 have added some more photo's from a couple of days
out and about in Bristol. My parents were up for the weekend of the 21st and the
22nd of May, which just happened to coincide with the F.A Cup Final and my 30th
Birthday. We visited quite a few bars & restaurants on the Saturday and Sunday,
including O'neills, The Commercial Rooms, Hortes, The Slug & Lettuce, Riverside
Oriental, The Avon Gorge Hotel, The White Lion, The Shoots, The Old Fish Market
etc etc etc. I haven't included any photo's from the bars... as I didn't take
any! Basically down to the fact that this would be a waste of VDT. I had a good
weekend mind, well as good as anybody who says goodbye to their twenty's!
On
the Waterfront
Bristol's Origin: In Anglo-Saxon times, a settlement grew up between the Rivers
Avon and Frome. Known as Brigstowe (place of settlement by the bridge) and
trading with Ireland and the ports of South Wales, the settlement grew in
importance. After the Norman Conquest of 1066, the first castle was built on
what is now Castle Park.
Bristol's trading activity increased and the existing port soon became
inadequate so, in 1239 a cut was excavated to divert the course of the River
Frome. Trade started to flourish. Wealthy merchants built large houses near the
quays and churches were embellished.
An
exhibition of Historic British Buses and their routes
A
BusMans holiday...
Bristol today is an aspirational city, sure of its place as the regional capital
of England's south west and confident of its reputation of one of Europe's most
powerful economies.
In
Temple Quay, Bristol there is a £2 billion to be invested in further
regenerating of the city centre in the next 5 years.
It
is arguably the most beautiful city in England, with a dramatic landscape and a
number of distinctive areas that offer a captivating mix of architectural styles
- a legacy of our 800 years of history.
My
parents with the statue of one of Bristol's favourite sons - Archibald Leach
alias Cary Grant
Cary Grant
(1904-1986)
Born in Horfield, Bristol as Archibald Leach. Debonair and charming, he appeared
in such films as Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Philadelphia Story (1940), and
North by Northwest (1959). In 1970 he received the Academy Award for general
excellence.
@
Bristol
At
the heart of the city is the harbourside area, transformed in recent years
through one of Europe's most successful waterfront regeneration schemes. It is a
symbol of Bristol's thriving economy: a blend of new housing and business
centres, cultural facilities, bars and restaurants, tourist attractions and
landmark developments such as the @-Bristol complex.
Bristol's unique mix of heritage, culture and economic success attracts people
from across Britain, Europe and the wider world - and creates a young, diverse
and vibrant city. Many come here to study at Bristol's two universities and many
choose to stay - strengthening the city's reputation for a well educated,
skilled and motivated workforce.
As a testament to Bristol's confidence and ambition, the city united in its bid
to become the European City of Culture in 2008 - and was shortlisted for the
title and designated as a Centre of Culture.
A
view up Park Street towards Clifton
The Wills Memorial Tower of the University of Bristol was a gift from the Wills
family. 215 foot tall this has been called the last great Gothic building in
Bristol. It was designed by George Oatley and was officially opened by king
George V in 1925
My
parents at Bristol Town Hall
Clifton
Bridge over the River Avon
The Clifton Suspension Bridge is Bristol's most resonant and distinctive
landmark. Designed by the great nineteen-century engineer, Isambard Kingdom
Brunel. The foundation stone was laid in 1831 but the bridge was not finally
opened until 1864
My
Mother & Father on the Bridge overlooking the Avon Gorge Hotel
Plaques
Above and Below
Hello John... wanna buyya new motor...
Sterling Moss's Racing Car!
A
view of the Bridge from the Beer Garden at the White Lion
Bridgeing the gap...
The Avon Gorge Hotel & The White Lion Inn
Some Facts about Bristol:-
- Bristol has the 2nd strongest economy in England outside of
London when measured by GDP per head, according to a survey by Barclays
Bank.
- Over 160 companies have established their national headquarters
in Bristol.
- Bristol International Airport has invested over £50 million since 1997
in new facilities. Daily flights now connect Bristol to 25 major
European cities.
- Bristol is one of the UK's major centres for financial services, which
employ around 40,000 people in the city.
- From wind power to waste disposal, the environmental technology sector
in Bristol is evolving rapidly, at local, national and international level.
- The Port of Bristol is the UK's largest car import dock.
