text: bristol bristol ( / / ) is a city , unitary authority area and county in south west england with an estimated population of 442 , 500 in 2015 . it is england 's sixth and the united kingdom 's eighth most populous city , and the most populous city in southern england after london . people from bristol are known as bristolians . the city borders the unitary authority areas of north somerset and south gloucestershire , with the historic cities of bath and gloucester to the south - east and north - east , respectively . iron age hill forts and roman villas were built near the confluence of the rivers frome and avon , and around the beginning of the 11th century the settlement was known as brycgstow ( old english " the place at the bridge " ) . bristol received a royal charter in 1155 and was in gloucestershire until 1373 , when it became a county . from the 13th to the 18th century , bristol was among the top three english cities after london ( with york and norwich ) in tax receipts . bristol was surpassed by the rapid rise of manchester , liverpool and birmingham during the industrial revolution . bristol was a starting place for early voyages of exploration to the new world . on a ship out of bristol in 1497 john cabot , a venetian , became the first european since the vikings to land on mainland north america . in 1499 william weston , a bristol merchant , was the first englishman to lead an exploration to north america . the port of bristol has since moved from bristol harbour in the city centre to the severn estuary at avonmouth and royal portbury dock . bristol 's modern economy is built on the creative media , electronics and aerospace industries , and the city - centre docks have been redeveloped as centres of heritage and culture . the city has two universities , the university of the west of england and the university of bristol and a variety of artistic and sporting organisations and venues including the royal west of england academy , the arnolfini , spike island , ashton gate and the memorial stadium . it is connected to london and other major uk cities by road , rail , sea and air by the m5 and m4 ( which connects to the city centre by the m32 ) , bristol temple meads and bristol parkway mainline rail stations , and bristol airport . one of the uk 's most popular tourist destinations , bristol was selected in 2009 as one of the world 's top ten cities by international travel publishers dorling kindersley in their eyewitness guides for young adults . in 2014 the sunday times named it as the best city in britain in which to live , and bristol also won the eu 's european green capital award in 2015 . history archaeological finds , including flint tools believed to be between 300 , 000 and 126 , 000 years old made with the levallois technique , indicate the presence of neanderthals in the shirehampton and st annes areas of bristol during the middle palaeolithic . iron age hill forts near the city are at leigh woods and clifton down , on the side of the avon gorge , and on kings weston hill near henbury . a roman settlement , abona , existed at what is now sea mills ( connected to bath by a roman road ) ; another was at the present - day inns court . isolated roman villas and small forts and settlements were also scattered throughout the area . middle ages brycgstow ( old english " the place at the bridge " ) was founded by 1000 ; by about 1020 , it was a trading centre with a mint producing silver pennies bearing its name . by 1067 brycgstow was a well - fortified burh , and that year the townsmen beat off a raiding party from ireland led by three of harold godwinson 's sons . under norman rule , the town had one of the strongest castles in southern england . bristol was the place of exile for diarmait mac murchada , the irish king of leinster , after being overthrown . the bristol merchants subsequently played a prominent role in funding richard strongbow de clare and the norman invasion of ireland . the port developed in the 11th century around the confluence of the rivers frome and avon , adjacent to bristol bridge just outside the town walls . by the 12th century bristol was an important port , handling much of england 's trade with ireland , including slaves . the stone bridge built in 1247 was replaced by the current bridge during the 1760s . the town incorporated neighbouring suburbs and became a county in 1373 , the first town in england to be given this status . during this period , bristol became a shipbuilding and manufacturing centre . by the 14th century bristol , york and norwich were england 's largest medieval towns after london . one - third to one - half the population died in the black death of 1348 – 49 , which checked population growth , and its population remained between 10 , 000 and 12 , 000 for most of the 15th and 16th centuries . 