About the Grain Barge

Located on Bristol’s beautiful Harbourside, and only a short walk from the city’s bustling centre and iconic landmarks, Grain Barge is a great place to stop and refuel as part of a walk or bike ride.

Take in stunning views from nearby Brandon Hill, or from Brunel’s famous suspension bridge, before heading to us for a drink on the top deck.

Fortify yourself with a hearty meal from our locally-sourced menu before heading off for a longer walk around the deer habitats of Ashton Court, and discover the city’s maritime past along the circular Harbourside walking route.

The history of the barge

Built 1936 as the first welded barge built in Bristol Harbour by Charles Hill and Sons Ltd, in Albion Dockyard in 1936. She was designed and built as a general cargo carrying barge and was towed from location to location as required by tug. She would carry any sort of cargo, and was originally called The Shoots after a particularly treacherous section of the Severn Estuary, with rapid tidal streams, whirlpools, and overfalls. She generally used to do the Bristol Harbour to Sharpness grain runs.

She was sold into commercial service in the 1980s and was converted into a moored restaurant, and now occupies the mooring of the former Navy training ship HMS Flying Fox, which is now a land based Navy training establishment nearby. There is a plaque to commemorate this on the wharf nearby.

FOOD SERVED: Mon-Fri 12-3pm and 6-9pm | Sat 12-9pm | Sun 12-8pm

Strike a light for independents

We support and champion independent, local business. Founded on Grain Barge owner George Ferguson’s belief that independent businesses are the lifeblood of our city, Grain Barge is proudly reliant on independent brewers, producers and suppliers.

Explore the area

Take in stunning views from nearby Brandon Hill, or from Brunel’s famous suspension bridge, before heading to us for a drink on the top deck.

Grain Barge is part of Tobacco Factory Enterprises | LEARN MORE |

Meet the Team

Sarah Ford

MANAGING DIRECTOR
Having joined Tobacco Factory at the outset to set up the Cafe Bar in 2001, Sarah oversees all aspects of Tobacco Factory's Cafe Bar, including events, the Sunday Market as well as Grain Barge.
Tim Myers

FACILITIES MANAGER
Looking after all aspects of the Tobacco Factory building and the Grain Barge, Tim is a self confessed construction nerd and is never happier than when calculating wall thickness and heat retention.
Anna Gilman

EVENTS MANAGER
Previously the Cafe Bar Manager, Anna is these days very happily throwing our parties, being responsible for the public events at Tobacco Factory and Grain Barge. From our bustling Food Truck Fridays, New Years Eve parties, festivals and everything in between... she is ensuring that our lovely customers and community have a lovely time!
Charles Mooyaart

EXECUTIVE CHEF
Charles joins us with a mission to spread his belief that food should be ethical and fun - bringing people together with classic dishes made with locally sourced seasonal ingredients.
Victoria Folds

FINANCE MANAGER
With over 25 years of various Finance experience both in industry and practice, Vic joined TFE in 2022. She has lived locally in this time and taken an interest from afar of how the business has grown from its inception. She is now combining her accounting knowledge and experience with Tobacco Factory Enterprises and looking forward to helping the business develop further. Behind the accountant façade, Vic is an old raver and goes to several festivals a year.
Katie Holloway

GRAPHIC DESIGNER AND EXHIBITION CURATOR
Katie is the graphic designer + sign writer across the TFE venues, also organising the exhibitions at Tobacco Factory and Grain Barge, sharing the amazing work of Bristol’s local artists. Outside of work, you can find Katie exploring Bristol's green spaces, riding her bike or painting murals on walls with the Bristol Mural Collective.
Nay Groves

MARKETING DIRECTOR
Nay is our resident 'Professor of Social Media'. With a background in illustration and design and both agency and freelance experience in Social Media & Content Creation, she's been in the creative industry for over 10 years. Mad as a hat and always up for a laugh, Nay loves roping her ‘victims’ into her hair-brained schemes. When she’s not plotting her next post, she's petting every dog she meets.
Molly Treasure

MARKETING LEAD
Molly has a decade long background in both management and marketing for Bristol craft beer, hospitality and coffee - making her feel right at home here at Tobacco Factory Enterprises. When not spinning plates (and writing lots of lists) at one of our venues, find her on her bike or print making at Spike Island.
Catherine Raspail

VENUES HIRE MANAGER
Tobacco Factory Enterprises is home to a whole host of beautiful, unique and flexible hire venues. Our venue hire manager Catherine spreads the word of everything we have to offer; collaborating with artists, charities, businesses and more to put on exciting events, and works closely with those crafting their dream celebration or wedding. Be it a cosy Hold bar gathering or full boat hire - Catherine will pull the strings to make it perfect. On top of all this Catherine volunteers on our 5 Acre Farm community engagement committee!