Brown's Restaurant is on Queens Street, Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

. It is currently occupied by the restaurant chain of the same name, Browns Restaurants

Browns Restaurants

Browns Restaurants is a British chain of restaurants, mostly located in the south of England.Browns was the first hospitality venture established by millionaire Jeremy Mogford, who in 1973 invested £10,000 in the first Browns Restaurant and Bar in Brighton, East Sussex...

.

It was built between 1867 and 1871 by Foster and Archibald Ponton. It was constructed with yellow brick with red brick decoration and limestone dressings, and has a pantile hipped roof. It is Venetian Gothic

Venetian Gothic architecture

Venetian Gothic is a term given to an architectural style combining use of the Gothic lancet arch with Byzantine and Moorish architecture influences. The style originated in 14th century Venice with the confluence of Byzantine styles from Constantinople, Arab influences from Moorish Spain and early...

 Revival style with elements of Bristol Byzantine

Bristol Byzantine

Bristol Byzantine is a variety of Byzantine Revival architecture that was popular in the city of Bristol from about 1850 to 1880.Many buildings in the style have been destroyed or demolished, but notable surviving examples include the Colston Hall, the Granary on Welsh Back, the Carriage Works, in...

 architecture.

The building originally housed the City Museum and Library and opened in April 1872. It was damaged during the Bristol Blitz

Bristol Blitz

Bristol was the fifth most heavily bombed British city of World War II. The presence of Bristol Harbour and the Bristol Aeroplane Company made it a target for bombing by the Nazi German Luftwaffe who were able to trace a course up the River Avon from Avonmouth using reflected moonlight on the...

 of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and then restored. The building was taken over in the 1940s by the University of Bristol

University of Bristol

The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...

 and converted by Ralph Brentnall for use as the university refectory. It changed hands again and became a restaurant in 1992.

It has been designated by English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

 as a grade II listed building.