Bedminster, Bristol
| Bedminster | |
|---|---|
 Boundaries of the city council ward. | |
| Population | 12,448 (2011.Ward)[1] |
| OS grid reference | ST580713 |
| • London | 124m |
| Unitary authority |
|
| Region |
|
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRISTOL |
| Postcode district | BS3 |
| Dialling code | 0117 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Avon |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament |
|
Bedminster is a district of Bristol, England, on the south side of the city. It is also the name of a council ward, which includes the central part of the district and some other areas.
The eastern part of Bedminster is known as Windmill Hill. To the south of Bedminster is high ground known as Bedminster Down, now generally considered a separate suburb. According to the Bristol City Council neighbourhood profiles, the Southville ward is considered part of Bedminster.
Looking across Bedminster Bridge Roundabout
Contents
1 History
2 Education
3 Transport
4 Sport and recreation
5 Culture
6 Council ward
6.1 Ashton Vale
6.2 Politics
7 Notable people
8 References
9 External links
History
Bedminster was once a small town in Somerset. The town's origins seem to be Roman, centred on the present East Street and West Street. Finds here have been interpreted as an enclosed rural farmstead, dating between the 2nd and 4th centuries, but with possible Iron Age origins.[2] The river Malago, which runs through Bedminster to join the Avon, was an early Christian place for baptisms — the old word for which, beydd may be the origin of Bedminster's name.[3]
Substantial Roman remains have also been found at Bedminster Down, including plaster, tesserae (hence mosaic floors), sandstone roof tiles, coins and pottery, hence the site is thought to be a Roman Villa occupied by the Romano-British.
By the late Anglo-Saxon period Bedminster was a manor held by King Edward the Confessor in the 11th century, and in the Domesday Book of 1086 was still in royal hands. The Royal Manor of Bedminster comprised all the land south of the Avon, from the Avon Gorge to Brislington, and in the Domesday Book had 25 villeins, 3 slaves and 27 smallholders. In 1154 it was given to the Lords of Berkeley, who kept it for 300 years. In 1605 it was purchased by the Smyth family of Ashton Court who remained the Lords of the Manor until the 19th century.
The parish of Bedminster was part of the hundred of Hartcliffe.[4]
The London Inn, a landmark pub,[5] is at the junction of Cannon Street, East Street and British Road
In 1644, during the English Civil War, Bedminster was sacked by Prince Rupert.[6] When John Wesley preached there in the 1760s, it was a sprawling, decayed market town, with orchards next to brickworks, ropewalks and the beginnings of a mining industry.
Open cast coal mining had been done on a small scale since the 1670s, but in 1748 the first shafts were sunk by Sir Jarrit Smyth at South Liberty Lane. By the end of the century there were eighteen coal-pits operating in the Bedminster and Ashton Vale coalfield.
Between 1804 and 1809 the New Cut was excavated through the northern part of the parish from Temple Meads to Hotwells, providing a new course for the River Avon, enabling the original course to be held at a constant level so that shipping could stay afloat in Bristol Harbour, now known as the Floating Harbour. In addition to removing the tides, the new cut also helped with reducing silting in the harbour. It is now the boundary between Bedminster and the City centre.
In 1840 the shipbuilder Acramans, Morgan and Co began opened the Bedminster Yard on the New Cut, to build a number of steam ships including two large vessels for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, the 2,000 tonne Avon and Severn in 1842.[7] In 1862 John Payne Ltd took over the yard, then known as the Vauxhall Yard, and continued to build coastal cargo ships, and small craft such as tugs. They closed in 1925, and the site was taken over by Bristol Metal Welding and Spraying Company, who are still in business there today.
A nocturnal view along East Street
The population of Bedminster increased rapidly, from 3,000 in 1801 to 78,000 in 1884, mostly as a result of the coalfield and industries such as smelting, tanneries, glue-works, paint and glass factories. In the 1880s two major employers moved there – E. S. & A. Robinson (paper bag manufacturers) and W.D. & H.O. Wills (cigarette and cigar makers). The population overflowed to Windmill Hill, Totterdown, Southville, the Chessels and Bedminster Down. During this time, churches, public houses, shops and businesses were built, some of which still survive.
Victoria Park was laid out at the north of Bedminster in the late 1880s to provide recreational facilities for the new housing development.[8]
In World War II, Bedminster was one of several areas of Bristol that were heavily bombed during the Bristol Blitz. Post-war town planning relocated most of the heavy industry to the rural areas to the south of the parish, and new estates grew up in Withywood, Hartcliffe and Highridge.