15th and 16th centuries during the 15th century bristol was the second most important port in the country , trading with ireland , iceland and gascony . it was the starting point for many voyages , including robert 's ( 1457 – 58 ) unsuccessful attempt to break the italian monopoly of eastern mediterranean trade . bristol merchants then turned west , launching voyages of exploration in the atlantic by 1480 in search of the phantom island of hy - brazil . these atlantic voyages , also aimed at china , culminated in venetian john cabot 's 1497 exploration of north america and subsequent expeditions to the new world , underwritten by bristol merchants and king henry vii until 1508 . a 1499 voyage , led by merchant william weston of bristol , was the first expedition commanded by an englishman to north america . during the 16th century , bristol merchants concentrated on developing trade with spain and its american colonies . this included the smuggling of prohibited goods , such as food and guns , to iberia during the anglo - spanish war ( 1585 – 1604 ) . bristol 's illicit trade grew enormously after 1558 , becoming integral to its economy . the original diocese of bristol was founded in 1542 , when the former abbey of st. augustine ( founded by robert fitzharding four hundred years earlier ) became bristol cathedral . bristol also gained city status that year . during the english civil war in the 1640s the city was occupied by royalists , who built the royal fort house on the site of an earlier parliamentarian stronghold . 17th and 18th centuries growth of the city and trade came with the rise of england 's american colonies in the 17th century . bristol 's location on the west side of great britain gave its ships an advantage in sailing to and from the new world , and the city 's merchants made the most of it . the 18th century saw an expansion of england 's role in the atlantic trade in africans taken for slavery to the americas . bristol and liverpool became centres of the triangular trade . in the first side of the slavery triangle , manufactured goods were shipped to west africa and exchanged for africans ; the enslaved captives were transported across the atlantic to the americas in the middle passage under brutal conditions . in the third side of the triangle , plantation goods such as sugar , tobacco , rum , rice , cotton and a few slaves ( sold to the aristocracy as house servants ) returned across the atlantic . some household slaves were baptised in the hope this would mean their freedom in england . the somersett case of 1772 clarified that slavery was illegal in england . at the height of the bristol slave trade from 1700 to 1807 , more than 2 , 000 slave ships carried a conservatively estimated 500 , 000 people from africa to slavery in the americas . the seven stars public house , where abolitionist thomas clarkson collected information on the slave trade , is still operating . fishermen from bristol ( who had fished the grand banks of newfoundland since the 15th century ) began settling newfoundland permanently in larger numbers during the 17th century , establishing colonies at bristol 's hope and cuper 's cove . because of bristol 's nautical environment , maritime safety was an important issue in the city . during the 19th century , samuel plimsoll ( known as " the sailor 's friend " ) campaigned to make the seas safer ; shocked by overloaded vessels , he successfully fought for a compulsory load line on ships . in 1739 john wesley founded the first methodist chapel , the new room , in bristol . wesley , along with his brother charles wesley and george whitefield , preached to large congregations in bristol and the neighbouring village of kingswood , often in the open air . 19th century the city was associated with victorian engineer isambard kingdom brunel , who designed the great western railway between bristol and london paddington , two pioneering bristol - built oceangoing steamships ( ss great britain and ss great western ) , and the clifton suspension bridge . the new railway replaced the kennet and avon canal , which had fully opened in 1810 as the main route for the transport of goods between bristol and london . competition from liverpool ( beginning around 1760 ) , disruptions of maritime commerce due to war with france ( 1793 ) and the abolition of the slave trade ( 1807 ) contributed to bristol 's failure to keep pace with the newer manufacturing centres of northern england and the west midlands . the tidal avon gorge , which had secured the port during the middle ages , had become a liability . an 1804 – 09 plan to improve the city 's port with a floating harbour designed by william jessop was a costly error , requiring high harbour fees . by 1867 , ships were getting larger and the meanders in the river avon prevented boats over 300 feet ( 90 m ) from reaching the harbour , resulting in falling trade . the port facilities were migrating downstream to avonmouth and new industrial complexes were founded there . some of the traditional industries including copper and brass manufacture went into decline , but the import and processing of tobacco flourished with the expansion of the w.d. & h.o. wills business . supported by new industry and growing commerce , bristol 's population ( 66 , 000 in 1801 ) , quintupled during the 19th century , resulting in the creation of new suburbs such as clifton and cotham . these provide architectural examples from the georgian to the regency style , with many fine terraces and villas facing the road , and at right angles to it . in the early 19th century , the romantic medieval gothic style appeared , partially as a reaction against the symmetry of palladianism , and can be seen in buildings such as the bristol city museum and art gallery , the royal west of england academy , and the victoria rooms . riots broke out in 1793 and 1831 ; the first over the renewal of tolls on bristol bridge , and the second against the rejection of the second reform bill by the house of lords . the diocese of bristol had undergone several boundary changes by 1897 when it was " reconstituted " into the configuration which has lasted into the 21st century . 