Chester Park, Bristol
Encyclopedia
Chester Park is a residential area in Bristol
, England
, with an adjacent park commonly known as Barton Fields.
It is on the outskirts of the outer urban area of Fishponds
, adjacent to Mayfield Park
, Speedwell
, Kingswood
, Hillfields
and Lodge Causeway
. To the south it is dominanted by the Lodge Hill skyline and the magnificent clock tower of Cossham Memorial Hospital
.
In parallel with Mayfield Park, the area of Chester Park developed just off Lodge Causeway in the late 19th century. From the 1870s the Provincial Land Company let land for building and a large number of semi-detached villas and other houses were built. In 1891 it was described as a "rising and most populous district". It originally consisted predominantly of the Victorian
and Edwardian terrances of Chester Park Road, Berkeley Road, Argyle Road and Charlton Road and is served by the shops on Lodge Causeway. The most substantial building on the Causeway is Chester House at no 312, built in 1879 as a beer retailer. It became the local branch of Lloyds Bank
in 1962, and more recently became offices following the bank's closure in 2006.
Chester Park is now part of Hillfields Ward
, and has population of 1,693 (est).
of Kingswood
. It was reduced in size in 1286 by Henry III
and downgraded to a Royal Chase when large tracks were converted into common land.
The forest was progressively reduced and developed over the centuries, and by 1670 the western end of the chase was known as Thomas Chester's Liberty, whose family were great land owners in the area. The common rights were cancelled in 1781 by the Stapleton
Enclosure Act, which led to the area to grow rapidly and probably saw the first settlement on Lodge Causeway in the area of modern day Chester Park. In 1831 the area comprised only 10 houses cluster around Long Lane (now Forest Road) and Lodge Causeway, the most well known of which called Lodge Causeway Cottage. The area had been named Chester Park by the 1870s.
Old Boys Rugby union
Club. The club was established in 1908 and moved to its present site on Dunscumbe Lane in 1978. The park is popular with local children and dog walkers, but has in recent times been reduced to accommodate flats on the Speedwell side. Coombe Brook once ran through the park, and it still exists over the road in Coombe Brook Valley Nature Park. The Speedwell colliery opposite (now underneath Speedwell School), opened in the late 19th century and was served by the railway line still evidenced by the abutment
s on Whitefield Road. It was one of the last Bristol pits still working when it closed in 1932.
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
, on the corner of Forest Road and Lodge Causeway, was designed by Sir Frank Wills and built by Clark of Fishponds in 1925. It replaced an earlier temporary corrugated iron church on the site which had been purchased from the Redemptorist Fathers of Kingswood in 1911 and demolished in 1975. The fine high alter, dating from 1872 and originally part of The Sisters of Perpetual Adoration convent chapel in Taunton, was installed in 1929 and designed by John Francis Bentley
of Westminster Cathedral
fame. The site now also contains the St Joseph's Catholic Primary School on Chatsworth Road with capacity for 277 children.
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St John's
Church of England
Church of Fishponds was inaugurated in 1887 when the Bishop of Bristol
gave the vicar of St Mary's of Fishponds permission to hold Divine Service in a school room of Chester Park School. In 1894 to cater for the expanding population a second-hand corrugated iron, pitch pine interior church was erected on Lodge Causeway and opened as the original St Johns on 28 July 1894. The current St Johns church, designed by EH Lingen Barker, was consecrated on 25 May 1911. The chancel and sanctuary were supposed to be temporary until the old church was pulled down in 1971, but funds meant it was rather oddly finished in render rather than pennant stone.
The red brick Argyle Morley United Reform Church on the corner of Chester Park was designed by A E Longden and originally opened in April 1899. It was a Congregational Church
from 1958 until 1972. It combined the original Argyle and Morley church congregations, after the latter church on Lodge Causeway built in 1889 developed structural problems and had to be demolished in 1970. Morley Congregational Church was named after Samuel Morley
, MP for Bristol from 1868 to 1885, and like St Joseph's opposite was designed by Sir Frank Wills.
The Chester Park Church of England School was originally opened in two houses on Chester Park Road in 1884, but moved to a new location on Lodge Causeway in 1896 when the impressive Victorian school was built. The Junior School
now caters for 245 children and the Infant School
for another 210. There are no Secondary Schools in Chester Park, the closest being Whitefield in Fishponds and Bristol Brunel Academy
. Nearby, 1860 (East Bristol) Sqn Air Training Corps
is located on Whitefields Road towards Speedwell.
in Chester Park, the Berkeley Arms on Lodge Causeway, closed in 1944 having been originally opened in 1900. The closest pubs are now on the outskirts of Chester Park, comprising the Greyhound and Spotted Cow on Lodge Causeway, both built in 1883, and the Warwick Arms, built in 1906 on Charlton Road.
