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New bench overlooking derelict plot confuses locals

Local residents have branded the placement of the bench "hilarious"

The bizarre placement of a new bench has confused locals, as it directly overlooks an abandoned building and smashed greenhouses.

The bench outside the former Nurserymen Florists site in Shirehampton, Bristol, appeared this week.

Social media bench reviewer Sam Wilmot said: "I wasn't sure at first if it was a Halloween spectacle, given the time of year and the abandoned house it looks on."

Bristol City Council has been approached for comment on the installation, which locals have branded as both "ridiculous" and "hilarious".

The view from across the street, capturing a black bench overlooking a derelict square brick cottage with boarded up windows and metal fencing surrounding the front garden. On the right of the house there is an abandoned greenhouse with smashed glass and overgrown greenery.
The bench faces a building that has stood empty for more than 50 years

Mr Wilmot, 27, runs the popular social media account Rate This Bench, and said the bench itself looked "quite pleasant".

Mr Wilmot goes around Bristol and the south-west of England, reviewing different benches in a lighthearted tone.

He said he had been tagged by many people in a post about the bench.

"It's one of those benches that's keeping with the idea that benches are for sitting rather than for the view," he said.

Mary Harding A new black bench installed on the side of the road, beside a freshly laid pedestrianised area of soil. In the background you can see a zebra crossing, a small park area and houses lining the street. Mary Harding
The opposite view faces towards the road, local shops, and a small grassy seating area

The Nurserymen Florists closed in the 1970s, but the commercial greenhouses were still in use until the derelict plot was eventually sold in 2021 for around £1m.

The abandoned site is part of a conservation area, made up of a period villa and an large complex of commercial greenhouses.

Stokes Morgan Planning has reportedly earmarked the plot for development on behalf of its owners.

The planning application sets out to redevelop the land into 18 houses and three apartments, though no visible progress has been made yet.

Mr Wilmot said he had started reviewing benches for entertainment with his university friends, but people were getting interested in it for the "lighthearted humour".

"Every now and again, people need a feel-good factor," he said.

"I think I'll go and review the Shirehampton bench. I got tagged in it by members of the public, so I owe it to the people to give them what they want."

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