20th century from a population of about 330 , 000 in 1901 , bristol grew steadily during the 20th century , peaking at 428 , 089 in 1971 . its docklands were enlarged during the early 1900s by the royal edward dock . another new dock , the royal portbury dock , opened during the 1970s . as air travel grew in the first half of the century , aircraft manufacturers built factories . bristol was heavily damaged by luftwaffe raids during world war ii ; about 1 , 300 people living or working in the city were killed and nearly 100 , 000 buildings were damaged , at least 3 , 000 beyond repair . the original central market area , near the bridge and castle , is now a park containing two bombed churches and fragments of the castle . a third bomb - damaged church nearby , st nicholas , has been restored and is a museum housing a 1756 william hogarth triptych painted for the high altar of st mary redcliffe . the museum also has statues of king edward i ( moved from arno 's court triumphal arch ) and king edward iii ( taken from ' gate in the city walls when they were demolished about 1760 ) , and 13th - century statues of robert , 1st earl of gloucester ( builder of bristol castle ) and geoffrey de montbray ( who built the city 's walls ) from bristol 's newgate . the rebuilding of bristol city centre was characterised by 1960s and 1970s skyscrapers , mid - century modern architecture and road improvements . beginning in the 1980s some main roads were closed , the georgian - era queen square and portland square were restored , the broadmead shopping area regenerated , and one of the city centre 's tallest mid - century towers was demolished . bristol 's road infrastructure changed dramatically during the 1960s and 1970s with the development of the m4 and m5 motorways , which meet at the almondsbury interchange just north of the city and link bristol with london ( m4 eastbound ) , swansea ( m4 westbound across the severn estuary ) , exeter ( m5 southbound ) and birmingham ( m5 northbound ) . the 20th century relocation of the docks to avonmouth docks and royal portbury dock , 7 miles ( 11 km ) downstream from the city centre , has allowed the redevelopment of the old dock area ( the floating harbour ) . although the docks ' existence was once in jeopardy ( since the area was seen as a derelict industrial site ) , the inaugural 1996 international festival of the sea held in and around the docks affirmed the area as a leisure asset of the city . government bristol city council consists of 70 councillors representing 35 wards , with two per ward serving four - year terms . councillors are elected in thirds , with elections held in three years out of every four - year period . thus , since wards do not have both councillors up for election at the same time , two - thirds of the wards participate in each election . although the council was long dominated by the labour party , the liberal democrats have grown strong in the city and ( as the largest party ) took minority control of the council after the 2005 election . in 2007 , labour and the conservatives united to defeat the liberal democrat administration ; labour ruled the council as a minority administration , with helen holland as council leader . in february 2009 , the labour group resigned and the liberal democrats took office with a minority administration . in the 4 june 2009 council elections the liberal democrats gained four seats and , for the first time , overall control of the city council . in 2010 they increased their representation to 38 seats , giving them a majority of 6 . in 2011 they lost their majority , leading to a hung council . in the 2013 local elections , in which a third of the city 's wards were up for election , labour gained 7 seats and the green party doubled their seats from 2 to 4 . the liberal democrats lost 10 seats . these trends were continued into the next election in may 2014 , in which labour gained three seats to take their total to 31 , the green party won two more seats , the conservative party gained one seat , and ukip won their first - ever seat on the council . the liberal democrats lost a further seven seats . on 3 may 2012 , bristol held a referendum on the question of a directly elected mayor replacing one elected by the council . there were 41 , 032 votes in favour of a directly elected mayor and 35 , 880 votes against , with a 24 % turnout . an election for the new post was held on 15 november 2012 , and independent candidate george ferguson became mayor of bristol . the lord mayor of bristol , not to be confused with the mayor of bristol , is a figurehead elected each may by the city council . councillor faruk choudhury was selected by his fellow councillors for the position in 2013 . at 38 , he was the youngest person to serve as lord mayor of bristol and the first muslim elected to the office . bristol constituencies in the house of commons also included parts of other local authority areas until the 2010 general election , when their boundaries were aligned with the county boundary . the city is divided into bristol west , east , south and north west . since the 2015 election , the city has had three labour members of parliament ( mps ) and one conservative . the city has a tradition of political activism . edmund burke , mp for the bristol constituency for six years beginning in 1774 , insisted that he was a member of parliament first and a representative of his constituents ' interests second . women 's - rights advocate emmeline pethick - lawrence ( 1867 – 1954 ) was born in bristol , and left - wing politician tony benn was mp for bristol south east in 1950 – 1960 and 1963 – 83 . in 1963 the bristol bus boycott , following the bristol