall ships would roll all ways on the mud banks in a frenzied tangle of masts and rigging!

“They had to be built shipshape and Bristol Fashion for sure to withstand the strains! The Diverted lower river Frome of 1239-1247 up the great flat bottomed canal, the St Augustine’s trench, would also empty right out to a trickle, right back to St James’ corn mill at Bridewell Weir at low tide; All river traffic ceasing!

“This then is Britain’s second City port to London, a City of Tall Ships between rows of Tudor multi-jettied houses, many recently rebuilt or refronted in Georgian and Regency Facades. A city that has yet to experience the great era of warehousing, public buildings, suburbs and westward dock expansion fostered by the coming of the GWR, where the tall ship and stagecoach are the staple means of sea and land travel and communication. This sets the scene of the Bristol of the 1820s.”

Visit www.bristol-venice-of-the-west.blogspot.co.uk to see the project develop.