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Bristol and ACC

A History

We’ve got something big to celebrate as we launch our new Bristol campus for our Music and Events courses.

We’re so excited to be bringing nearly 30 years of experience in creative education to a brand new campus built within a venue steeped in creative history.

As part of our celebration, we’re going to take a deep dive into the history of ACC in Bristol and the building that houses our new campus. Take a seat, grab a brew and let’s dig in.

Bristol is a thriving hub for creativity, recognised as the largest centre for creativity in South West England and home to such famed names as Banksy, Massive Attack, Portishead and Aardman, the animation studio behind Wallace and Gromit. When ACC first arrived in Bristol over 20 years ago, we knew we’d chosen one of the best places in the UK to work with the next generation of creative minds.

Based initially in Hengrove, we fell in love with the Bristol Bierkeller, took it over and got busy building a purpose-built, state of the art campus.

The Bierkeller is one of Bristol’s most legendary venues, as well as one of the oldest nightclubs in Bristol and was a big loss to Bristol when it sadly closed in 2018. Over the years, the Bierkeller hosted Nirvana for their first UK gig, Slipknot, The Stone Roses, Arctic Monkeys and even theatre productions. For years, this 400 capacity venue situated just off Broadmead has seen grassroots and massive acts on their way up the ladder and that heritage is one of the key reasons why we knew it was the perfect place to build our new campus. Just like the people of Bristol, we’re really excited for this incredible space to come back. Where better for the next generation of musicians and event producers to get hands on and master their craft?

As we continue to expand the campus and welcome more courses and more students in, we’ll be doing so with Bristol’s creative future in mind and building on the history of the campus and our own experience by ensuring we are a centre for the development of grassroots creatives into full-fledged professionals. Moulding the talent pipeline is at the forefront of what we do and we make sure our students are equipped with the skills they need to flourish in their careers.

Carly Phillips
Last updated on: 1st August 2024