Bedminster, New Jersey, founded in 1710, was named after Bedminster in Bristol.
Education
There are five primary schools in Bedminster:
- Holy Cross RC Primary School
- Parson Street Primary School
- Victoria Park Primary School
- Compass Point: South Street School and Children's Centre (known as South Street Primary School before April 2010)
- Oasis Academy Marksbury Road
And one secondary school, Bedminster Down School.
Transport
The two main shopping streets in Bedminster, East Street and North Street, form part of the A38 road, extending from Bedminster Bridge over the New Cut to Bedminster Down.
The Bristol to Exeter railway line passes through Bedminster, and there are two railway stations, Bedminster and Parson Street. The former Ashton Gate station used to serve the Ashton area and Bristol City F.C.
Sport and recreation
Bedminster is home to many sports teams, including Broad Plain Rugby Club, who play in the Bristol Combination league, and Bedminster Cricket Club, which was founded in 1847 and has historical links with W. G. Grace, who play in the West of England Premier League. Broad Plain RFC are based at Bristol South End, off St Johns Lane, which was the home of Bristol City Football Club before they moved to Ashton Gate, and later the sports and social club associated with E. S. & A. Robinson.
Bedminster is home to one of Bristol's two city farms, below Windmill Hill,[9] and also the national headquarters for the Federation of City Farms.[10] Opposite the city farm is Bristol's Hackspace, a shared workshop for electronics and robotics hobbyists.[11]
Culture
BV studios in Bedminster is the largest independent provider of low cost-studios and workshops in the city and recently expanded to include more than 140 artists and creative businesses.[12]
BV Studios is located in a warehouse of 30,000 square feet, originally built to house Wiltshire Printing Works, and where the magazines Viz, 2000AD, and the Big Issue were first printed. It later housed a motor-parts company,[13] and when part of the space was later used for an art gallery, the name 'Motorcade Flashparade' was used to reference the past usage of the space.
Motorcade/FlashParade was an artist-led project space in Bristol. It provided a platform for emerging artists, particularly from the South West region, and hosted an annual programme of exhibitions and events up to December 2013[14].
Council ward
The Bedminster council ward does not include the northern part of Bedminster, which is in Southville ward, or the area east of the railway line, which is in Windmill Hill ward. Bedminster Down is in Bishopsworth ward. Bedminster ward does include the district of Ashton Vale, to the south of Bedminster.
Ashton Vale
Ashton Vale includes an area of housing centred on Ashton Drive and South Liberty Lane, served by Ashton Vale Primary School. The northern part of Ashton Vale, adjacent to the Portishead Railway line, is mixed light industrial and retail outlets.
Politics
The Bedminster council ward elects two members of Bristol City Council. Celia Phipps and Mark Bradshaw are the current ward councillors, both of whom are members of the Labour Party.
Bedminster is part of the Bristol South constituency, whose MP is Karin Smyth of the Labour Party since 2015.
Notable people
Alfred Dancey, murderer at the age of fourteen, transported to Australia[15]
Princess Caraboo, impostor. Buried in Hebron Road burial ground.
References
^ "Bedminster" (PDF). 2011 Census Ward Information Sheet. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2015..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ Jackson, Reg & Roper Simon (2008). Archaeological Desk-based Assessment of land at ASHTON VALE, BRISTOL. Ashton Gateway Project. p9
^ Bantock, Anton (December 2001). "Bedminster". Avon parishes. Bristol: Bristol & Avon Family History Society (106). Retrieved 6 December 2009.
^ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
^ "Bedminster pubs". Avon Packet. Archived from the original on 21 May 2011.
^ Bantock, Anton. "Bedminster". Bristol & Avon Family History Society. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
^ Farr, Graeme (1977). Shipbuilding in the Port of Bristol National Maritime Museum Maritime Monographs and Reports. p11
^ "History and Structures of Victoria Park". Bristol City Council. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
^ "Windmill Hill City Farm".
^ "Federation of City Farms & Community Gardens".
^ "Bristol Hackspace".
^ "BV Studios".
^ "About BV".
^ "About Motorcade Flashparsde". 2013.
^
"SHOCKING MURDER OF A BOY AT BRISTOL". Bell's Life in Sydney and Sporting Reviewer. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
"Alfred Dancey". State Library of Queensland. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
External links
- Ashton Vale Community Site
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bedminster. |
"Bedminster" (PDF). 2005 Ward Profile. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 20 February 2007.
- Map of Bedminster circa 1900