omnibus company 's refusal to hire black drivers and conductors , drove the passage of the uk 's 1965 race relations act . the 1980 st. pauls riot protested against racism and police harassment and showed mounting dissatisfaction with the social and economic circumstances of the city 's afro - caribbean residents . local support of fair trade was recognised in 2005 , when bristol became a fairtrade zone . bristol is both a city and a county , since edward iii granted it a county charter in 1373 . the county was expanded in 1835 to include suburbs such as clifton , and it was named a county borough in 1889 when that designation was introduced . on 1 april 1974 , bristol became a local government district of the county of avon . the city regained its independence and county status on 1 april 1996 , when avon was abolished and bristol became a unitary authority . geography and environment boundaries bristol 's boundaries are defined in several ways , depending on whether they are those of the city , the developed area , or greater bristol . the narrowest definition of the city is the city council boundary , which includes a large section of the western severn estuary up to ( but not including ) the islands of steep holm and flat holm . a slightly broader definition used by the office for national statistics ( ons ) includes developed areas adjoining bristol but outside the city - council boundary , such as whitchurch village , filton , patchway and bradley stoke , but excludes undeveloped areas within that boundary . the ons has defined a bristol urban area , which includes kingswood , mangotsfield , stoke gifford , winterbourne , frampton cotterell , almondsbury and easton in gordano . the north fringe of bristol , a developed area in south gloucestershire between the bristol city boundary and the m4 and m5 motorways , was so named as part of a 1987 plan prepared by the district council . greater bristol the term greater bristol , used by the government office of the south west ( now abolished ) , the office for national statistics and others , refers to the city and portions of the three neighbouring local authorities ‍ — ‌ bath and north east somerset , north somerset and south gloucestershire ‍ — ‌ an area sometimes called the " former avon area " or the west of england partnership ( wep ) area . greater bristol does not include bath or weston - super - mare , which are included in the wep area . the friends of suburban bristol railways ( fosbr ) conflates the terms greater bristol and suburban bristol . geography bristol is part of a limestone area running from the mendip hills in the south to the cotswolds in the northeast . the rivers avon and frome cut through the limestone to the underlying clay , creating bristol 's characteristically hilly landscape . the avon flows from bath in the east , through flood plains and areas which were marshes before the city 's growth . to the west the avon cuts through the limestone to form the avon gorge , aided by glacial meltwater after the last ice age . the gorge , which helped protect bristol harbour , has been quarried for stone to build the city , and its surrounding land has been protected from development as the downs and leigh woods . the avon estuary and the gorge are the county boundary with north somerset , and the river flows into the severn estuary at avonmouth . another gorge , cut by the hazel brook ( which flows into the river trym ) , crosses the blaise castle estate in northern bristol . climate located in southern england , bristol is one of the warmest cities in the uk with a mean annual temperature of approximately 10 . 5 ° c ( 50 . 9 ° f ) . it is among the sunniest , with 1 , 541 – 1 , 885 hours of sunshine per year . although the city is partially sheltered by the mendip hills , it is exposed to the severn estuary and the bristol channel . annual rainfall increases from north to south , with totals north of the avon in the 600 – 900 mm ( 24 – 35 in ) range and 900 – 1 , 200 mm ( 35 – 47 in ) south of the river . rain is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year , with autumn and winter the wetter seasons . the atlantic ocean influences bristol 's weather , keeping its average temperature above freezing throughout the year , but winter frosts are frequent and snow occasionally falls from early november to late april . summers are warm and drier , with variable sunshine , rain and clouds , and spring weather is unsettled . the weather stations nearest bristol for which long - term climate data are available are long ashton ( about 5 miles ( 8 km ) south west of the city centre ) and bristol weather station , in the city centre . data collection at these locations ended in 2002 and 2001 , respectively , and filton airfield is currently the nearest weather station to the city . temperatures at long ashton from 1959 to 2002 ranged from 33 . 5 ° c ( 92 . 3 ° f ) in july 1976 to − 14 . 4 ° c ( 6 . 1 ° f ) in january 1982 . monthly high temperatures since 2002 at filton exceeding those recorded at long ashton include 25 . 7 ° c ( 78 . 3 ° f ) in april 2003 , 34 . 5 ° c ( 94 . 1 ° f ) in july 2006 and 26 . 8 ° c ( 80 . 2 ° f ) in october 2011 . the lowest recent temperature at filton was − 10 . 1 ° c ( 13 . 