Charley Box door and post box door, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2020

Thursday doors – 6 February 2020

Doors 95 – Charley Box

I was wandering around Montpelier (Bristol) recently hunting down a specific piece of street art that I wanted to photograph (it’s actually on the right hand end wall of this building). My eye was drawn to this rather lovely door and then to the plaque above it. The cell behind the door is known as Charley’s box.

Charley Box plaque, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2020
Charley Box plaque, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2020

Before 1836 there was no police force in Bristol, so until some kind of law and order was formally established Montpelier employed its own nightwatchman called Charley (I’m not sure I believe this). Charley had the powers of arrest and would grab unruly citizens and chuck them into this cell overnight until a sobering trip to the magistrates the following morning. I believe the building is now privately owned but the original door appears to still be there, which is lucky for this post.

Charley Box door, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2020
Charley Box door, Montpelier, Bristol, February 2020

So only the one door this week – I have been rather busy I’m afraid.

If you like doors, you ought to take a look at the Norm 2.0 blog – the originator of Thursday Doors where there are links to yet more doors in the comments section at the end.

by Scooj

Published by

scooj

I am Stephen. I live in Bristol, UK. I decided to shorten my profile...to this: Wildlife, haiku, travel, streetart, psychogeography and my family. Not necessarily in that order.

20 thoughts on “Thursday doors – 6 February 2020”

Leave a comment