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...
, with an adjacent park commonly known as Barton Fields.
It is on the outskirts of the outer urban area of Fishponds
Fishponds, Bristol
Fishponds is an outer urban area in the north-east of the English city of Bristol. It is approximately from the City centre. It has two large Victorian era parks; Eastville Park and Vassell's Park and also known locally as Oldbury Court. The River Frome runs through both parks, with the Frome...
, adjacent to Mayfield Park
Mayfield Park, Bristol
Mayfield Park is a residential area in East Bristol, with a large adjoining park known as the Ridgeway Rd Playing Fields.The area is located on the outskirts of the outer urban area of Fishponds and consists mainly of three roads: Mayfield Park, Mayfield Park North and Mayfield Park South...
, Speedwell
Speedwell, Bristol
Speedwell is an area of east Bristol, Part of the ward. It has a mixture of residential and industrial land.The shows a population of 1,515....
, Kingswood
Kingswood, South Gloucestershire
Kingswood is an urban area in South Gloucestershire, England, bordering the City of Bristol to the west. It is located on both sides of the A420 road, which connects Bristol and Chippenham and which forms the high street through the principal retail zone...
, Hillfields
Hillfields, Bristol
Hillfields is an area and Ward of east Bristol.The Ward of Hillfields covers the following areas of Bristol.*Lodge HillHillfields itself is a relatively modern area of Bristol on the outskirts of Fishponds developed since the First World War on the north side of Lodge Causeway.-History :Building...
and Lodge Causeway
Lodge Causeway
Lodge Causeway is an ancient passage through the former Royal Forest of Kingswood and now the main road between Fishponds and Kingswood in Bristol, England...
. To the south it is dominanted by the Lodge Hill skyline and the magnificent clock tower of Cossham Memorial Hospital
Cossham Memorial Hospital
Cossham Memorial Hospital is a community hospital in the Kingswood area of Bristol.The services provided, by North Bristol Primary Care Trust at Cossham include outpatients and physiotherapy...
.
In parallel with Mayfield Park, the area of Chester Park developed just off Lodge Causeway in the late 19th century. From the 1870s the Provincial Land Company let land for building and a large number of semi-detached villas and other houses were built. In 1891 it was described as a "rising and most populous district". It originally consisted predominantly of the Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
and Edwardian terrances of Chester Park Road, Berkeley Road, Argyle Road and Charlton Road and is served by the shops on Lodge Causeway. The most substantial building on the Causeway is Chester House at no 312, built in 1879 as a beer retailer. It became the local branch of Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank Plc was a British retail bank which operated in England and Wales from 1765 until its merger into Lloyds TSB in 1995; it remains a registered company but is currently dormant. It expanded during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and took over a number of smaller banking companies...
in 1962, and more recently became offices following the bank's closure in 2006.
Chester Park is now part of Hillfields 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:...
, and has population of 1,693 (est).
Early history of the area
The area of Chester Park was once covered by the Royal ForestRoyal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
of Kingswood
Kingswood, South Gloucestershire
Kingswood is an urban area in South Gloucestershire, England, bordering the City of Bristol to the west. It is located on both sides of the A420 road, which connects Bristol and Chippenham and which forms the high street through the principal retail zone...
. It was reduced in size in 1286 by Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
and downgraded to a Royal Chase when large tracks were converted into common land.
The forest was progressively reduced and developed over the centuries, and by 1670 the western end of the chase was known as Thomas Chester's Liberty, whose family were great land owners in the area. The common rights were cancelled in 1781 by the Stapleton
Stapleton, Bristol
Stapleton is an area in the north-eastern suburbs of the city of Bristol, England. The name is colloquially used today to describe the ribbon village along Bell Hill and Park Road in the Frome Valley. It borders Eastville to the South and Begbrook and Frenchay to the North...
Enclosure Act, which led to the area to grow rapidly and probably saw the first settlement on Lodge Causeway in the area of modern day Chester Park. In 1831 the area comprised only 10 houses cluster around Long Lane (now Forest Road) and Lodge Causeway, the most well known of which called Lodge Causeway Cottage. The area had been named Chester Park by the 1870s.
The park
Barton Fields, the park itself, is a gently sloping strip 500 yards long, and containing a children's play area and the pitches and pavilion of Barton HillBarton Hill, Bristol
Barton Hill is an area of Bristol, just to the east of the city centre and Bristol Temple Meads railway station.It includes residential, retail and industrial premises and is crossed by major roads, railway tracks and the feeder canal leading to Bristol Harbour.-History:Barton was a manor just...
