Avonmouth
Encyclopedia
Avonmouth is a port and suburb of Bristol
, England, located on the Severn Estuary
, at the mouth of the River Avon.
The council ward
of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton
and the western end of Lawrence Weston
.
. It is the location of a large port, Avonmouth Docks
. The Royal Portbury Dock
, under the same management, is on the other side of the Avon. Avonmouth is home to several large chemical manufacturing plants and a gas fired power station. There is also a significant residential area in Avonmouth between the industrialised zone and the M5 motorway. Avonmouth is sometimes considered as a satellite town
of Bristol as opposed to a suburb.
The M5 motorway
runs through Avonmouth, and crosses the Avon by the Avonmouth Bridge
. The M49 motorway
runs between the M5 near Avonmouth and the M4 motorway
at the Second Severn Crossing
. The old Severn Bridge
and the M48 motorway
are linked to Avonmouth by the A403
. The Portway
, part of the A4, connects Avonmouth to the centre of Bristol. Avonmouth is also is served by a usually hourly train service to Bristol from Avonmouth railway station
on the Severn Beach Line
.
A 10 hectares (24.7 acre) area of Avonmouth Sewage Treatment Works is managed as a nature reserve by Avon Wildlife Trust
. The man-made lagoons and a pool provide a feeding and resting area for many birds including ducks such as pochard, Tufted Duck
, teal
and shoveler
. The rough grassland provides a refuge for voles and other small mammals, which are preyed upon by kestrel
s and Barn Owls.
A new deepsea container terminal is planned in Avonmouth.
As a ward of Bristol, Avonmouth sends two councillors to Bristol City Council
, one of which is Doug Naysmith
a former Labour MP for the area, and the other a Conservative.
Apart from Avonmouth itself, the ward includes Shirehampton
and part of Lawrence Weston
.
Shirehampton is a district of Bristol which originated as a separate village. It retains something of its village feel, having an identifiable High Street, and is still thought of as a village by many of its 6,867 inhabitants. Shirehampton railway station
provides travel to the city centre. The western end of the Lawrence Weston area crosses the boundary into the Avonmouth ward, however the majority of the area falls within the Kingsweston ward.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England, located on the Severn Estuary
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary is the estuary of the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain. Its high tidal range means it has been at the centre of discussions in the UK regarding renewable energy.-Geography:...
, at the mouth of the River Avon.
The council ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton
Shirehampton
Shirehampton, near Avonmouth, at the north-western edge of the city of Bristol, England, is a district of Bristol which originated as a separate village. It retains something of its village feel, having a short identifiable High Street with the parish church situated among shops, and is still...
and the western end of Lawrence Weston
Lawrence Weston, Bristol
Lawrence Weston is a post war housing estate in north west Bristol between Henbury and Shirehampton.The estate is bounded in the east by the Blaise Castle estate and woods. It is situated at the edge of the Severn flood plain, directly beneath the wooded Kingsweston Hill. The industrial complex...
.
Geography
Avonmouth is located at the mouth of the River Avon, on its north bank and on the Severn EstuarySevern Estuary
The Severn Estuary is the estuary of the River Severn, the longest river in Great Britain. Its high tidal range means it has been at the centre of discussions in the UK regarding renewable energy.-Geography:...
. It is the location of a large port, Avonmouth Docks
Avonmouth Docks
The Avonmouth Docks are part of the Port of Bristol, in England. They are situated on the northern side of the mouth of the River Avon, opposite the Royal Portbury Dock on the southern side, where the river joins the Severn estuary, within Avonmouth....
. The Royal Portbury Dock
Royal Portbury Dock
The Royal Portbury Dock is part of the Port of Bristol, in England. It is situated near the village of Portbury on the southern side of the mouth of the Avon, where the river joins the Severn estuary — the Avonmouth Docks are on the opposite side of the Avon, within Avonmouth...
, under the same management, is on the other side of the Avon. Avonmouth is home to several large chemical manufacturing plants and a gas fired power station. There is also a significant residential area in Avonmouth between the industrialised zone and the M5 motorway. Avonmouth is sometimes considered as a satellite town
Satellite town
A satellite town or satellite city is a concept in urban planning that refers essentially to smaller metropolitan areas which are located somewhat near to, but are mostly independent of, larger metropolitan areas.-Characteristics:...
of Bristol as opposed to a suburb.
The M5 motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
runs through Avonmouth, and crosses the Avon by the Avonmouth Bridge
Avonmouth Bridge
The Avonmouth Bridge is a road bridge that carries the M5 motorway over the River Avon into Somerset near Bristol, England. The main span is long, and the bridge is long, with an air draught above mean high water level of . It also contains a separate footpath and cycleway.The bridge was built...
. The M49 motorway
M49 motorway
The M49 motorway is a 5 mile motorway west of Bristol, England, that forms a shortcut between the M5 motorway and the Second Severn Bridge on the M4 motorway. It was constructed in 1996, at the same time as the bridge and is unique as it is only accessible from other motorways...
runs between the M5 near Avonmouth and the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
at the Second Severn Crossing
Second Severn Crossing
The Second Severn Crossing is a bridge which carries the M4 motorway over the River Severn between England and Wales, inaugurated on 5 June 1996 by HRH The Prince of Wales to augment the traffic capacity of the original Severn Bridge built in 1966...
