Bishopston, Bristol
Encyclopedia
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. The ward includes St Bonaventures and Ashley Down parishes, as well as part of Horfield
. It is twinned with KV Kuppam in Tamilnadu, India
.
and its councillors are Beverly Knott and Dr David Willingham. All three are Liberal Democrats.
who controversially sold off the church's land to private developers in the early 19th century. 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 the now closed 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 was home to television presenter Adam Hart-Davis
and psychologist Susan Blackmore
for many years.
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 street
s in the country 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 home to Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
, located off Nevil Road. The ground's
capacity has been increased to hold international cricket matches.
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.
lies within the Bishopston ward as does the Brunel Field site of Ashley Down Junior School, which opened in 2011.
, home of Bristol Rovers
and Bristol Rugby
, lies within the 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 the city of Bristol
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
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...
, and a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of the city that falls within that ward. Bishopston is situated around the Gloucester Road
Gloucester Road, Bristol
Gloucester Road, is a part of the A38 in north Bristol that runs through the suburbs of St. Andrews, Bishopston and Horfield. It was originally called Horfield Road....
, the main northern arterial road in the city. The ward includes St Bonaventures and Ashley Down parishes, as well as part of Horfield
Horfield
Horfield is a suburb of the city of Bristol, in southwest England. It lies on Bristol's northern edge, its border with Filton marking part of the boundary between Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Bishopston lies directly to the south. Monks Park and Golden Hill are to the west. Lockleaze and...
. It is twinned with KV Kuppam in Tamilnadu, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Politics
Bishopston is in the Bristol West parliamentary constituency and elects two City Councillors. Its MP is Stephen WilliamsStephen Williams (politician)
Stephen Roy Williams is a British Liberal Democrat politician who was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Bristol West in the 2005 general election, being re-elected with an increased majority in May 2010...
and its councillors are Beverly Knott and Dr David Willingham. All three are Liberal Democrats.
Bishopston
Named after the bishop of the local dioceseDiocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
who controversially sold off the church's land to private developers in the early 19th century. The sale was even raised as an issue in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
. The parish of Bishopston was then created in July 1862 with a population of 1300 and expanding to 9140 in the Census 1901
United Kingdom Census 1901
A nationwide census was conducted in England and Wales on 31 March 1901. It contains records for 32 million people and 6 million houses, It covers the whole of England and Wales, with the exception of parts of Deal in Kent. Separate censuses were held in Scotland and Ireland...
. In the Census 2001
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
Bishopston registered a resident population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
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
Redland, Bristol
Redland is an affluent suburb in Bristol, England. The suburb is situated between Clifton, Cotham, Bishopston and Westbury Park. The boundaries of the district are not precisely defined, but are generally taken to be Whiteladies Road in the west, the Severn Beach railway line in the south and...
, 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
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Some of the location filming for the cult BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sitcom The Young Ones
The Young Ones (TV series)
The Young Ones is a British sitcom, first broadcast in 1982, which ran for two series on BBC2. Its anarchic, offbeat humour helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers...
was done in Codrington Road and elsewhere. The external shots for the famous "bank-robbing" scene in the last episode were filmed outside the now closed Bristol North Swimming Baths on Gloucester Road.
Bishopston was the home of two Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winning physicists. In 1933 Paul Dirac
Paul Dirac
Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac, OM, FRS was an English theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to the early development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics...
, 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
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
. In 1950 Cecil Frank Powell
Cecil Frank Powell
Cecil Frank Powell, FRS was a British physicist, and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate for his development of the photographic method of studying nuclear processes and for the resulting discovery of the pion , a heavy subatomic particle.Powell was born in Tonbridge, Kent, England, the son of a local...
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 was home to television presenter Adam Hart-Davis
Adam Hart-Davis
Adam John Hart-Davis is an English scientist, author, photographer, historian and broadcaster, well-known in the UK for presenting the BBC television series Local Heroes and What the Romans Did for Us, the latter spawning several spin-off series involving the Victorians, the Tudors, the Stuarts,...
and psychologist Susan Blackmore
Susan Blackmore
Susan Jane Blackmore is an English freelance writer, lecturer, and broadcaster on psychology and the paranormal, perhaps best known for her book The Meme Machine.-Career:...
for many years.
Although the famous film star Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
(real name Archibald Alexander Leach), spent his childhood in neighbouring Horfield, he attended Bishop Road School.
Gloucester Road, Bristol
Gloucester Road, is a part of the A38 in north Bristol that runs through the suburbs of St. Andrews, Bishopston and Horfield. It was originally called Horfield Road....
is well known for its pubs and restaurants, and is known as one of the last remaining local high street
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
s in the country 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
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
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 home to Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
, located off Nevil Road. The ground's
County Cricket Ground, Bristol
The County Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in Bristol, England. It is in the district of Ashley Down. The ground is home to the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club....
capacity has been increased to hold international cricket matches.
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.
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 CollegeCity of Bristol College
City of Bristol College is one of the largest further education colleges in the UK. Based in Bristol, the College continues to gain national recognition for its work with adults, young people and employers.- Awards :* LSIS Beacon status...
lies within the Bishopston ward as does the Brunel Field site of Ashley Down Junior School, which opened in 2011.
Horfield
A section of Horfield also lies within the boundaries of the Bishopston ward. Part of Horfield Common, and well as the Memorial StadiumMemorial Stadium (Bristol)
The Memorial Stadium, also commonly known by its previous name of The Memorial Ground, is a sports ground in Bristol, England, dedicated to the memory of the rugby union players of the city killed during World War I...
, home of Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
and Bristol Rugby
Bristol Rugby
Bristol Rugby is a rugby union club based in Bristol, England. The club currently plays in the RFU Championship and competes in the British and Irish Cup. They rely in large part on the many junior rugby clubs in the region, particularly those from 'the Combination'...
, lies within the ward.
External links
- Census data
- Photogrpahs of Bishopston at the Geograph project
- Bristol Buddhist Centre meeting in Gloucester Road, Bishopston
- Bishopston Trading A fair trade workers cooperative.