Pictures reveal forgotten ‘city’
HISTORIC pictures have been found that show a mock city built in Bristol for an exhibition – but which was later used to train troops for the First World War.
The pictures show soldiers being put through their paces in front of an Indian palace.
Historians say White City was put up on the outskirts of the city in the early years of the 20th century.
Inspired by the 1911 Festival of Empire at London’s Crystal Palace, the Bristol International Exhibition covered a 38-acre site in the Cumberland Basin area.
Built as a glittering exhibition of the British empire, the surreal buildings were pressed into service as a barracks during the First World War.
They ended up squatted in by homeless families during the depression.
White City had vanished by the early 1930s and would have remained forgotten were it not for the photographs.
Local historian, Clive Burlton, said: “I first became aware of it when I saw a photograph of my grandfather, Stanley Barnes, training for war in front of a castle.
“I tried to find out what castle it was as I knew he was in the ‘Bristol’s Own’ battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment and I believed he had trained in Bristol.
“It led to uncovering the fascinating story of the Bristol International Exhibition.
“It is a poignant story as it shows how the country moved from optimism to war in such a short time.”
Clive’s grandfather is seen in front of a replica of Bristol castle, one of dozens of massive buildings created for the exhibition.
“It was half trade fair and half theme park,” said Clive. “There were these grand exhibits and they built all these grand structures to show off the products and achievements of the British empire.”
The buildings were made from hardboard panels and canvas, designed by Leolyn Heart, a famous theatrical set designer and general manager of the Bristol Exhibition.
They were covered in white plasterboard, which is why Bristolians dubbed it ‘White City’.
The same construction company had built a similar exhibition in London in 1909 – that area is still known as White City today.
“There were different areas,” said Clive. “Old Plymouth featured a fullsize replica of Drake’s ship Revenge, there was a replica of Bristol Castle, they also had the first-ever rollercoaster. There was also an Indian bazaar and Australia House for visitors to explore.
“There was an area called Shakespeare’s England which Churchill’s mother helped to run.”
Clive says he unearthed the contract between the festival organisers and Winston Churchill’s mother, Lady Randolph Churchill.
“She got 10 per cent of the gate receipts and five per cent of all the stallholders’ receipts went to her,” he said.
The exhibition opened in 1914 and was due to run from the May bank holiday to October, when it would be demolished – but then World War One broke out halfway through.
“It was struggling financially. Despite 40,000 visitors on the first day, there was no public money behind it like there was for the Crystal Palace exhibition,” said Clive.
After war was declared in July 1914, the directors decided to close the exhibition early.
The War Office bought the buildings and lease of the land for £8,000 to barrack the 1,000-plus troops who signed up to fight in the first week of the war.
Soon the bustling crowds of exhibition visitors were replaced with young troops parading, doing rifle and bayonet drills, practising trenchdigging and building bridges among the grand buildings.
“The peacetime to wartime transition played out on this site,” said Clive.
At the end of the war, the troops were demobbed and the buildings of the White City were abandoned, eventually to be filled with squatters who had lost their homes in the depression.
It quickly faded from people’s memories. There is nothing to show for it now, apart from an allotment site, which is still named ‘White City’ in honour of the buildings that were once there.
“By the end of the war about 500 of the troops who had trained there – from several local battalions – were dead,” said Clive. “Those buildings would have been associated, in many people’s minds, with the last time you saw your husband, your father, your brother. Maybe people didn’t want to remember.”
Clive Burlton’s book, Bristol’s Lost City, tells the story of the exhibition. He will be giving a talk at the New Room in Bristol city centre today at 6.30pm. An exhibition is also being held there – see www.newroombristol.org.uk for details.