Bristol

computers and devices

Introduction

When I started this site there was not much information available about the city online at all. I relied on my own collection of books and pamphlets and went around the city taking many photos. Over the years, people started writing about what interested them about the city and people interested in genealogy added their own sites.All of these helped trmendously when I added or updated my pages.

Nowadays there are any number of resources to draw on. Google and the Internet Archive have scanned millions of documents and books. A fanastic source, offered by Bristol City since 2006, are the set of maps and other information on the Pinpoint and Know Your Place pages.

Help wanted:-

Every now and then I get emails from people who would like further information on specific questions they have about Bristol. I've gathered these together and they are now on the Help Wanted pages, please pay this page a visit and contact me if you know anything at all about them.

Bristol - A history and a Guide

This is my history and guide to my home city - Bristol. I hope you enjoy it as Bristol is one of the best cities in the world.

Bristol's coard of arms

A good place to start would be to tell you where we are . . .

Bristol is situated 120 miles west of London, England. If you are interested the city centre is located at Lat. 51:27:15 Long. 2:35:12. and at Ordnance Survey co-ordinates 359249 173007

Map of Great Britain showing the location of Bristol

Map showing Bristol in relation to some major UK cities

Here's an interesting fact about the UK - Everyone lives within 60 miles of the coast.

Bristol and surrounding area

Map showing Bristol and some major surrounding cities and towns.

The area bounded by the mauve rectangle is shown in the satellite photograph below.

To give you some idea of the scale of this map the distance between Bristol and Bath is 15 miles

Satellite photo of the area around Bristol

Satellite photo of the area around Bristol

If you would like to see more detailed maps then go to my links page

Bristol has a population of around 376,000

Satellite photo of Bristol

Satellite photo of Bristol

Each side of this map is about 10 miles long.

A1 Nightingale Valley B1 Abbots Leigh C1 Ashton Court D1 Bower Ashton
E1 Ashton Vale F1 Ashton Gate G1 Bedminster H1 Bedminster Down
I1 Highridge J1 Withywood K1 Bishopsworth L1 Hartcliffe
M1 Headley Park N1 Novers Hill O1 Windmill Hill P1 Totterdown
Q1 Filwood Park R1 Knowle S1 Hengrove T1 Whitchurch
U1 Stockwood V1 Brislington W1 Arno's Vale X1 Broomhill
Y1 Saint Annes Z1 Barton Hill A2 Easton B2 Whitehall
C2 Saint George D2 Crews Hole E2 Conham F2 Longwell Green
G2 Somerdale H2 Willsbridge I2 Oldland J2 Cadbury Heath
K2 Warmley L2 Hanham M2 Kingswood N2 Two Mile Hill
O2 Speedwell P2 Fishponds Q2 Eastville R2 Stapleton
S2 Staple Hill T2 Mangotsfield U2 Downend V2 Frenchay
W2 Hambrook X2 Harry Stoke Y2 Stoke Gifford Z2 Bradley Stoke
A3 Patchway B3 Filton C3 Lockleaze D3 Horfield
E3 Ashley Down F3 Montpelier G3 Cotham H3 Redland
I3 Westbury Park J3 Bishopston K3 Golden Hill L3 Henleaze
M3 Eastfield N3 Southmead O3 Brentry P3 Henbury
Q3 Westbury on Trym R3 Coombe Dingle S3 Kings Weston T3 Lawrence Weston
U3 Avonmouth V3 Shirehampton W3 Sea Mills X3 Stoke Bishop
Y3 Durdham Downs Z3 Clifton A4 Hotwells B4 City Centre
C4 Broadmead D4 Saint Pauls E4 Saint Werburghs F4 Old Market

Present day Bristol is a conglomeration of the many villages and hamlets that used to surround the original city and have since been swallowed up by it. Usually, but not always, all that has survived are the names of these villages. Hence people still talk of Brislington and Clifton villages.

Incidentally, do you know the difference between a village and a hamlet?

(The answer is at the bottom of the page)

Bristol 1975 brochure

Part of a 1975 tourist brochure
Published by the Bristol City Public Relations Office

Many thanks to Libby Maher, who visited Bristol in 1975. She picked up this brochure and kept it for 46 years before giving it to me in July 2021. I have scanned it and made a PDF from it.

Other useful sites you may like to visit can be found at :-

Old English Weights, Measures and Coinage

While I was writing this, I realised that some of the terms I would be using are no longer in common usage, these sites will give more information

Chard Jewellers an excellent site that has much information on the British pre-decimal coinage system
English Weights and Measures
Footrule - pages explaining the old volume / capacity measurements
Jaques Proot - pages explaining all sorts of old measurements
Paul Lewis - a page explaining the old British pre-decimal coinage system
General Unit Conversion

United Kingdom

Association of British Counties
The Counties of England
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch from the BBC in 1964
Generic Forms in Place Names (Wikipedia)
Key to English Place Names
Toponymy of England (Wikipedia)

Other pages in this section...

(A village has a church and a hamlet hasn't.)