Dignitaries Visit Arts Mansion

  • Post date Tuesday 4 March, 2025
  • Post author

On February 28th 2025, Artspace Lifespace CEO Kathryn Chiswell Jones, Arts Mansion Venue Manager Jenna Graves and Bristol Parks Area Manager carried out a tour of Ashton Court Mansion for Sadik Al-Hassan, Labour MP for North Somerset, Ross Simmonds, Historic England, Regional Director South West, Councillor Tony Dyer Leader of Bristol City Council, Nick Hibberd, Bristol City Council Chief Executive and Philip Walker, Bristol City Council Head of Culture. 

Artspace was delighted to show the visitors the challenges being faced due to 80% of the mansion not being usable and discuss the opportunities to bring the house, which has been owned by Bristol City Council since 1959, back into use for the People of Bristol. The mansion has been on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register since 2011 and was listed at Grade I in 1954. Only around 2.5% of listed buildings are Grade I, indicating their exceptional interest and importance. Bristol City Council maintains the building and carries out essential repairs.

Kathryn Chiswell Jones, CEO, Artspace Lifespace; Nick Hibberd, Bristol City Council Chief Executive; Sadik Al-Hassan, Labour MP for North Somerset; Councillor Tony Dyer Leader of Bristol City Council;  Ross Simmonds, Historic England, Regional Director | South West;  Tom Penn –  
Bristol Parks Area Manager 

Artspace Lifespace has been the stewards of Ashton Court Mansion since May 2018 after its commercial events business stopped operating in December 2017. It now operates as a hireable events space, with supported residency space (such as The Mansion Through Time, Haunting Ashton Court, The House Nobody Wanted and 50 plaques and Places and funded programmes such as The People’s Mansion, Futureville and We are from Dust. Artspace Lifespace’s current lease is from May 2023 to May 2026. In 2019 we co-founded the Friends of Ashton Court Mansion to help share the history of the house and its inhabitants and create open days for the public to visit. The next FAM open day is Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th of March. You can find out more about other upcoming events at Ashton Court by visiting https://artspace.uk/events-home.

“Ashton Court Mansion is clearly a magnificent building with enormous potential. I appreciate Bristol City Council sharing their detailed insights into the complexities involved in preserving and finding it a sustainable new use. I look forward to continued discussions about how we can work together to secure its future.”

Sadik Al-Hassan MP

Ashton Court Park is a Grade II* Registered Park and Garden. It has been the site of a manor since the 6th century and there is evidence of a settlement from the Roman period. In 1802 it was laid out to designs by celebrated landscape gardener Humphry Repton. The council also owns and manages the wider Ashton Court Estate, which welcomes more than a million visitors every year.

  • 5 men are standing on a roof of a mansion house with an ornate stone parapet wearing suits and hard hats. Behind the men is a stair tower and views overlooking Bristol. The sky is sunny and clear..
    Left to Right. Philip Walker, Bristol City Council Head of Culture, Ross Simmonds, Historic England, Regional Director | South West, Nick Hibberd, Bristol City Council Chief Executive, Councillor Tony Dyer Leader of Bristol City Council, Sadik Al-Hassan, Labour MP for North Somerset
  • Two men wearing suits and hard hats stand in front of a sunlit ornate window in a mansion house.
    Left to Right: Councillor Tony Dyer Leader of Bristol City Council, Sadik Al-Hassan, Labour MP for North Somerset.
  • 2 men sitting on chairs chatting. There is a window behind them from which you can see grass and trees. The chairs are leather and they are sitting facing each other.
    Left to Right Sadik Al-Hassan, Labour MP for North Somerset; Councillor Tony Dyer Leader of Bristol City Council