- Hi-tech businesses, ranging from dynamic young start-ups to Hewlett
Packard's national research laboratories.
- Bristol is one of Europe's leading locations for world class
micro-electronics and silicon design with over 400 such companies.
- A £500 million scheme is underway to improve city centre shopping
facilities.
- Bristol welcomes over 9 million visitors every year and is the 7th most
popular destination in the UK for overseas visitors.
- Bristol has over 20 business support agencies helping small and start-up
businesses.
The Yellow Peril... Somerset Cider
Plain Sailing
Water Vessel Allsorts
SS
Great Britain
The SS Great Britain is a unique survival from Victorian times - the world’s
first purpose-built iron hulled, propeller-driven steam passenger liner, and the
only surviving nineteenth century example of the type. When launched in 1843 she
was twice the tonnage of any previous ship and her revolutionary design was the
turning point in the development of ships and international transport. She
combined a host of unique features which had a seminal influence on virtually
all modern ships, such as water-tight bulkheads, a balanced rudder, and iron
lifeboats.
The ship is one of the major works of one of Britain’s foremost engineers - IK
Brunel, and is a monument to the boldness of 19th century technical and
commercial design. She played a key role in worldwide mass emigration, carrying
thousands of emigrants to the USA and to Australia and is the only surviving
troopship from the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny. She was rescued from the
Falkland Islands in 1970 and has been undergoing restoration in Bristol. Today
she is the only ship in the world that survives in the dry dock that was built
specifically for her design and construction. A major conservation programme,
aimed at long term preservation of the ship’s original iron hull structure, is
currently being developed with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The ss Great Britain designed by Brunel and already in an advanced stage of
restoration. It will finally be as near as possible to the its original state of
160 years ago. Moored alongside it is the Matthew, a replica of the original
ship in which John Cabot sailed to discover mainland north America in 1497.
John Cabot's Matthew
John Cabot sets sail from Bristol
The city was trading with Spain, Portugal, the Mediterranean and Iceland and
ships also left Bristol to found or support existing colonies in the New World.
In 1497, John Cabot, an Italian financed by Bristol merchants, set sail from
Bristol in his ship the Matthew hoping to find a passage to the spice islands
(Eastern Indonesia). He actually reached Newfoundland, a voyage which was
celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic in 1997.
By the 17th century Bristol was becoming an important centre for non-conformism.
Quakers erected a meeting house in 1670 and John Wesley, the Methodist leader,
had a chapel, or 'New Room' built in 1739. It remains today the oldest Methodist
building in the world.
The city continued to expand and much original architecture remains including
the area around King Street, Queen Square, Christmas Steps and St Michael's
Hill. Beautiful houses were built throughout the city from the proceeds of
Spanish shipping plundered off the coast of the Americas, funded by Bristol
merchants.
There's a storm brewing!
This statue of Raja Rammohun Roy stands outside Bristol Cathedral & Library. He
was born in Bengal in 1774 and became well known in India as a social reformer,
writer and educational pioneer. He was sent as an envoy to England in 1833 but
died in Bristol, just a few days after his arrival.
Raja Rammohun Roy
My
Father at the Cathedral with Roy
Bristol Cathedral and Queen Victoria
What other people
say about Bristol:-
Without doubt, the coolest city in the south west. Lonely Planet Guide
New technology, the
arts and a vibrant youth culture have helped to make this one of Britain's most
cutting edge cities. The Rough Guide
This is a city undergoing dynamic change......great things are happening in
Bristol. The Sunday Telegraph
Of all Britain's cities, few make such a diverse and easy escape from London as
the twin sisters of Bristol and Bath. Toronto Sun
At midnight on Saturday, the whole place is pulsating. Bristol seems to know how
to party - a skill some other English cities have mislaid. All hills, history
and heavenly design, Bristol is the height of chic. Image Magazine
Bristol has been at the heart of the UK's aerospace industry for nearly a
century - from the world's first military aircraft, the Bristol Boxkite, through
to the only operational supersonic airliner, Concorde. Today, we are
manufacturing the world's most aerodynamically advanced wings for the family of
Airbus airliners, including the A380 super-jumbo which will be delivered to
airlines in 2006. Tom Williams, Managing Director, Airbus UK
All photographs were taken in Bristol - England on the
22nd May 2005
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