There's no place like (our) home

Much maligned, often misunderstood, St. Paul’s, Bristol, is the place we’ve been proud to call home for over 20 years now. Why proud? Because we believe it’s one of the most vibrant, diverse and exciting communities in the UK – and the perfect home for a creative business.

With inner-city flats now replacing grand Georgian architecture, it’s sometimes hard to believe that St. Paul’s was once populated by Bristol’s wealthy slave-trading merchants. And there’s a lot more to its history than that. The area emerged battered and bruised from the Blitz during World War II, and an infamous riot in 1980 saw local youths fighting running battles with the police – the memory of which still lingers with many residents today.

Art is in the air

Despite this troubled history, and a chequered reputation in the city, St. Paul’s has carved for itself a unique character; one which has thrown up an often-weird, often-wonderful whirlwind of artistic activity. From the chameleon-like street art that gives the area its unforgettable flavour, to the vibrant local music scene, borne straight out of the Afro-Caribbean roots of many residents, there’s little like it anywhere in the country.

At the heart of the St. Paul’s calendar sits the annual carnival. A free-wheeling, unfettered outpouring of the area’s irrepressible community spirit, the carnival now rivals Notting Hill in terms of colour and spectacle. Run since 1967, it attracts around 40,000 people* every year, and features a show-stopping parade of local school children, community groups, businesses, dancers, musicians and street performers from across the UK.

Carnival on camera

The 2010 Carnival, held on the first weekend of July, was one of the most spectacular yet, backing our belief that Proctors couldn’t find a more apt location in which to live and breathe creativity. Fortunately, our Creative Director, Mike Cain, was on hand with his family to capture the remarkable events on film. He’s been kind enough to share those events in a short movie, which you can watch right here…

*Source: Wikipedia