PoMo means business: Aztec West Bristol tour
PoMo means business: Aztec West Bristol tour
Friday 7 November 2025
Start time/place: 11.30am/ The Black Sheep café, 120 Aztec W, Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4TS
Finish time/place: 2pm
Join us in exploring the extraordinary business park on the outskirts of Bristol. The initial masterplan was designed by Nicholas Grimshaw and it was blessed by buildings from architects such as CZWG and John Outram. The business park was opened by none other than Margaret Thatcher in the late 1980s.
Park Avenue office block built between 1987 – 88 by CZWG was listed in 2018. The tour will also visit 1500 Park Avenue, designed by Thorpe Architects, and 1200 to 1290 Park Avenue which was designed by John Outram.
Park Avenue is an oval-shaped road, about one kilometre in circumference, which encloses much of the Aztec West business park, so it would be relatively easy to get between each of the buildings on foot.
The initial masterplan for the business park was by Nicholas Grimshaw and partners, designed in 1980, and parts of the site were also (apparently) designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. There may be an opportunity to have a general walk around the area, weather permitting.
The tour will be led by Devinder Matharu, who is a conservation officer based in the West Midlands. Katriona Byrne will also be present on site. Katriona runs the MA course on Conservation of the Historic Environment at Birmingham City University. Geraint Franklin attendance will be confirmed nearer the time. Geraint has written about John Outram and has also interviewed the landscape architect Brian Coulston.
C20 Members: £20
Non-members: £30
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The Twentieth Century Society is an IHBC (Institute of Historic Building conservation) recognised CPD provider.
Twentieth Century Society is a registered charity, no 1110244
Above: The listed CZWG unit of Aztec West. Image credit: James Davies/Historic England