Aztec West
Encyclopedia
Aztec West is a business park
in South Gloucestershire
, England
, situated at the northern fringes of Greater Bristol
, near Bradley Stoke
and Patchway
. It is close to the M4
and M5
motorways and the Almondsbury Interchange
. Adjacent is the A38
trunk road.
The name is said to derive from 'A to Z of Technology' and it was conceived as a science park - it was originally funded by the 'Electricity Supply Nominees' on the half of the Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) pension fund but in the mid-1980s was sold to Arlington Securities.
Aztec West is home to over 100 companies, and 7,000 people work there.
The Aztec Centre was opened by Margaret Thatcher
on Friday 15 December 1989 and there is a plaque to commemorate this in its entrance.
The park includes warehouse/factory units, the four star Aztec Hotel, several office villages, a central retail area and a Starbucks
connected to a bar in a hotel, the first such facility in the UK. Included in the landscaping are three lakes. Nearby are the aerospace industries at Filton
and the large business parks at the edge of Bradley Stoke.
Companies include LV= Insurance, HSS Hire, Orange
, HSBC, Atkins
, Aardman, STMicroelectronics
, Allianz
, Hoare Lea
and the Co-Operative Legal Services.
Junction 16, and a mile from the Almondsbury Interchange
with the M4 motorway
.
Public transport links are generally poor, although some bus services do run to Aztec West, the main service being 73 operated by First Bristol. This service no longer enters the complex, with connections to Patchway
, Cribbs Causeway Bus Station and Bradley Stoke
, Bristol Parkway railway station
, MoD Abbey Wood
, Gloucester Road and Bristol City Centre. The 73 takes a more indirect route than the 309/310 to Bristol City Centre (operated by First Somerset and Avon), however it typically runs more than twice as regularly. Service 73B is a version of 73, taking a slightly different route around Bradley Stoke
(via Willow Brook Centre), although this service generally only runs in evenings and on Sundays. Service X73 runs as an express route after Bradley Stoke
on the M32 to Bristol City Centre.
The Park has no direct rail links. The nearest railway station is at Patchway
about a mile and a half away. The mainline station, Bristol Parkway, is about three miles away.
Bristol International Airport
, south of Bristol, can be reached in about 40–45 minutes by car or bus.
Business park
A business park or office park is an area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. All of the work that goes on is commercial, not industrial or residential....
in South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary district in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, in South West England.-History:The district was created in 1996, when the county of Avon was abolished, by the merger of former area of the districts of Kingswood and Northavon...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, situated at the northern fringes of Greater Bristol
Greater Bristol
Greater Bristol is a term used for the conurbation which contains and surrounds the city of Bristol in the South West of England. There is no official "Greater Bristol" authority, but the term is sometimes used by local, regional and national authorities, and others as a synonym for either the...
, near Bradley Stoke
Bradley Stoke
Bradley Stoke is a dormitory town/suburb in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the north side of the city of Bristol. Named after the local Bradley Brook and Stoke Brook streams, the town was planned in the 1970s and building began in 1987...
and Patchway
Patchway
Patchway is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated northwest of central Bristol. The town is a housing overflow for Bristol being contiguous to Bristol's urban area, and is often regarded as a large outer suburb. Nearby are the other Bristol satellite towns of Filton and Bradley Stoke....
. It is close to the M4
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...
and M5
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...
motorways and the Almondsbury Interchange
Almondsbury Interchange
The Almondsbury Interchange in South Gloucestershire, is one of the United Kingdom's largest motorway stack interchanges. The interchange is one of only three four-level stacks in the UK, spanning a range of 0.5 km by 0.5 km...
. Adjacent is the A38
A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
trunk road.
History
The park has been developed since the early 1980s, but some land is still available for future development. The work of Architectural Practices such as Nicholas Grimshaw, Michael Aukett, SOM and CZWG can be seen on the site.The name is said to derive from 'A to Z of Technology' and it was conceived as a science park - it was originally funded by the 'Electricity Supply Nominees' on the half of the Electricity Supply Industry (ESI) pension fund but in the mid-1980s was sold to Arlington Securities.
Companies
The Aztec Centre was opened by Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
on Friday 15 December 1989 and there is a plaque to commemorate this in its entrance.
