When naming our imprint, we wanted something that was inherently Bristolian, something that reflected our love for the city and its importance to our group. We’re a Bristol-based, all-women writing group, Just Write Bristol. Many of us have lived and worked in Bristol for years and the spirit of our city often infuses our writing. Perhaps that’s why we were drawn to the name Malago – a small, but mighty Bristolian river.
Historically, the river Malago was of vital importance to the area, providing water for early settlements, powering mills, supporting local industry and trade, and shaping the cultural identity of South Bristol. Sadly, the river is not what it once was. Over time, it has been culverted and its course altered so that it is now, in large part, a hidden river, flowing beneath the streets.
The name of the river may even have derived from the word for ‘mill’ in British Celtic, ‘Melis’, and ‘agos’ meaning place.
The Malago rises in springs on Dundry Hill, just outside Bristol and runs for around five miles through the south of the city. It originally flowed into what is now Bathurst basin, which was once a millpond (Treen Mills) where there were tide mills (water mills driven by tidal rise and fall), perhaps dating back to Roman times. The name of the river may even have derived from the word for ‘mill’ in British Celtic, ‘Melis’, and ‘agos’ meaning place.
Today, the Malago is a river of contrast. Its more rural, upper reaches are a haven for wildlife, but as it flows into the city, passing houses, industrial estates and eventually moving under the streets, its potential to support biodiversity has been greatly degraded although remarkably fish still spawn in the lower reaches. Happily, the ambitious Bedminster Green regeneration project, run by Bristol City Council, will see around 1,500 people moving to the area, and also includes plans to revitalise the river, uncovering a section, restoring habitats, and planting vegetation along the banks.
The project has two main aims, to reduce flood risk and to improve people’s access to nature. It’s ironic that the culverting of the river was largely in response to the Malago’s propensity to flood. In 1968, during the Great Bristol Flood in which 3,000 properties were submerged and eight people died, the Malago flooded large parts of south Bristol. The regeneration project now aims to ‘daylight’ the river to reduce the risk of such an event happening again. A risk that is now far more likely as a result of climate change. The plans include creating a bowl, or amphitheatre for flood water, where in normal times people can sit and relax.
The re-emergence of the river, after languishing underground for so long will mark a new phase in the river Malago’s history, one in which both nature and the city will thrive.
The work to uncover the river has also led to the discovery of an old mill once driven by the Malago beneath St Catherine’s Place. Recently, the BBC’s Digging for Britain team, including Bristol-born TV archaeologist Alice Roberts, paid a visit. The project will also restore a dilapidated, historic “penstock” sluice gate, an important part of Bedminster’s industrial past.
The re-emergence of the river, after languishing underground for so long will mark a new phase in the river Malago’s history, one in which both nature and the city will thrive. We hope that the beginning of Malago press will signal an equally successful time for Bristol’s writing scene.
