Artist draws Bristol's pubs to celebrate ‘one of the best things' about Britain
An artist has said he aspires to create a book featuring his drawings of pubs in Bristol to celebrate the quintessential British establishment which he said is 'one of the best things about this country'.
Frank Morris, 30, moved to Easton, Bristol, roughly two years ago from Kentish Town in north-west London.
During the Covid lockdown, he decided he needed some fresh air and wanted to draw outside.
He was struck by the 'beautiful' Victorian architecture of The Assembly House, his local pub at the time in Kentish Town, and drew it in his sketchbook over three days.
From there, he went on to draw around 19 further pubs in London before turning his attention to Bristol's watering holes.
The Golden Guinea, The Old Bookshop and The Cornubia are just some of Bristol's pubs he has replicated in ink.
'What I loved after drawing the first pub was speaking to all the passers-by who were interested in the drawing and were telling me things about the pub and that gave me the buzz and motivation to find more pubs and continue drawing them,' Mr Morris told the PA news agency.
'I've drawn around 30, and counting, in Bristol and I have an ambition to one day get a book published on Bristol pubs featuring my art and local history.
'I've been in Bristol for just over two years now and you think you've found all your favourite pubs and then you realise around the corner, tucked away, there's another amazing pub you haven't discovered yet.
'It's also a fun way to discover the city.'
Mr Morris can often be found walking around the city with a fisherman stool in tow so he can find an optimum spot to begin the drawing process, which he documents on Instagram via the account @frankspubdrawings.
'I sit in front of the pub, usually on the other side of the pavement, and try to get a good angle,' he said.
'I use a 0.1mm pen and do a quick thumbnail sketch, usually on an A4 paper, and then basically take my time and try to get the proportions by eye, freehand, and normally do it over two sittings.'
Mr Morris said it can take anywhere between five and 10 hours to complete each drawing, but it can take longer if it rains or unexpected things happen, including a van parking in front of his subject of choice.
He decides which pubs to draw through a mix of ways, including getting commissions from pub staff, asking for recommendations from Instagram or depicting establishments which take his fancy.
Mr Morris tries to include personal touches to his art wherever possible.
'I've got to work on some really lovely commissions over the last few years,' he said.
'Quite a common one is first date spots and I offer to, if they want, in a subtle way, to add them in the drawing.
'They'll send me photos of them and then maybe hidden through a window I'll add their silhouette, which has been really sweet.
'Recently, I also drew The Cornubia and I met the landlord Jackie as she was leaving and she loved the drawing as I got her dog in it.'
Mr Morris said he has noticed some differences between the pubs he has illustrated in London and Bristol.
'Bristol has a really big graffiti culture, so it's not uncommon for pubs to be covered in amazing murals, which I think is really special and adds to the character of this city,' he said.
'London has a lot of really old Victorian pubs or brickwork.'
At a time when the pub industry is facing a lot of changes and upheaval, Mr Morris said he feels his project is even more paramount as a means of championing the significant impact they have on British society.
'When you're drawing the pubs and speaking with passers-by and bar staff, it really highlights how important pubs are to local communities,' he said.
'I think around 400 pubs in England and Wales closed in 2024 due to things like the cost-of-living crisis and Covid, and my project is all about celebrating pubs and how we should cherish them while they're here as I've drawn a few pubs which have now sadly closed.
'Like a lot of people, I love pubs – I think they're probably one of the best things about this country.
'They're like small microcosms with their own little quirks and there's so much history in each pub you go to.'
