Blab Music
Community Campaign Urges Bristol to Save Fiddlers Nightclub Ahead of July Auction
On July 22, the future of Bristol’s historic Fiddlers nightclub hangs in the balance. A grassroots coalition of local organisations is racing to keep the Bedminster venue from being sold and turned into residential units. Artspace Lifespace and Bedminster Works have launched the Save Fiddlers campaign, aiming to raise enough money to purchase the club directly from its owners before the property goes to auction, where a guide price of £900,000 has been set.
Opened in 1994 between East Street and Victoria Park, Fiddlers quickly became a staple of Bristol’s live‑music scene. The club has hosted internationally‑renowned acts such as Robert Plant, KT Tunstall and George Ezra. The building itself carries layers of history: it was once rumored to be an 18th‑century prison, later a malting house, and in the early 1980s it operated as Courage’s Social Club. It even served as a filming location for the Only Fools & Horses episode “Stage Fright.” According to the auction listing, the property is offered with vacant possession and a 6 am licence.
The Cleary family, who have owned and run Fiddlers for thirty years, placed the club up for sale in late 2024. The venue has been slated for auction at least twice this year, and the owners have expressed a preference that the space remain a trading venue if possible. The auction’s guide price reflects the building’s prime position and its potential for conversion into flats or student accommodation.
Artspace Lifespace, a registered charity with a twenty‑year track record of transforming vacant spaces into community hubs, and Bedminster Works, a local organisation that supports community use of buildings, are collaborating to raise the necessary funds. Kathryn Chiswell Jones, Artspace Lifespace’s chief executive, said: "Every community needs its spaces, it needs its gathering spots, and you know we're lucky in Bedminster that there is Windmill Hill City Farm, which is beautiful." She added, "We need those people to come forward with money and actually protect these venues for the future by investing in them and investing in the communities that made their livelihoods possible."
The urgency of the campaign is underscored by Bristol’s broader nightlife landscape. In 2024, the city saw the closures of Gravity and Motion, two well‑known clubs that had been forced to shut due to economic pressures and lease expirations. The loss of Fiddlers would add to a growing list of venues that have disappeared from the city’s cultural map.
The Save Fiddlers campaign is calling on philanthropists, local businesses and the wider community to contribute to a fund that will allow the club to remain open. If the auction proceeds as scheduled and the venue is sold to a developer, the building is likely to be turned into residential units, erasing a key gathering place for Bedminster’s residents.
As the auction date approaches, the campaign remains uncertain about whether it will secure the necessary capital in time. The owners’ preference for the venue to stay operational is a potential bargaining point, but the final outcome will hinge on the community’s ability to act swiftly. The upcoming auction on 22 July will determine whether Fiddlers continues to serve as a live‑music venue or becomes part of Bristol’s growing residential landscape.
The campaign’s success will depend on the speed and scale of fundraising efforts. If the community can rally behind the cause, Fiddlers may survive as a cultural asset; if not, the historic club could be lost to redevelopment.
Opened in 1994 between East Street and Victoria Park, Fiddlers quickly became a staple of Bristol’s live‑music scene. The club has hosted internationally‑renowned acts such as Robert Plant, KT Tunstall and George Ezra. The building itself carries layers of history: it was once rumored to be an 18th‑century prison, later a malting house, and in the early 1980s it operated as Courage’s Social Club. It even served as a filming location for the Only Fools & Horses episode “Stage Fright.” According to the auction listing, the property is offered with vacant possession and a 6 am licence.
The Cleary family, who have owned and run Fiddlers for thirty years, placed the club up for sale in late 2024. The venue has been slated for auction at least twice this year, and the owners have expressed a preference that the space remain a trading venue if possible. The auction’s guide price reflects the building’s prime position and its potential for conversion into flats or student accommodation.
Artspace Lifespace, a registered charity with a twenty‑year track record of transforming vacant spaces into community hubs, and Bedminster Works, a local organisation that supports community use of buildings, are collaborating to raise the necessary funds. Kathryn Chiswell Jones, Artspace Lifespace’s chief executive, said: "Every community needs its spaces, it needs its gathering spots, and you know we're lucky in Bedminster that there is Windmill Hill City Farm, which is beautiful." She added, "We need those people to come forward with money and actually protect these venues for the future by investing in them and investing in the communities that made their livelihoods possible."
The urgency of the campaign is underscored by Bristol’s broader nightlife landscape. In 2024, the city saw the closures of Gravity and Motion, two well‑known clubs that had been forced to shut due to economic pressures and lease expirations. The loss of Fiddlers would add to a growing list of venues that have disappeared from the city’s cultural map.
The Save Fiddlers campaign is calling on philanthropists, local businesses and the wider community to contribute to a fund that will allow the club to remain open. If the auction proceeds as scheduled and the venue is sold to a developer, the building is likely to be turned into residential units, erasing a key gathering place for Bedminster’s residents.
As the auction date approaches, the campaign remains uncertain about whether it will secure the necessary capital in time. The owners’ preference for the venue to stay operational is a potential bargaining point, but the final outcome will hinge on the community’s ability to act swiftly. The upcoming auction on 22 July will determine whether Fiddlers continues to serve as a live‑music venue or becomes part of Bristol’s growing residential landscape.
The campaign’s success will depend on the speed and scale of fundraising efforts. If the community can rally behind the cause, Fiddlers may survive as a cultural asset; if not, the historic club could be lost to redevelopment.
