The Georgian House Museum Verified listing

The Georgian House Museum in Bristol is a carefully restored late 18th-century townhouse that offers an intimate glimpse into the life of a wealthy sugar merchant during the Georgian era. Built around 1790 for John Pinney, a plantation owner and slaveholder from Nevis in the Caribbean, the house also tells the story of Pero Jones, an enslaved man who lived and worked there. Located on Great George Street, just off Park Street, the museum is set within an elegant Georgian terrace, allowing visitors to experience both the grandeur and the hidden labour that sustained such a household.

Inside, eleven rooms have been authentically furnished to reflect the period, from the opulent drawing room and dining room to the functional kitchen, laundry, and servants’ quarters. Visitors can explore details such as delicate tea sets, polished mahogany furniture, and original architectural features, while also learning about Bristol’s connections to the transatlantic slave trade. The museum presents both the refinement of Georgian domestic life and the uncomfortable realities of the wealth that funded it, prompting reflection on the city’s historical links to slavery.

Admission to the Georgian House Museum is free, and its compact scale makes it easy to explore in an hour or two. Its location near other cultural sites like Bristol Museum & Art Gallery and the Red Lodge Museum makes it an ideal stop on a heritage trail through the city. By preserving this townhouse and telling the intertwined stories of its residents—both free and enslaved—the museum offers a nuanced, human-centred insight into Bristol’s 18th-century past.