The River Avon winds picturesquely through the bustling city
centre of Bristol in the south west of England, and has played a
key role in the development of the city as a major English
commercial port. Surrounded by charming hilly landscape and the
spectacular ice-carved Avon Gorge, Bristol is an interesting mix of
history, commerce and culture.
The city contains a mish-mash of architecture spanning over 400
years, much of which has been rebuilt, destroyed, relocated or
vandalised over time. The City Fathers seem to have had a constant
need to modernise and today, few of the city's earliest treasures
remain, particularly after Bristol was severely blitzed during
World War II. Although there is little or no remnant of Bristol's
11th-century origins, the city is not devoid of character by any
means and there has been an attempt to restore the remaining
jewels, evident in the beautiful Queen and Portland Squares. There
are still plenty of Georgian and Victorian churches, buildings and
monuments to be seen and the city's strong maritime history can
still be explored.
Bristol's busy city centre contains a number of excellent
museums, galleries, parks and churches, including the Bristol
Cathedral. The city receives over nine million visitors a year and
as one of the current top ten UK destinations, its tourism industry
is rapidly expanding. Its thriving music scene is still dominated
by trip-hop (also known as the Bristol Sound), which emerged in the
city in the 1980s and 1990s, and with two universities, Bristol has
a thriving nightlife, plenty of restaurants and shops.
Bristol's green lung has long been the Downs. Over 400 acres of
grassland stretch from Avon Gorge to the Victorian-built suburbs of
the city and locals and visitors alike flock to enjoy the peace and
quiet they offer. A favourite in the city is also the Bristol Zoo
and Gardens and the Bristol Clifton Observatory and caves, near the
eye-catching Bristol Clifton Suspension Bridge.
The diversity and muddled history of the city make it well worth
the visit, and it is also a convenient distance from the nearby
city of Bath, as well as the fascinating Stonehenge.
