A 120-foot barge moored on Welsh Back in Bristol's floating harbour, the Glassboat began life in 1924 as the timber-carrying vessel Yew Mead before being salvaged from the mud of the Severn Estuary and converted into a floating venue. Hauled out in the mid-1980s, it was refitted by Arne Ringner, who had intended to create a floating botanical garden but, after planning objections, opened it instead as a floating cafe and restaurant in 1986. For more than three decades the Glassboat was one of Bristol's best-known dining destinations, ranked among the city's premier fine-dining restaurants from the late 1980s into the 2000s and fitted out with reclaimed features from the city's past, including marble worktops from the old St Nicholas fish market and teak doors from a demolished hotel. Later trading as a seafood restaurant, it closed over the winter of 2021-22 and was put up for sale after Ringner's retirement. In 2023 the barge reopened under new ownership as a permanent home for 6 O'clock Gin, a family-run distillery that had grown from a Bristol kitchen operation into a global spirits brand. The relaunch turned the boat into a gin bar, retail shop and events space, hosting tastings and masterclasses while keeping many of the vessel's original fittings. Welsh Back sits on the harbourside near Bristol Bridge, a short walk from the old city and the King Street pubs, and the boat remains a recognisable fixture of the waterfront. For visitors it combines a piece of working maritime heritage with a bar and tasting venue tied to a local drinks producer. The boat was taken into dry dock in 2008 for further restoration, when a contemporary glass extension was added to the stern and the vessel was re-plumbed and rewired. Before settling on the Glassboat, 6 O'clock Gin had run seasonal pop-up shops in the Broadmead and Cabot Circus shopping districts, and the brand has linked its blue bottle to Bristol's heritage, making the historic barge a fitting permanent base. The combination of a working piece of harbour history with a producer-run bar gives the site an identity distinct from the city's other waterside venues.

Type: Bar / Pub

Address: Welsh Back, Bristol, United Kingdom, BS1 4SB

Website: https://www.6oclockgin.co.uk

Opening Date: 01/01/1986