. The old Severn Bridge
Severn Bridge
The Severn Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the River Severn between South Gloucestershire, just north of Bristol, England, and Monmouthshire in South Wales, via Beachley, a peninsula between the River Severn and River Wye estuary. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and...
and the M48 motorway
M48 motorway
The M48 is a motorway in Great Britain joining Gloucestershire and Monmouthshire over the original Severn Bridge. The M48 is anomalously numbered, as it is entirely to the west of the M5 motorway and its number should really therefore begin with 5.-Route:...
are linked to Avonmouth by the A403
A403 road
The A403 is a road in the United Kingdom that starts at junction 1 of the M48 at Aust and leads to Avonmouth in Bristol. It is important as a major route for the industries there, allowing easy travel access to Wales and South and East England....
. The Portway
Portway, Bristol
The Portway is a trunk road, approximately long, which links central Bristol, England, with its port at Avonmouth. It is part of the A4 road, which was the primary east west highway in Southern England before the construction of the M4 motorway....
, part of the A4, connects Avonmouth to the centre of Bristol. Avonmouth is also is served by a usually hourly train service to Bristol from Avonmouth railway station
Avonmouth railway station
Avonmouth railway station is a railway station serving the suburb of Avonmouth in Bristol, north-west from Bristol Temple Meads on the Severn Beach Line. All trains serving it are operated and the station is managed by First Great Western. The station is managed by First Great Western.Five...
on the Severn Beach Line
Severn Beach Line
The Severn Beach Line is a local railway in Bristol, UK. It runs from Narroways Hill Junction to Severn Beach, and is the successor to the Bristol Port Railway and Pier, which ran from a Bristol terminus in the Avon Gorge to a station and pier on the Severn Estuary.Passenger trains run from Bristol...
.
A 10 hectares (24.7 acre) area of Avonmouth Sewage Treatment Works is managed as a nature reserve by Avon Wildlife Trust
Avon Wildlife Trust
The Avon Wildlife Trust aims to protect and promote wildlife in the area of the former county of Avon — now Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, in England...
. The man-made lagoons and a pool provide a feeding and resting area for many birds including ducks such as pochard, Tufted Duck
Tufted Duck
The Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula, is a medium-sized diving duck with a population of close to one million birds.- Description :The adult male is all black except for white flanks and a blue-grey bill. It has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name.The adult female is brown with paler...
, teal
Common Teal
The Eurasian Teal or Common Teal is a common and widespread duck which breeds in temperate Eurasia and migrates south in winter. The Eurasian Teal is often called simply the Teal due to being the only one of these small dabbling ducks in much of its range...
and shoveler
Northern Shoveler
The Northern Shoveler , Northern Shoveller in British English, sometimes known simply as the Shoveler, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and Asia and across most of North America, and is a rare vagrant to Australia...
. The rough grassland provides a refuge for voles and other small mammals, which are preyed upon by kestrel
Kestrel
The name kestrel, is given to several different members of the falcon genus, Falco. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour which is to hover at a height of around over open country and swoop down on prey, usually small mammals, lizards or large insects...
s and Barn Owls.
A new deepsea container terminal is planned in Avonmouth.
Governance
Avonmouth is part of the Bristol North West parliamentary constituency, which elects a member of parliament.As a ward of Bristol, Avonmouth sends two councillors to Bristol City Council
Politics of Bristol
The city of Bristol, England, is a unitary authority, represented by four MPs representing seats wholly within the city boundaries. As well as these, Filton and Bradley Stoke covers the northern urban fringe in South Gloucestershire and the north eastern urban fringe is in the Kingswood constituency...
, one of which is Doug Naysmith
Doug Naysmith
John Douglas Naysmith is a British Labour Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament for Bristol North West from 1997 until standing down at the 2010 general election....
a former Labour MP for the area, and the other a Conservative.
Apart from Avonmouth itself, the ward includes Shirehampton
Shirehampton
Shirehampton, near Avonmouth, at the north-western edge of the city of Bristol, England, is a district of Bristol which originated as a separate village. It retains something of its village feel, having a short identifiable High Street with the parish church situated among shops, and is still...
and part of Lawrence Weston
Lawrence Weston, Bristol
Lawrence Weston is a post war housing estate in north west Bristol between Henbury and Shirehampton.The estate is bounded in the east by the Blaise Castle estate and woods. It is situated at the edge of the Severn flood plain, directly beneath the wooded Kingsweston Hill. The industrial complex...
.
Shirehampton is a district of Bristol which originated as a separate village. It retains something of its village feel, having an identifiable High Street, and is still thought of as a village by many of its 6,867 inhabitants. Shirehampton railway station
Shirehampton railway station
Shirehampton railway station serves the village of Shirehampton near to the town of Avonmouth, England. This station is north-west from Bristol Temple Meads on the Severn Beach Line...
provides travel to the city centre. The western end of the Lawrence Weston area crosses the boundary into the Avonmouth ward, however the majority of the area falls within the Kingsweston ward.
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