Bristol Walking Tour - Streetscapes

We've been busy exploring Bristol on foot. It's a wonderful city for walking with many footpaths along the Avon river and Floating Harbour.

In some places, it reminded me of Amsterdam, or, Copenhagen.

Bristol was heavily bombed and badly damaged in the Blitz of WWII. The whole of the main shopping area around the Norman castle site was wiped out in just one attack on November 2, 1940. However, many old buildings and interesting historical streetscapes remain. Bristol was founded as a port around 1000, receiving a Royal Charter in 1155. There are examples of Norman, Medieval, Tudor, Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian buildings remaining throughout the town.

Queen Square, completed in 1727 in honour of Queen Anne, has been so perfectly restored, without modern intrusions, that it makes history come alive and offers a tranquil, green respite from the busy roads that run outside it. Unbelievably, it wasn't always so. In 1937, a dual carriageway was built diagonally right through the middle of the square! Luckily, sense prevailed and the road was closed and removed in 1992.

Many buildings of the same vintage surround the square without a modern interloper among them.

Elsewhere in Old Town, there is a varied mix of styles. Some of the most elaborate and grandiose buildings were built in the Victorian era. This one was erected in 1857. The design was based on a Venetian library.

Perhaps more typical of Victorian style is this streetscape...

and this example from 1899.

This building defied description. Technically Victorian, as it was built in 1900, I had to look it up to find it has "a pre-Raphaelite art nouveau style facade". It was designed by the chief designer at Doulton and is the largest decorative Carrara marble tile facade of its type in Britain. "Edward Everard" is the name of the printing company that commissioned it.

This quaint shopping laneway is known as the Christmas Steps.

Substantial and impressive limestone buildings were found along Corn Street.

Nearby, on Broad Street, is the lovely Grand hotel. Built in 1869 and Grade II listed it has just reopened after a major refurbishment.

The tour ended in front of the Corn Street Exchange where we found an interesting bit of trivia about the clock with two minute hands above the entryway.