Top 10 Things to do in Bristol

When you are in Sheffield you have to explore this city and visit its exceptionally beautiful gardens, museums, galleries and much more.

 

1. Enjoy the Harborside

What once used to be a bland area with nothing to do now homes one of the biggest collections of tourist hot spots in Bristol. Markets, museums, boats, restaurants, and Churches, you name it, are all within view of the Harborside. Not only do people gather here for the usual wine-and-dine activities, but also because of events and features of films, festivals, and other civic celebrations.

 

2. Climb up the Cabot Tower

Located on top of Brandon Hill, this tower has one of the best panoramic views of Bristol and the surrounding. Built in the 1860’s to honor the 400th anniversary of John Cabot’s discovery of North America. The narrow and steep stairs up a 104 ft (32 m) tower is a tough climb, but most certainly worth the romantic 360-degree view of the city and the harborside.  

John Cabot was an Italian explorer and navigator who was living in England by the 1490’s. He was then commissioned by King Henry VII to venture into the northern Atlantic, and on 1497 he departed from Bristol and made landfall in a continent that what we now know as North America.

 

3. Banksy Walking Tour

Banksy is a well-known urban artist that started leaving controversial, daring, and thought-provoking pieces in the 80’s. It is rumored that the artist was born in Bristol in the 1970’s as the city has more of his works than anywhere else in the world. Starting from the Harbourpoint’s Wapping Wharf and Dockyard, behind the Bristol Central Library and up to the cultural hub of the city where a lot of urban art can be found, Banksy has made marks making sure that his work remains a vital part of the community.

 

4. Corn Street

Along with Wine, Broad and High Streets, this area forms the oldest part of Bristol City when it was a walled medieval town. The Corn Exchange is a Grade I listed building built by John Wood the Elder in the 1700’s. What used to be a corn market, hence the name of the building and street, is now a prime spot for the St. Nicholas Market.

The red clock at the façade of the Corn Exchange, which was added years later in 1822 also serves as an eye catcher because it has two minute hands. The red minute hand tracks the Greenwich Mean Time, and the pink minute hand tracks the local Bristol time. This aimed to standardize the time of the country, to be able to sync with the trains. Bristol then adopted the railway time in 1852.  

Today, Corn Street is filled with eclectic shops, bars, pubs, restaurants, and basically anything you need and more! It’s still as important today as it was back to when it was just a corn warehouse.

 

5. The Clifton Suspension Bridge

The Clifton Suspension Bridge is one of the most picturesque bridges in England and even the world. During the 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution made the impossible possible and started to bring ideas to life. But to be able to design a bridge that would cross the 700 ft (214 m) River Avon that was deemed impossible to cross would take only minds of a particular magnitude could tackle.

This bridge famously designed by Isambard Brunel acted as a template of other bridges throughout the world. This engineering peat that crosses the Avon Gorge is a popular sight for picnics on the hills above the bridge. Brunel wanted his bridge to compliment the natural setting, thus modelling the pylons after ancient Egyptian architecture. Originally the pylons were supposed to be covered in iron-panel reliefs and topped with sphynxes because Egyptian architecture at that time was the fad.

When you can, make sure you take your photos at sunrise or sunset for a breathtaking view.

 

6. Watch a Show at The Old Vic

Performance art is nothing new in the City of Bristol, most especially with the oldest theatre that is still being used today. Situated near the Floating Harbor, The Old Vic built in the Gregorian style, holds a diverse range of events including theatre, dance, comedy, and music performances.  

The Bristol Old Vic was established in 1946, an offshoot of the London Old Vic, and is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. The Bristol Old Vic also runs a Young Company for those aged 7-25 and are interested in acting and the arts.

 

7. Millennium Square Bar Hopping!

Don’t be hypnotized by the water feature and bronze statues on your way to start the early night! The best way to start and finish a night of drinking is to situate yourself at the Millennium Square. As a University City, you will be able to easily find lots of interesting bars, pubs and clubs all around Bristol! There are a variety of live performances in the Square, as well as a strong sense of counterculture, so don’t be afraid to let loose and be your true self when you’re partying in Bristol!