The park includes warehouse/factory units, the four star Aztec Hotel, several office villages, a central retail area and a Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
connected to a bar in a hotel, the first such facility in the UK. Included in the landscaping are three lakes. Nearby are the aerospace industries at Filton
Filton
Filton is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol, about from the city centre. Filton lies in Bristol postcode areas BS7 and BS34. The town centres upon Filton Church, which dates back to the 12th century and is a grade II listed building...
and the large business parks at the edge of Bradley Stoke.
Companies include LV= Insurance, HSS Hire, Orange
Orange SA
Orange is the brand used by France Télécom for its mobile network operator and Internet service provider subsidiaries. It is the fifth largest telecom operator in the world, with 210 million customers . The brand was created in 1994 for Hutchison Telecom's UK mobile phone network, which was...
, HSBC, Atkins
WS Atkins PLC
WS Atkins plc is a multinational engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services company headquartered in Epsom, United Kingdom...
, Aardman, STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics is an Italian-French electronics and semiconductor manufacturer headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.While STMicroelectronics corporate headquarters and the headquarters for EMEA region are based in Geneva, the holding company, STMicroelectronics N.V. is registered in Amsterdam,...
, Allianz
Allianz
SE is a global financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core business and focus is insurance. As of 2010, it was the world's 12th-largest financial services group and 23rd-largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine.Its Allianz Global Investors...
, Hoare Lea
Hoare Lea
Hoare Lea is a firm of consulting engineers specialising in mechanical, electrical and environmental engineering...
and the Co-Operative Legal Services.
Transport
Aztec West is less than half a mile from the M5M5 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...
Junction 16, and a mile from the Almondsbury Interchange
Almondsbury Interchange
The Almondsbury Interchange in South Gloucestershire, is one of the United Kingdom's largest motorway stack interchanges. The interchange is one of only three four-level stacks in the UK, spanning a range of 0.5 km by 0.5 km...
with 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...
.
Public transport links are generally poor, although some bus services do run to Aztec West, the main service being 73 operated by First Bristol. This service no longer enters the complex, with connections to Patchway
Patchway
Patchway is a town in South Gloucestershire, England, situated northwest of central Bristol. The town is a housing overflow for Bristol being contiguous to Bristol's urban area, and is often regarded as a large outer suburb. Nearby are the other Bristol satellite towns of Filton and Bradley Stoke....
, Cribbs Causeway Bus Station and Bradley Stoke
Bradley Stoke
Bradley Stoke is a dormitory town/suburb in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the north side of the city of Bristol. Named after the local Bradley Brook and Stoke Brook streams, the town was planned in the 1970s and building began in 1987...
, Bristol Parkway railway station
Bristol Parkway railway station
Bristol Parkway railway station is situated in Stoke Gifford in the northern suburbs of Bristol, England. It is part of the British railway system owned by Network Rail, and is managed by First Great Western....
, MoD Abbey Wood
MoD Abbey Wood
MoD Abbey Wood is a purpose-built site in Filton, Bristol, United Kingdom, that houses the Defence Equipment and Support procurement organisation....
, Gloucester Road and Bristol City Centre. The 73 takes a more indirect route than the 309/310 to Bristol City Centre (operated by First Somerset and Avon), however it typically runs more than twice as regularly. Service 73B is a version of 73, taking a slightly different route around Bradley Stoke
Bradley Stoke
Bradley Stoke is a dormitory town/suburb in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the north side of the city of Bristol. Named after the local Bradley Brook and Stoke Brook streams, the town was planned in the 1970s and building began in 1987...
(via Willow Brook Centre), although this service generally only runs in evenings and on Sundays. Service X73 runs as an express route after Bradley Stoke
Bradley Stoke
Bradley Stoke is a dormitory town/suburb in South Gloucestershire, England, situated on the north side of the city of Bristol. Named after the local Bradley Brook and Stoke Brook streams, the town was planned in the 1970s and building began in 1987...
on the M32 to Bristol City Centre.
The Park has no direct rail links. The nearest railway station is at Patchway
Patchway railway station
Patchway railway station is a minor railway station located at street level of Station Road in Little Stoke village near the town of Patchway, South Gloucestershire, England...
about a mile and a half away. The mainline station, Bristol Parkway, is about three miles away.
Bristol International Airport
Bristol International Airport
Bristol Airport , located at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area. At first it was named Bristol Lulsgate Airport and from March 1997 to March 2010 it was known as Bristol International Airport...
, south of Bristol, can be reached in about 40–45 minutes by car or bus.