The Long John Silver Trust is a registered charity (in England and Wales) and was set up initially to raise funds for a sculpture of Stevenson’s immortal scallywag Long John Silver, fictional Bristol pub landlord and pirate of repute, renowned for his duplicity. This was in 2004 after Treasure Island had been chosen as launch book for Britain’s first Great Reading Adventure in Bristol in 2003.

To be educational and inclusive, this led on to a proposal for a Treasure Island Trail around Bristol’s old dockside. We believe this to be a unique and fun way to experience a key part of Bristol’s maritime and literary past.

Much like Stevenson’s original book we aim to be educational and inclusive and with this in mind we have teamed up with local special needs charity PROPS, Bristol Radical History Group, Destination Bristol, Redcliffe Community Forum and the Robert Louis Stevenson Club.

We have a great relationship with Bristol based sailing ship Matthew (a replica of Cabot’s ship that discovered Newfoundland in 1497). Jungle Talk provide our parrot, Cap’n Flint, when required.

We have three Patrons:- Steve Yabsley, Royston Griffey; Bristol City Councillor and former Lord Mayor of Bristol; and Nicholas Newton, son of the brilliant actor Robert Newton (who in the Trust’s opinion did the finest ever portrayal of Silver in Disney’s film of Treasure Island in 1950).

We have several trustees who bring a variety of skills to our organisation.


With grateful thanks to Eugene Byrne for permission to use extracts from “Extracts from Bristol Myths and Legends – Tall Tales” copyright 2006.

From the era of the slave trade comes a character who may well turn into one of the most famous Bristol myth figures of all. Hop forward please, Long John Silver.

Long John Silver has, on first appearance, little to commend himself to Bristol. He was a Bad Guy, and more importantly he is a complete work of fiction, product of the pen of a Scottish novelist who didn’t actually visit Bristol until after he had written ‘Treasure Island’.

But we like Silver a lot. We like him so much that in recent years people ranging from the Bristol Civic Society through to a local anarchist newsletter have called for a statue of Silver to be set up somewhere in Bristol.

In ‘Treasure Island’ we first encounter Silver running a dockside pub with his black wife. Many Bristolians believe that Silver’s pub is the Hole in the Wall on Queens Square or possibly the Llandoger Trow in King Street. Indeed, many Bristolians probably believe that Silver was a real historical character.

He is a powerful icon for all sorts of reasons, but which basically stem from the fact that Robert Louis Stevenson knew that to make the bad guy a bit more interesting, he had to make him a little bit good. In fact, it’s only a pity that being a Victorian, he couldn’t follow the corollary and make the good guys a little bit bad. Dr Livesey, Squire Trelawney and Jim Hawkins are all insufferably dull and upstanding when compared with the charismatic and amoral Silver.

So why not a statue to a fictional bad guy? Some say it would make a nice tourist attraction. Others say Silver is a real working-class hero. A disability rights campaigner said to me, “We like Long John Silver because it proves you can be disabled and be interesting as well. The one thing he’s not is a victim.”

The story starts in the pub, the “Spyglass”, named because of the two slit windows let into the walls of a porch-like projection into the street, to enable a watch to be kept out for the dreaded “Press Gang”. This was a gang of naval sailors who would invade a pub to find some unsuspecting drunk, and press a shilling into his hand. This ‘acceptance’ of the “Queen’s Shilling” meant that the poor fellow would wake up on board ship, unable to leave only as a deserter, with the noose as penalty.

The “Hole in the Wall” pub still has its spyglass, hence its strong contention for the original “Spyglass” in Stevenson’s book. However many pubs had such windows, and so the situation is not conclusive, especially as Stevenson did not visit Bristol until after publication.


This April (2024) local scallywag and friend of the Long John Silver Trust, Ross Brady, will be embarking on the voyage of a lifetime. He’ll be risking life and limb to raise much need funds for local charities near and dear to our hearts including PROPS. If you would like to find out more and contribute, please read the following – you can also come to the launch dinner and dance if you fancy it.



Ahoy,
EXCITING NEWS!

Later this year, I will embark on a solo sailing journey covering approximately 4500 Nautical Miles from the Caribbean back to the UK. Braving formidable swells and potential gales, I’ll navigate through storms to reach my destination.

Why undertake such a challenging expedition?
My journey began with a personal struggle – I found myself homeless at 15. In those initial rough days, a compassionate lady crossed my path, becoming a pivotal force in changing my trajectory. As a community support worker, she listened, encouraged, and, above all, showed me kindness.

Inspired by my grandfather, I joined the Marines, serving in Afghanistan from 2011. In 2015, I transitioned from the Marines, undertook my Sailing Instructor Exams, and began accumulating sea miles.

Through unwavering determination and hard work, I’ve forged my path and now run a sailing business.

This business isn’t just about sailing; it’s about breaking barriers and making the beauty of water and boat life accessible to everyone.

To champion this cause, I’m raising funds for Gloucestershire Nightstop andProps Bristol.

Want to join me in making a difference?
DONATE

Even the smallest contribution creates the biggest impact, visit and donate at:

www.gofundme.com/f/solo-sail-across-the-atlantic 

or:

www.propsbristol.org/fundraising/solo-sail-across-the-atlantic/
JOIN US FOR YARNS OF SEA AND SKY

On March 16, 2024, I will be hosting a charity event alongside Sir Dusty Miller. An evening of captivating tales, featuring an introduction by Pirate Historian Mark Steeds. I would be delighted for you to join us. Schedule: 18:45 – 19:15: Welcome Vittles 19:15: Yarns Commence – Boats at Midnight Dress Code: Ready to Dance! Ticket Price: £65 (Includes Two-Course Meal & Welcome Drink)

Download your formal invitation here!
BOOK YOUR TICKET

Great news, at the recent meeting of the Council of Europe in Greece, the LJST’s route “In the Footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson” won a prize for Best Practices.

Every Cultural Route has to have a scientific (or research) aspect, and after the success of an RLS academic meeting in Bordeaux earlier in 2022, our team of Christian Brochier and Michel Legros suggested that we tie-in with the academics to help with future research. The accompanying certificate is our prize for the idea


The Long John Silver Trust is part of the European Network ‘In the Footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson’, certified as a European Cultural Route.

The objective of the European Stevenson network is to promote the life and works of Robert Louis Stevenson and in parallel, the territories visited and explored by the author.

Discover the Network’s website : www.rlstevenson-europe.org/en


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