After almost 200 years how the exodus from Queen Square to Temple Meads continues

"Location means a lot to our clients" says boss of firm moving out of the historic city centre

For almost 200 years it has been the heart of Bristol’s white-collar business district and the centre for the city’s legal, architectural and professional services. But now two of the leading businesses based in the Georgian splendour of Queen Square are moving out - to a new ‘hub’ closer to Temple Meads.

Law firm Shakespeare Martineau, who only expanded into Bristol two years ago when it merged with GL Law, which added 60 more people to the firm, are relocating to One Temple Quay, the former headquarters of Bristol and West, that’s now an office hub between the Floating Harbour and Temple Meads station.

And joining them in making the same move from Queen Square to Temple Quay is planning, design and development consultancy Marrons, who only moved to Bristol last year to create a new architecture team.

Queen Square was built for the city’s rich merchants at the turn of the 18th century, but when they moved to bigger houses in the cleaner air of Clifton at the start of the 19th century, most of the grand homes were converted into offices.

Ironically, it was one of the the city centre locations Isambard Kingdom Brunel wanted to site the Great Western Railway terminus, but the city leaders wouldn’t give permission and the new GWR line ended at Temple Meads.

Now, the proximity to Temple Meads is being cited as one of the reasons the two businesses are moving out of offices in the Georgian buildings, to more modern ones near the station.

“Location means a lot to our clients and, while many firms are retreating from regional locations, we’re continuing to invest in them,” said Nick Jones, the co-head of Shakespeare Martineau’s Bristol hub. “Being closer to where our clients need us allows us to better serve them, providing local expertise and accessibility backed by the strength of our 1,200-people-strong national firm.

“We remain absolutely committed to Bristol for the long-term and we look forward to continuing our investments in the South West, growing our team and welcoming clients to our new hub,” he added.

“It was time for us to move to a space that better reflects our empowered and collaborative working ethos.

“Our new Bristol hub offers a modern, accessible and agile space for our people and clients to work and collaborate in, but it also provides flexibility for the space to continue to grow with us,” he added.

Tom Macklen, the architecture director at Marrons, said the new space at Temple Quay was better. “Our move to this new, flexible space reflects our commitment to supporting creativity and collaboration in an environment that aligns with our values of sustainability and growth,” he said.

“It is great to be part of Bristol’s dynamic business landscape and we’re eager to continue expanding our presence in the region,” he added.