Old Boys Rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
Club. The club was established in 1908 and moved to its present site on Dunscumbe Lane in 1978. The park is popular with local children and dog walkers, but has in recent times been reduced to accommodate flats on the Speedwell side. Coombe Brook once ran through the park, and it still exists over the road in Coombe Brook Valley Nature Park. The Speedwell colliery opposite (now underneath Speedwell School), opened in the late 19th century and was served by the railway line still evidenced by the abutment
Abutment
An abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching...
s on Whitefield Road. It was one of the last Bristol pits still working when it closed in 1932.
Nearby churches and schools
Chester Park is well served by churches, which in the late 19th century and early 20th century struggled to kept pace with the development of the area. The earliest known church was the Chester Park Mission Church set up by St Mary's of Fishponds in the Parish of Stapleton in 1885, which later became St John's when the original church opened.St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, on the corner of Forest Road and Lodge Causeway, was designed by Sir Frank Wills and built by Clark of Fishponds in 1925. It replaced an earlier temporary corrugated iron church on the site which had been purchased from the Redemptorist Fathers of Kingswood in 1911 and demolished in 1975. The fine high alter, dating from 1872 and originally part of The Sisters of Perpetual Adoration convent chapel in Taunton, was installed in 1929 and designed by John Francis Bentley
John Francis Bentley
John Francis Bentley was an English ecclesiastical architect whose most famous work is the Westminster Cathedral in London, England, built in a style heavily influenced by Byzantine architecture....
of Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster...
fame. The site now also contains the St Joseph's Catholic Primary School on Chatsworth Road with capacity for 277 children.
John of Patmos
John of Patmos is the name given, in the Book of Revelation, as the author of the apocalyptic text that is traditionally cannonized in the New Testament...
Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
Church of Fishponds was inaugurated in 1887 when the Bishop of Bristol
Bishop of Bristol
The Bishop of Bristol heads the Church of England Diocese of Bristol in the Province of Canterbury, in England.The present diocese covers parts of the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire together with a small area of Wiltshire...
gave the vicar of St Mary's of Fishponds permission to hold Divine Service in a school room of Chester Park School. In 1894 to cater for the expanding population a second-hand corrugated iron, pitch pine interior church was erected on Lodge Causeway and opened as the original St Johns on 28 July 1894. The current St Johns church, designed by EH Lingen Barker, was consecrated on 25 May 1911. The chancel and sanctuary were supposed to be temporary until the old church was pulled down in 1971, but funds meant it was rather oddly finished in render rather than pennant stone.
The red brick Argyle Morley United Reform Church on the corner of Chester Park was designed by A E Longden and originally opened in April 1899. It was a Congregational Church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
from 1958 until 1972. It combined the original Argyle and Morley church congregations, after the latter church on Lodge Causeway built in 1889 developed structural problems and had to be demolished in 1970. Morley Congregational Church was named after Samuel Morley
Samuel Morley (MP)
Samuel Morley , was an English woollen manufacturer, philanthropist, dissenter , abolitionist, political radical, and statesman.-Introduction:...
, MP for Bristol from 1868 to 1885, and like St Joseph's opposite was designed by Sir Frank Wills.
The Chester Park Church of England School was originally opened in two houses on Chester Park Road in 1884, but moved to a new location on Lodge Causeway in 1896 when the impressive Victorian school was built. The Junior School
Junior school
A junior school is a type of school which caters for children, often between the ages of 7 and 11.-Australia:In Australia, a junior school is usually a part of a private school that educates children between the ages of 5 and 12....
now caters for 245 children and the Infant School
Infant school
An Infant school is a term used primarily in the United Kingdom for school for children between the ages of four and seven years. It is usually a small school serving a particular locality....
for another 210. There are no Secondary Schools in Chester Park, the closest being Whitefield in Fishponds and Bristol Brunel Academy
Bristol Brunel Academy
Bristol Brunel Academy is a school located in the Speedwell area of Bristol and named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It specialises in Communication.-History:...
. Nearby, 1860 (East Bristol) Sqn Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
is located on Whitefields Road towards Speedwell.
Public houses
The central pubPublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in Chester Park, the Berkeley Arms on Lodge Causeway, closed in 1944 having been originally opened in 1900. The closest pubs are now on the outskirts of Chester Park, comprising the Greyhound and Spotted Cow on Lodge Causeway, both built in 1883, and the Warwick Arms, built in 1906 on Charlton Road.