History Timeline
Our walls have many stories to tell. From being the location of one of British TV’s most beloved Only Fools and Horses scenes, to hosting many famous artists and bands such as Thin Lizzy, Dire Straits and Phil Collins in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
1869 A Bristol Byzantine Landmark
The Granary, originally known as Wait and James’ Granary, was built in 1869 as a working grain store. Designed by Archibald Ponton and William Venn Gough, it used red Cattybrook brick with contrasting black-and-white brick and limestone details. The building is now protected as a Grade II* listed landmark.
1968 The Granary Club Opens
The underground Granary Club opened in 1968 as a jazz venue under the guidance of Bristol clarinettist Acker Bilk. Its ornate surroundings earned it a reputation as an extraordinary place to experience live music.
1969 to 1988 Bristol's Home of Rock
Regular rock nights began in 1969 when the Plastic Dog collective moved its increasingly popular events from the Dugout on Park Row.
Over the following two decades, more than 1,500 groups appeared on the club’s famously intimate stage. Its programme included Queen, AC/DC, the Sex Pistols, Eric Clapton, Black Sabbath, Yes, Genesis, Status Quo, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy, Dire Straits, Billy Idol and Phil Collins.
The club became a cornerstone of Bristol’s live-music culture before closing in 1988.
1989
TV HISTORY
“Play it nice and cool, son, nice and cool. You know what I mean?”
Although set in London, many scenes from Only Fools & Horses were filmed here in Bristol, with what has been voted the most iconic British sitcom moment of all time filmed right here in our downstairs bar.
Cited as the TV show’s greatest episode, ‘Yuppy Love’ featured the sitcom’s most popular scene ‘Del Boy falls through the bar’.
The scene was also named the 7th Greatest Television Moment of all time in a 1999 Channel 4 poll, beating the likes of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the Queen’s coronation and Winston Churchill’s funeral.
1968–88
The GRanary NightClub
Between 1968 and 1988, this building housed a nightclub, also known as The Granary.
Initially opened as a jazz club by Ted Cowell under the guidance of Acker Bilk in 1968, it started hosting regular rock nights in 1969, when a collective called Plastic Dog, whose club night had become too busy for the Dugout club on Park Row, took over the poorly attended Monday nights.
By early 1970 they had removed ‘Old’ from the title of the venue, which completed its transition to an all-rock club by 1978. Many well-known rock acts played there, including Yes, Genesis, Status Quo, Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Thin Lizzy and Dire Straits, amongst many other household names.
1989 Del Boy Falls Through the Bar
In the Only Fools and Horses episode Yuppy Love, Del Boy confidently leans against an open bar hatch and disappears from view. The scene was filmed inside The Granary Club and remains a favourite with fans.
The Following Decades
After the original club closed, the building underwent restoration and redevelopment. Its upper floors were converted for new uses, while the ground floor later became home to restaurants including Belgo and Loch Fyne.
2023 The Granary Returns
The ground floor began a new chapter as an independent all-day restaurant, cafe and bar. Its food philosophy brings together seasonal British produce, Persian, Mediterranean and Levantine influences and the character of cooking over fire.
2024 The Granary Club Reborn
The historic underground club was brought back to life for cocktails, live music, performances and private celebrations. The bar works with the kitchen to give surplus ingredients and offcuts a second life in syrups, infusions and cocktails, creating flavour while reducing avoidable waste.
Today
The Granary is once again a place where food, music, design, cultures and people come together. Its purpose has changed many times since 1869, but its ability to bring people together continues.
