A little bit of background

Geography

Bristol is situated in the South-West of England, roughly two hours West of London at the confluence of the rivers Avon and Froome. With a population of just under half a million it is the 8th largest city in England.

Name

The word Bristol comes from the Old English Brycgstow meaning 'the site of the bridge' as it was originally the site of a wooden bridge across the Avon that was commonly used as a meeting place, and as a result a village grew up around it. This village would grow to become the Bristol we know today.

History

Bristol was an important city during the 12th Century and with it's large port, it played an active role in the slave trade becoming the largest port for trading slaves in the mid 17th century. Bristol exported cloth, coal, lead and animal hides to a number of countries including parts of Western Europe and the Barbary Coast in the North of Africa. In return for this, Bristol's main imports were wine, slate and timber. During the height of slavery it is thought that ships from Bristol were responsible for enslaving around half a million slaves, one fifth of the slave trade in Britain at the time. As a point on the slave triangle, the other points being Africa and the West-Indies, Bristol profited immensely from the slave trade and although the city was fairly wealthy before, it was the money slave merchants received that was used to comission many of the large and beautiful buildings in the centre today.

Bristol Now

Today, Bristol is a thriving city, full of things to do. There's a large green park in the middle that attracts joggers and dog walkers, many cultural and historical buildings with stunning architecture, numerous bars, restaurants and night clubs for all music tastes. There's something for everyone in this vibrant city!

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