Bishopston, Bristol

infobox UK place
country = England
official_name= Bishopston
static_

static_image_caption= Boundaries of the Council Ward, shown within Bristol.
longitude=
latitude=
civil_parish=
population = 11,996 (Census 2001)
unitary_england= Bristol
region= South West England
lieutenancy_england= Bristol
constituency_westminster= Bristol West
post_town= Bristol|postcode_district = BS7
postcode_area= BS|dial_code= 0117
os_grid_reference= ST586755

Bishopston the name of both a council ward of the city of Bristol, England, and a suburb of the city that falls within that ward. Bishopston is situated around the Gloucester Road , the main northern arterial road in the city. It is in the Bristol West parliamentary constituency and elects two City Councillors. The ward includes St Bonaventures and Ashley Down parishes, as well as part of Horfield. It is twinned with KV Kuppam in Tamilnadu, India.

Areas within the council ward

Bishopston

Named after the bishop of the local diocese who controversially sold off the church's land to private developers in the early 1800s. The sale was even raised as an issue in the House of Commons. The parish of Bishopston was then created in July 1862 with a population of 1300 and expanding to 9140 in the Census 1901. In the Census 2001 Bishopston registered a resident population of 11,996. The district is part of the Bristol built-up area, having been swallowed by the growing city, running directly into the surrounding districts of Redland, Ashley Down, Horfield and Henleaze.

The area has a relatively large student population, with 21% of the over 16 population in education compared to 8.4% in Bristol and 5.1% in England and Wales. Some of the location filming for the cult BBC sitcom "The Young Ones" was done in Codrington Road and elsewhere. The external shots for the famous "bank-robbing" scene in the last episode were filmed outside Bristol North Swimming Baths on Gloucester Road.

Bishopston was the home of two Nobel Prize winning physicists. In 1933 Paul Dirac, who attended the Bishop Road Primary School just a few hundred metres from where he lived on Monk Road, won the prize after his contributions to quantum mechanics. In 1950 Cecil Frank Powell won the prestigious award for contributions to Physics. Specifically, for his development of the photographic method of studying nuclear processes and his discoveries regarding mesons made with this method. Bishopston is also home to television presenter Adam Hart-Davis and psychologist Susan Blackmore.

Although the famous film star Cary Grant (real name Archibald Alexander Leach), spent his childhood in neighbouring Horfield, he attended Bishop Road School.

The main artery, Gloucester Road is well known for its pubs and restaurants, and is known as one of the last remaining local high streets in the country [ [http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article50694.ece The last great British high street - This Britain, UK - Independent.co.uk ] ] and is well used by local residents. In addition to the independently run shops such as Scoopaway, La Ruca, Gardener's Patch and Harvest, recent years has seen several supermarket chains opening stores in the area. This, and the range of fairly traded and local goods available, has made it popular with ecologically-minded shoppers.

Bishopston is also home to Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, whose entrance is on Nevil Road. Recently the ground has seen an increase in capacity and begun to hold international cricket matches, bringing very large crowds to the area on certain days during the summer. This development is popular with many (e.g. local publicans), but less so with some local residents, who have complained about the parking problems on match days, and the long periods of floodlight testing.

The David Thomas Memorial church was erected 1879 - 1881 but demolished in 1987 destroying most of a gothic fantasy by Stuart Coleman. The building still retains a thin octagonal spire and west front but the massive halls, apse and rib vaults have now gone in favour of flats by Stride Treglown. The church was demolished June 1987.

Ashley Down

The area of Ashley Down is divided between the Bishopston and Ashley wards of the city of Bristol. The Brunel campus of City of Bristol College lies within the Bishopston ward.

Horfield

A section of Horfield also lies within the boundaries of the Bishopston ward. Part of Horfield Common, and well as the Memorial Stadium, home of Bristol Rovers and Bristol Rugby, lies within the ward.

References

External links

* [http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/NeighbourhoodProfileSearch.do?areaId=276834 Census data]
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=1130389 Photogrpahs of Bishopston at the Geograph project]
* [http://www.bristol-buddhist-centre.org/ Bristol Buddhist Centre] meeting in Gloucester Road, Bishopston
* [http://www.bishopstontrading.co.uk Bishopston Trading] A fair trade workers cooperative.
* [http://www.bristolvineyard.com Bristol Vineyard] Church, but not as you know it...