Brislington

Brislington is an area in the south east of the city of Bristol, England. It is on the edge of Bristol and 10 miles (16 km) from Bath. The Froome, locally nowadays called the Brislington Brook, runs through the area in the woodlands of Nightingale Valley and the much affluent West Brislington. West Brislington also houses the HTV West Studios on Bath Road and this is situated next to the historic Arnos Vale Cemetery which is undergoing restoration after a lengthy public and newspaper campaign.

Brislington

Brislington West and East wards shown within Bristol.
Brislington
Location within Bristol
Population11,511 (2011.Wards)(East)[1]
10,636 (West)[2]
OS grid referenceST622704
Unitary authority
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBRISTOL
Postcode districtBS4
Dialling code0117
PoliceAvon and Somerset
FireAvon
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament

History

The parish of Brislington was historically part of the Keynsham Hundred in Somerset.[3]

Brislington is also near to the site of the now demolished chapel of St. Anne's-in-the Wood (actually in nearby St Anne's), erected by one of the Lords de la Warr, whose family held the manor of Brislington from the late 12th to the mid-16th century; in the 15th century the chapel was a place of pilgrimage, visited by Henry VII). After the chapel was demolished following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Thomas Amory built a house called "St. Ann's" at the site in the mid-17th century.[4] During the 18th and 19th century, Brislington contained many country homes due to its reputation as a picturesque country village. It was also a notable centre of the making of brightly coloured English delftware pottery.

Brislington House (now known as Long Fox Manor) was built as a private lunatic asylum for the insane. When it opened in 1806 it was one of England's first purpose built asylums.[5][6][7] The Palladian fronted building was originally seven separate blocks into which patients were allocated depending on their class. The buildings, estate and therapeutic regime designed by Edward Long Fox was based on the principles of moral treatment which was fashionable at the time. Brislington House later influenced the design and construction of other asylums and influenced Act of parliament. The house and ancillary structures are listed buildings which have now been converted into private residences. The original grounds are Grade II* listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England and now include St. Brendan's Sixth Form College, sports pitches and some farmland. They are now included on the Heritage at Risk Register.

In 1866 Brislington became a civil parish. By the early 20th century it was encompassed by Bristol, and much urban housing and industry developed. In 1933, the civil parish was abolished and absorbed into Bristol.[8]

United Reformed Church

Churches in Brislington include St Lukes (which dates from the 15th century) and includes a bell dating from 1766 and made by Thomas Bilbie of the Bilbie family,[9] St Cuthberts, Carmel Christian Centre, St Christophers and the United Reformed Church.

The Bristol and North Somerset Railway (later the Great Western Railway) had a station at Brislington, which linked the city with the towns of the Somerset coalfield. The line opened in 1873 and was closed to passenger traffic in 1959, with freight services withdrawn in the mid 1960s.

In the early 21st century, Brislington's paint works was converted to studios, offices and houses, home to arts and media organisations.

A view east up Brislington Hill in Bristol

Education
Dish commemorating William III, c. 1689-1702, Brislington, tin-glazed earthenware (English delftware)

The area is home to CLC@Brislington, one of Bristol's three City Learning Centres, which use information communication technology in teaching and learning.

Schools in Brislington include St. Brendan's Sixth Form College, Holymead Junior School, Broomhill Junior and Infant School, West Town Lane Primary School, and Oasis Academy Brislington, a local secondary school.

Sport and leisure

Brislington has a Non-League football club Brislington F.C. who play at Ironmould Lane and a rugby union club, Old Redcliffians who play in National League 3 South West, a fifth level league in the English rugby union system. It is also home to Firebird Studios, an award-winning[10] rehearsal studio based on Emery Road and home to its childrens music school - Saturday Music Club.

References
  1. "Brislington East" (PDF). 2001 Census Ward Information Sheet. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2007.
  2. "Brislington West" (PDF). 2001 Census Ward Information Sheet. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2007.
  3. "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  4. Gertrude Euphemia Meredith, The descendants of Hugh Amory: 1605–1805, 1901p. 14.
  5. Historic England. "Brislington House (1001529)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  6. "Therapeutic theories of segregation and classification". National Archives. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  7. "Brislington House, Bath Road, Bristol". Heritage Explorer. English Heritage. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  8. Vision of Britain: Brislington CP
  9. Moore, James; Roy Rice; Ernest Hucker (1995). Bilbie and the Chew Valley clock makers. The authors. ISBN 0-9526702-0-8.
  10. Studios, Firebird (21 January 2021). "We won an award!!". Firebird Studios. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
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