Mr Morris's work can be found on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/franksillustrations
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Find out which New Mexico national monument is celebrating 35 years
Jun. 25—Looking back down the trail and forward, the Petroglyph National Monument is celebrating 35 years as a national monument under the National Park Service. The monument will be celebrating from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 28. From 8-10 a.m. Sunday, June 29, the monument is holding an anniversary hike. The goal, besides honoring the milestone, is to remind the public that the site is there for the people, according to Nancy Hendricks, the superintendent of Petroglyph National Monument. "We want to remind people that we are a National Park Service site co-managed by the city of Albuquerque that's here for people of current and future generations, people of New Mexico, the Southwest and around the world," Hendricks said. Hitting 35 years is a significant accomplishment for Petroglyph, and it plans to keep going for 35 more years and beyond, while growing with new trails. The trails are the highlight for Hendricks and one of her favorite parts of the area, especially those that lead visitors deeper in the wilderness and away from the sights and sounds of Albuquerque. "You just feel like you're in the middle of a wild place, and you feel like you've gone back into time, and are experiencing the place as the early people who came here experienced it," Hendricks said. Susanna Villanueva, the lead for interpretation, education and partnerships at Petroglyph, has seen the volunteers at the monument grow, which has been a standout moment over her time at Petroglyph. "When I first started here in 1999, we had one volunteer position, which was helping at the visitor center, and we probably had 10, maybe 12, volunteers at that time," Villanueva said. "And now in 2025 we have four different volunteer positions and different duties and type of opportunities available to them, and we have over 70 volunteers." Villanueva helped plan the celebration and said it will include performances by Marlon Magdalena, Spanish Broom Flamenco Dance, Black Eagle Dance Group and more. "There's so many people that haven't been to Petroglyph or haven't been out in a while, and this is a really great opportunity for them to come back and visit the monument," Hendricks said, "whether they come to the event or just take the morning and do one of our wonderful hikes in the monument." In the next 35 years, Villanueva hopes the monument will still stand as a place for people to escape to nature and away from the city. "COVID taught us a lot about ourselves and about our human nature and our want and almost our need for humans to be out in nature. It's healing for a lot of people." Villanueva said. "So in the next 35 years, I hope that this monument is still able to provide those outdoor healing experiences that a lot of people come out here looking for."
Eater
an hour ago
- Eater
Here Are the 2025 Michelin Star Winners in the Bay Area
The starry-eyed chefs of California descended on Sacramento on Wednesday, June 24, for this year's Michelin Guide: California ceremony. This year — the 125th year for the tire company awarding prestigious stars and recommendations — the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California ate good. Last year saw an impressive showing for the region, too. The biggest news for the night in the region came for Kiln and Enclos. The former, helmed by chef John Wesley, received its first Michelin star in 2023, a year after opening. The San Jose-born chef came to Sons and Daughters after culinary school, cutting his teeth at Oakland's Commis afterward. Newcomer Enclos in Sonoma also received two Michelin stars. The restaurant is praised for chef Brian Limoges's culinary prowess, tested by three Michelin star-holding Atelier Crenn and Quince. Enclos took over a renovated Victorian home as a restaurant space, a move noted by the Michelin guide. In the East Bay, Sun Moon Studio in Oakland took home its first star. This is Alan Hsu and Sarah Cooper's debut restaurant. The two met while working at the dubious but premiere Blue Hill at Stone Barns restaurant in New York. Taiwanese and French inspiration gird the foraged goods restaurant that's turned heads across the region. Sons and Daughters won its first Green Michelin Star, awarded for sustainability. Chef Harrison Cheney nabs the acclaim as he prepares to move into a much-larger restaurant in the Mission. Enclos took home the same award, Limoges receiving praise for a garden just a few miles from the restaurant. No three-, two-, or one-star-holding restaurants lost their star. The same goes for Green Star holders. The guide administers its special awards throughout the ceremony, as well. Menlo Park's Eylan took home the Michelin Cocktail Award. Christopher Longoria accepted the award on behalf of the bar team. This is the new restaurant from chef Srijith Gopinatha, behind Ettan and Copra. Emcee Java Ingram said Longoria's distinctive flavors highlight the menu's California-Indian ingredients. 