Laid out in the 1720s, Dowry Square in Hotwells, Bristol, is a beautiful square consisting of 16 Georgian properties with unique historical interest. 300 years later, the Dowry Square garden is a gorgeous inner city green space, loved and tended by the local residents, and the square as a whole is known for its strong community spirit.
The history of the square charts the changes to the area from its close association with the Clifton Hotwell in the late 18th century, through the city’s industrial expansion as a major port hub in the 19th century, the dramatic post-war changes in the 1950s, to the conservation efforts over the last 50 years that meant Dowry Square was saved from demolition.
The square is looked after and maintained by the Dowry Square Garden Association, formed in the 1970s, when some of the businesses based in the square were determined to save it; in particular architect Peter Ware, whose efforts are commemorated with a plaque on the railings in the south west corner of the square.
The garden itself has developed enormously over recent years and now includes mature trees, herbaceous borders, a pond, bird boxes, a raised bed for vegetables and, most recently, a children’s play area with mud kitchen. A far cry from the 1940s when photos show sheep grazing a then fully-grassed and treeless garden! Many of the properties in Dowry Square have no outdoor space, others just courtyards, so the central community garden is a vital green space for the square’s approximately 75 residents to promote well-being and community cohesion.
Dowry Square took part in the Clifton & Hotwells Open Gardens weekend again this year in June, when we hosted 2 choirs, a juggler and flute group over the course of the weekend, plus offering tea and delicious cakes. To coincide with this, we also launched Dowry Square history tours to include a visit inside the former Pneumatic Institution, where Thomas Beddoes with its superintendent Humphry Davy had fun with nitrous oxide! The tours included a cup of tea or coffee and cake.
Dowry Square is also a film location, and will feature in The Forsytes, a six-part adaptation of John Galsworthy’s Forsyte Saga, to be broadcast later in 2025. The series includes interior scenes in one of the Dowry Square houses as well outdoor scenes in both the square and garden.
To show your support for Dowry Square, please consider buying Dowry Square Notecards designed by resident artist Mary Rouncefield.