 

8.  Boats! Boats! Boats!

The SS Great Britain is not another dusty piece of history that is only good for sightseeing. On the contrary, this is another revolutionary design of Isambard Brunel is the SS Great Britain in 1843. Now docked in Bristol, you can easily enter the boat to learn more about Brunel and some of his inventions. This experience will give you an authentic feel of the olden times because the staff is dressed in period clothing and will speak to you like a sailor! Too bad they don’t recommend climbing up the rig especially when you’re afraid of heights.

Another great spectacle is the Matthew of Bristol, a full-size replica of a 15th century vessel. This boat is a reconstruction of what John Cabot used on his voyages. This was meant to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Cabot’s journey to North America. You may opt to embark on the Matthew and explore the upper decks which offer expansive views of the River Avon, the Lloyds Ampitheatre, the Museum Square and so much more! The vessel also sets sail for trips around the Harbor and along the Avon Gorge.

 

9. Visit the Churches

Just nearby the St. Nicholas Market is the beautiful and serene Castle Park where the ruins of St. Peter’s Church is located. The Church was bombed during the Bristol Blitz on November 1940, and is maintained as a monument to civilians who lost their lives. Upon excavation of the foundations of this structure suggest that it dates all the way back to 1106, making it Bristol’s first Church. Although the Church itself is not open to the public, seeing it up close will make you feel reminiscent and reflective of the effects of war.

 

10. Wandering In Museums

There’s nothing like connecting to the City’s past like period homes that have been turned into museums. One of them is the Gregorian House along Park Street. This house has been restored to its original state, showcasing what affluence looked like hundreds of years ago.

 The M Shed is a colorful exhibition of the City’s history and past in the 1950’s. Located along the wharf, this shed was transformed into a museum which challenges the perceptions of locals and visitors alike. The Shed explores the City’s history from prehistoric times to the 21st century, with stories about the city and it’s people that come along with a rich collection of objects, art and archives.

 Other Museums in the City include We The Curious which boasts of being the only 3D planetarium in the country, and the Aerospace Bristol which highlights aviation achievements and the opportunity to embark on the Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, the last of the supersonic jets to have ever flown.

 

Top 10 Fun Facts about Bristol

Whether you live in Bristol or not, the quirkiness and contrasting history of the City is something that you will never get tired of. There will always be something new in every corner of the city, as well as a subtle subliminal past at the end of the roads. 

 

1. Community Currency

Yup, Bristol has it’s very own currency! The Bristol Pound (£B) is their own form of local, community currency which aims to encourage people to spend their money with local businesses.  This special monetary circulation is in line with their homegrown cooking oils, dispensers for pasta and grains, natural well-being products as well as zero-waste shops in Bristol! This is an innovative tool to help local trade thrive against fast-paced globalization, allowing money to circulate and not simply flow away.

This independent monetary system is a blessing for those who are unemployed because the local area gives them a chance to earn by simply doing charity work. Of course, because of the youthful and creative population of Bristol, creative residents are able to submit their art to appear on the currency. Bristol’s community currency really does bring the sense of community to a whole other level, boasting a local and intimate culture with the residents.

 

2. Commissioning the Clifton Bridge

During the 1700’s a humble wine merchant and resident of Bristol left 1,000 British Pounds in his will for the construction of a bridge over the River Avon. Years had passed and no attempt to build a passable bridge has been made, so the money was left in a trust and grew 10 times its capital.

While the Industrial Revolution finally gave life to what seemed like an impossible project, a competition for the design of the bridge took place and the competitors judge, Thomas Telford opted to disregard all submissions and declared his own design the victor. Of course, the town got upset and a second competition was held in 1830. This is where Isambard Kingdom Brunel, only 24 years old at that time, won the competition and this is where his career took off. This was his first bridge project, and he eventually went to designing propeller-driven steamships, underwater tunnels, railroad tracks and much more.