'A lot of those things weren't being done when I started out,' Longoria said in an acceptance speech. The Michelin Sommelier Award went to hometown hero Chris Barnum-Dann from his Localis. The restaurant took home its first star in 2022. The team kept it sharp, serving bites in the lobby before the ceremony inside the Sacramento Convention Center. In Geyserville, Nick Peyton from one-Michelin-star-holding Cyrus won the Michelin Service Award. 'Our inspectors took note of the longevity of Peyton's service. Service like this is a rarity, and it deserves to be commended,' Ingram read. Ingram took the stage just shy of 7:30 p.m. and Visit Sacramento's president Mike Testa followed, saying it's culinary travel, and the 'red guide' that keeps guiding diners to the capital. The guide moved to San Francisco in 2007, expanding across the state in 2019. Sommi and Providence became the first Los Angeles restaurant to win three stars, the former's victory coming down the pipeline in advance of the ceremony. Here's the full list of Bay Area Michelin-starred restaurants for 2025: Atelier Crenn, San Francisco The French Laundry, Yountville Acquerello, San Francisco Aubergine, Carmel-by-the-Sea Californios, San Francisco Sons & Daughters, San Francisco Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford Chez Noir, Carmel-by-the-Sea Hilda and Jesse, San Francisco (New) Le Comptoir at Bar Crenn, San Francisco Mister Jiu's, San Francisco Niku Steakhouse, San Francisco O' by Claude Le Tohic, San Francisco The Progress, San Francisco San Ho Won, San Francisco State Bird Provisions, San Francisco The Village Pub, Woodside See More: San Francisco Restaurant News
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘60s teen heartthrob dies at 81 following Stage 4 cancer diagnosis
Bobby Sherman, a well-known singer and actor from the 1960s, has died at age 81. Brigitte Poublon, Sherman's wife, announced her husband's death in a joint Instagram post with close friend John Stamos on Tuesday, June 24. 'Bobby left this world holding my hand — just as he held up our life with love, courage, and unwavering grace through all 29 beautiful years of marriage," Poublon wrote. 'I was his Cinderella, and he was my Prince Charming. Even in his final days, he stayed strong for me. That's who Bobby was — brave, gentle, and full of light.' 'He lived with integrity, gave without hesitation, and loved with his whole heart,' she continued. 'Though our family feels his loss profoundly, we also feel the warmth of his legacy — his voice, his laughter, his music, his mission.' While no official cause of death was disclosed, Sherman was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer in March. Poublon told Fox News in April that her husband was fighting kidney cancer that had 'spread everywhere,' adding he was 'terminally ill.' 'He's just sleeping more and his body's not working anymore,' Poublon told Fox News. 'Everything's shutting down.' She also told Fox News that the outpouring of love and support from Sherman's fans has 'been overwhelming.' This was something Poublon reiterated in her tribute post to Sherman. 'As he rested, I read him fan letters from all over the world — words of love and gratitude that lifted his spirits and reminded him of how deeply he was cherished. He soaked up every word with that familiar sparkle in his eye. And yes, he still found time to crack well-timed jokes,' she wrote in the Instagram post. 'Thank you to every fan who ever sang along, who ever wrote a letter, who ever sent love his way. He felt it. Rest gently, my love.' The singer and actor has also received support from several industry friends, including John Stamos who met Sherman at the Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children's Foundation a few years ago, according to Fox News. 'We've been best friends ever [since],' Poublon told the outlet. 'John's been very great about giving support the last few years too.' Born in California, Sherman became a teen idol in the 1960s and early 1970s, according to PEOPLE. He had a series of successful singles, including 'Easy Come, Easy Go,' 'Julie, Do Ya Love Me' and 'Little Woman,' which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold more than a million copies. Sherman's big break came when portrayed Jeremy Bolt, a charmer and romantic, in the western TV series, 'Here Come the Brides.' Sherman left show business in the 1970s and became a certified medical emergency technician and instructor for the Los Angeles Police Department, according to his wife. 'He was a man of service,' Poublon wrote. 'He saved lives. He showed us what real heroism looks like — quiet, selfless, and deeply human." In addition to his wife, Sherman is survived by his two sons — Tyler and Christopher — and six grandchildren. Pop star shares 'lows and highs' amid breast cancer diagnosis Country star recovering after hospitalized for 'not making sense' on stage Legendary musician boycotting Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction Chart-topping '60s pop singer dies at 82: 'He will be greatly missed' TV icon expecting 8th child at age 70 Read the original article on MassLive.
