'Till our liberties be secure': Popular sovereignty and public space in Bristol, 1780-1850

Poole, Steve

Abstract

Struggles over the symbolic ownership of Bristol's open spaces were often influenced by association with conflicts between mercantile elites and 'the people' over the definition and nature of civic identity. Shifting political and cultural readings of Brandon Hill and Queen Square are here identified and contrasted, offering a fresh interpretation of controversies over 'improvement' and gentrification via the fluid appropriation of these sites for the representation of radicalism, citizenship, liberty, respectability or commercialism.

Citation

Poole, S. (1999). 'Till our liberties be secure': Popular sovereignty and public space in Bristol, 1780-1850. Urban History, 26(1), 40-54. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0963926899000139

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: May 1, 1999
• Deposit Date: Nov 17, 2010
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 20, 2016
• Journal: Urban History
• Print ISSN: 0963-9268
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 40-54
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0963926899000139
• Keywords: Bristol, public space, radicalism, civic pride, Brandon Hill, Queen Square, riots
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1096847
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0963926899000139
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This article © Cambridge University Press