 

3. The Nails

These “Nails” as they are called, are tables dispersed throughout Bristol where merchants could meet and discuss business. These congregations are called “Tolzey” or “Tolsey.” The area around Corn Street has been the core of Bristol’s trade, and in the 18th Century, it has been the center of banking, which is why these fragments of the past are left around the area for the people to be reminded of the City’s rich past.  Four of the original 9 nails which date between 1625 to 1631 were transferred to the front of the Corn Exchange on Corn Street.

 

4. Manufacturer of Hot Air Balloons

Bristol has become synonymous with hot air balloons, and the manufacturers are just as celebrated as the fiestas. The City started celebrating its relationship with ballooning over half half a century ago, despite having first recorded a hot air balloon flight in the 18th Century.

 

5. A Book Bound with Human Flesh

This may sound gruesome and horrific, but to the fans of the strange, here’s one for your books! There is a book in the Ground Floor of a local museum that is covered in real human flesh. This book is undoubtedly the book of notes on the 1821 John Horwood trial. The murder of Eliza Balsom, a mere 19 year old girl, remains to be one of the most controversial cases in all Bristol history.

 

6. Blackbeard was Born in Bristol

One of the World’s most famous pirates, Blackbeard, was born on the Harborside, and lived in the Redcliffe areas. His real name is believed to be Edward Thatch, born in the 1680’s, his involvement in piracy earned him a crew of at least 400 strong men and a fearsome reputation followed. He was called Blackbeard because of his distinctive facial hair. His years as Blackbeard the Pirate have been active throughout the War of Spanish Succession, being a privateer for England. In his years as a pirate, he was able to convert a French merchant vessel into a 40-gun warship and used this to sail the Virginia and Carolina coasts, and most notably, the Caribbean Sea.

 

7. Someone Stole a Gorilla

Alfred was originally found in the Belgian Congo where expedition members were told that two gorillas have been shot for “raiding” a farmer’s field. Alfred was not shot, but was taken in by a local woman because he was just a baby. Years later he was sold to a Greek merchant, then to an Italian, who then sold him to an animal dealer. In the end, the Bristol Zoo acquired Alfred for 350 Pounds and discovered that he was a Western Lowland Gorilla and not a Mountain Gorilla.

You may think that someone broke into a zoo and stole a living Gorilla. Although this may be true to some extent, Alfred had already been dead for about a decade and the Gorilla Alfred that was stolen by three students was already in taxidermic form in the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery. Alfred was stolen in 1956 and went missing for a whole weekend before he was returned.

 

8. The Avon Gorge has it’s Own Native Flower

Bristol is the only place in the UK where you will find the roud-headed Bristol Onion Flower.  This Nationally rare flora is also a protected plant. These magenta balls of flowers grow from a tall thin stem, hence the name “round-headed.” The Avon Gorge is the only place where this plant thrives in the entire UK.

 

9. Swans have been Bristolians for Years

These birds have in fact been residents of Bristol for more than 300 years, that’s right, 300 years! These birds are here all year round but will fly away to breed in Abbotsbury, Dorset because of the lack of nesting sites along the Bristol Docks. In Dorset they are able to get the nutrients and food that they need in order to create suitable nests.

Swans remind the human inhabitants of Bristol that they have also been residents of the area by sometimes crash landing on the Bristol Bridge, causing traffic in the area.

 

10. First Cycling City in The United Kingdom!

Bristol was named the first ‘cycling city’ by the Department of Transportation.  Building facilities for cyclists in the city center such as providing showers, proper bike parking and lockers so commuters can easily freshen up before heading to work. On-street bike rental was modelled from the Paris scheme, as well as dedicated cycleways to create a network through and to different suburbs, so that residents can rely less on cars. Re-cycling centers were also provided in specific areas and towns, providing free bikes to deprived communities.