A Private View: the Georgian home of modern day merchants, a stone’s throw from Bristol's historic harbourside

Bristol has been a trading port for more than a thousand years. In the 17th century it became the third richest city in England; ships would sail into port carrying merchants’ cloth, oil and wine from Spain, Portugal, France and beyond. Almost three centuries later, Nick and Cath Brookes became, in turn, modern day merchants to the city, importing wines from France, Sicily and Spain for their business Vine Trail. “We used a bonded warehouse just by the river, and also stored a lot of wine right here in the cellar.”

The cellar, which can be accessed from the street, was carefully repaired by Nick and Cath so they could use it for wine storage and as an office space for their team. The rotting staircase to the basement was replaced with a new oak balustrade and risers and they ripped out the old carpet revealing beautiful, time-worn flagstones. In one of the large storerooms, they discovered the former home of the kitchen range. After carefully chipping off the plaster they found an elegant Georgian brickwork fireplace with iron meat hooks still intact either side.

The couple bought their home – which is just 200 metres from the harbourside and the River Avon – almost 30 years ago in 1997, soon after they launched Vine Trail. Built in 1727, at the start of the reign of George II, it is one of the oldest houses in Bristol. The Palladian style provides a soothing symmetrical canvas for living, which by design was simple but elegant, and resolutely appealed to the couple. “There is a natural simplicity and beauty to this house,” says Nick. “We love the incredibly solid build of the main structure; the front and back walls are around two feet thick. This helps to confer a palpable sense of peace and calm to the place; keeps in the warmth and it’s a beautiful shelter from the storm.”

A sturdy cast-iron black sconce, once used for gas street lighting, is still fixed to the exterior wall and is now used to hold a hanging basket. Each sash window is framed by fanned slabs of Bath limestone, while a fanlight borders the door, and a smartly polished brass threshold plate invites you inside.

A wide hallway features classical pitch pine floorboards, stripped and oiled by Nick and Cath to reveal the scuffs and patina of their history. One of the couples’ favourite features is the sculptural winding staircase, which begins here and unfolds in dramatic spiral sophistication to the attic rooms at the top of the building. A labour of love, Nick and Cath meticulously stripped each spindle and polished the handrail revealing the rich chestnut tones of the original pine beneath. “It is the most fabulous view looking from the top right the way down to the ground floor,” smiles Cath. “I always wanted to install a basket and pulley system to help carry things up.”

On the ground floor, the kitchen, breakfast room and dining room are all interconnected by a series of doors. Cath and Nick chose to leave these rooms as they were originally designed with a compact kitchen and dining room. “We thought long and hard about making the dining room into the kitchen and having the kitchen as a utility room, but there are five doorways, a big window and a fireplace in the breakfast room, so we decided against it. It has really worked for us; it is warm in the winter with the fire and, in the summer, when the light floods in, we have coffee in the breakfast room.”

Split across five floors, their generous home has four reception rooms, each laid out in the classic alignment of Georgian style with neat dado rails delineating the walls and pretty egg and dart cornicing framing the tall ceilings. The first-floor drawing room is a lavish size with its large original stone fireplace and wider floorboards. “This is my favourite room,” says Cath. “We always entertain here and it’s a perfect place to have Christmas with the family. It is a very versatile and sociable house. Over the years we have hosted many wine growers from all over France …”

Step through a door in the wall and you are in their library, a rich green room created as a space to relax: “It is a very restful room, so a darker colour seemed more suitable,” explains Nick. Their colour choices throughout the house are understated and chosen to suit the building, a warm but strong colour palette respecting the period and architecture. “We just wanted to enhance its natural lines,” says Nick. “After a while, the building tells you what to do,” adds Cath. 

Most of the original architectural details had been perfectly preserved when Cath and Nick moved in. They found all the original working wooden window shutters, which had been hidden away, nailed out of sight. The fireplaces and mantles had all been sealed up, revealing a bounty of Georgian hearths for the couple to discover. Every door, every handle, and even the simple brass window hooks are original.

Climbing upstairs the main bedroom faces up towards The Paragon and Clifton. The adjoining dressing room houses an expansive and ornate mirror, so big it has become part of the house. (Cath and Nick inherited it, and it will stay when they leave.) The fifth floor – originally the servant’s quarters – has two cosy bedrooms (painted in a soft terracotta and warm yellow respectively) with access to the roof via a dormer window.

In 1937, a small mews house was nestled inside their walled courtyard. According to local legend, the house was smashed to pieces with a sledgehammer after a dispute with the owners, endowing the house with an elongated courtyard garden. “Whoever he was provided us with an extended garden and this beautiful courtyard which is not overlooked at all,” explains Nick. The courtyard is bordered on one side by an unusual solid oak passageway and exposed ragstone wall.

Hidden in one of the bedroom cupboards is a series of wallpapers from homeowners past – floral and faded touch points from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Nick and Cath have left their own subtle mark, carefully restoring the character of this building, plus small tokens of their life here – champagne cork handles on a wardrobe and a wine cellar that would be the envy of any French sommelier. As they pass the baton on, the house prepares for its 300th birthday – and its next chapter unfolds.