Star and Garter

Is the Shack Staying or Not?!

Written by Kabbo Hue Qua

The Star and Garter, one of Bristol's few remaining iconic pubs and my local, is hoping to receive a favourable decision pertaining to the Shack soon. Their retrospective planning permission is being considered after the completion of the council’s public consultancy process. 140+ community members contributed and the majority commented in favour of the outside structure remaining. Now it’s over to the city.

This process is alleviating stress caused by the uncertainty of it remaining or being forcefully removed by the Council. Located on the border of Montpelier and St Pauls, steeped in the rich cultural and musical heritage of Bristol’s renowned music scene. Inspiring legends like Massive Attack, Roni Size and the very much missed DJ Derek, to name but a few stellar names to have graced the space.

The future was not always as rosy as the present. As it shut briefly and under sad conditions in 2017 when local legend, Dutty Ken passed on. The community feared the worst and started petitions and campaigns to save it. They did not want another cultural institution to be turned into flats. The call was answered by Malcolm Haynes and his family’s commitment to the Star’s survival and evolution.

Re-opening in 2019 after renovation works with a suitably big celebration featuring the greats; Damien Marley, Dave Chapelle and Roni Size. Every inch of this legendary pub pays homage to its rich history and significance to Bristol. The Shack is the game-changer though. Now it not only has stylish indoor seating with a dance floor, a DJ booth, ambient lighting and thoughtful decor. You can now enjoy your drinks, homemade Caribbean food and great music with the Shack providing a cosy covered outdoor experience. Malcolm in his own words: “Due to the pandemic, I needed to explore how to survive as a cultural enterprise, as the restrictions made it difficult to remain profitable. The Shack made this possible, as we were already using the derelict piece of road adjacent it’s built on. I wanted to make the best use of this space and better contain my customers within the outside structure. It was erected in good faith. Professional engineers were consulted in the design. Best practice was applied and it was built to strict health and safety standards. I believe that the structure enhances the area. Trading with inside capacity only was unsustainable. Building the Shack is my solution to continue trading, whilst we are recovering from the after-effects of the pandemic.”

One could deduce that he was either a cheeky pub owner or visionary cultural entrepreneur for erecting it on his own initiative. Then again, whichever way you look at it, it’s necessary and welcomed by the community, as the initiative received nothing but encouraging support since its construction. There’s a real concern that Bristol is losing all its iconic community cultural institutions to gentrification. Losing its soul to insatiable property developers. Undoing the very fabric of what built and shaped it into the vibrant arts and multicultural metropolis the city’s renowned for.

So let’s have a pint, a chat, tasty food, a boogie or all of the above when you next swing by!

In the famous words of the Star herself: “One Love! One Life! One Pub!”

Follow the pub on social media! @StarandGarterbristol