Interesting Facts

The River Avon winds through the center of Bristol and forms part of a system of waterways that transformed the city into a great inland port. In later years, it prospered on the transatlantic trafficking of goods like rum, tobacco, and at that time, slaves.
Despite the fact that Bristol is an attractive city with hills and a rolling countryside, the city does have its share of problems. It is home to one of the highest populations of homeless people and has the highest proportion of cars to residents.
For the best panoramic view of the city, take a trip to Brandon Hill Park and climb the 105-foot Cabot Tower. The tower was built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's voyage to America.
The New Room consists of the country's first Methodist chapel, which was established by John Wesley in 1739. Some of the rooms were used by the founder and his acolytes. An equestrian statue of Wesley stands outside of the chapel as well as one that represents John's brother, Charles, the famous hymn-writer.
Theatre Royal, which is the oldest working theater in the country, was opened in 1766 and still displays many of its original Georgian features today. The theater hosted most of the famous people of that time. One was Sarah Siddons and it is said that her ghost haunts the theater.
One of King Street's most well-known buildings is the Llandoger Trow, whose name is taken from the flat bottomed boats that traded between Bristol and the Welsh coast. A frequent stop for seafarers, it has been said that this was the site for the meeting between Daniel Defoe and Alexander Selkirk, who was to become the model for "Robinson Crusoe."
Bath, which is named for its hot springs, lies only 12 miles from Bristol. Bath ranks as one of Britain's top 10 tourist cities and is the has some of the busiest fee charging historic sites outside of London.
That's some "L" of a word! The trademark of Bristol speech is made up of adding the letter "L" to the ends of words. For instance, "area" becomes "areal." No wonder then that Bristowe, the old city name becomes Bristol!
The Clifton Suspension Bridge spans the lovely Avon Gorge and is the symbol of the city of Bristol. When it was completed in 1864, its 702-foot span was the world's greatest.
Isambard Brunel, a Victorian engineer and architect of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, also designed the SS Great Britain. This ship, which weighs 3443 tons, was the world's first iron steamship and luxury liner. It was launched from Bristol in 1843 and is now on display in the dry dock where she was built