8 ° f ) in december 2010 . although large cities in general experience an urban heat island effect , with warmer temperatures than their surrounding rural areas , this phenomenon is minimal in bristol . environment bristol was ranked as britain 's most - sustainable city ( based on its environmental performance , quality of life , future - proofing and approaches to climate change , recycling and biodiversity ) , topping environmental charity forum for the future 's 2008 sustainable cities index . local initiatives include sustrans ( creators of the national cycle network , founded as in 1977 ) and , a non - profit business established in 1988 by avon friends of the earth . in 2014 the sunday times named it as the best city in britain in which to live , the city received the 2015 european green capital award , becoming the first uk city to receive this award . demography in 2014 , the office for national statistics estimated the bristol unitary authority 's population at 442 , 474 , making it the 43rd - largest ceremonial county in england . the ons , using census 2001 data , estimated the city 's population at 441 , 556 and that of the contiguous urban area at 551 , 066 . in 2006 the ons estimated bristol 's urban - area population at 587 , 400 , making it england 's sixth - most - populous city and ninth - most - populous urban area . at 3 , 599 inhabitants per square kilometre ( 9 , 321 / sq mi ) it has the seventh - highest population density of any english district . according to the 2011 census , 84 % of the population was white ( 77 . 9 % white british , 0 . 9 % white irish , 0 . 1 % gypsy or irish travellers and 5 . 1 % other white ) ; 3 . 6 % mixed - race ( 1 . 7 % white - and - black caribbean , 0 . 4 % white - and - black african , 0 . 8 % white and asian and 0 . 7 % other mixed ) ; 5 . 5 % asian ( 1 . 5 % indian , 1 . 6 % pakistani , 0 . 5 % bangladeshi , 0 . 9 % chinese and one percent other asian ) ; 6 % black ( 2 . 8 % african , 1 . 6 % caribbean , 1 . 6 % other black ) , 0 . 3 % arab and 0 . 6 % with other heritage . bristol is unusual among major british towns and cities in its larger black than asian population . these statistics apply to the bristol unitary authority area , excluding areas of the urban area ( 2006 estimated population 587 , 400 ) in south gloucestershire , bath and north east somerset ( banes ) and north somerset — such as kingswood , mangotsfield , filton and warmley . economy and industry bristol has a long history of trade , originally exporting wool cloth and importing fish , wine , grain and dairy products ; later imports were tobacco , tropical fruits and plantation goods . major imports are motor vehicles , grain , timber , produce and petroleum products . since the 13th century , the rivers have been modified for docks ; during the 1240s , the frome was diverted into a deep , man - made channel ( known as saint augustine 's reach ) which flowed into the river avon . ships occasionally departed bristol for iceland as early as 1420 , and speculation exists that sailors from bristol made landfall in the americas before christopher columbus or john cabot . beginning in the early 1480s , the bristol society of merchant venturers sponsored exploration of the north atlantic in search of trading opportunities . in 1552 , edward vi granted a royal charter to the merchant venturers to manage the port . by 1670 the city had 6 , 000 tons of shipping ( of which half was imported tobacco ) , and by the late 17th and early 18th centuries shipping played a significant role in the slave trade . during the 18th century , bristol was britain 's second - busiest port ; business was conducted in the trading area around the exchange in corn street over bronze tables known as nails . although the nails are cited as originating the phrase " cash on the nail " ( immediate payment ) , the phrase was probably in use before their installation . the city 's economy also relies on the aerospace , defence , media , information technology , financial services and tourism industries . the ministry of defence ( mod ) ' s procurement executive , later known as the defence procurement agency and defence equipment and support , moved to its headquarters at abbey wood , filton , in 1995 . this organisation , with a staff of 7 , 000 to 8 , 000 , procures and supports mod equipment . one of the uk 's most popular tourist destinations , bristol was selected in 2009 as one of the world 's top - ten cities by international travel publishers dorling kindersley in their eyewitness guides for young adults . bristol is one of the eight largest regional english cities that make up the core cities group , and is ranked as a gamma world city by the globalization and world cities research network , the fourth highest ranked english city . in 2014 bristol 's gross domestic product was £ 30 . 502 billion . its per capita gdp was £ 46 , 000 ( $ 65 , 106 , € 57 , 794 ) , which was some 65 % above the national average , the third highest of any english city ( after london and nottingham ) and the sixth highest of any city in the united kingdom ( behind london , edinburgh , glasgow , belfast and nottingham ) . bristol 's march 2007 unemployment rate was 4 . 8 % , compared with four percent for south west england and the national average of 5 . 5 % . although bristol 's economy no longer relies upon its port , which was moved to docks at avonmouth during the 1870s and to the royal portbury dock in 1977 as ship size increased , it is the largest importer of cars to the uk . until 1991 , the port was publicly owned ; it is leased , with £ 330 million invested and its annual tonnage increasing from 3 . 9 million long tons ( 4 million tonnes ) to 11 . 8 million ( 12 million ) . tobacco importing and cigarette manufacturing have ceased , but the importation of wine and spirits continues . the financial services sector employs 59 , 000 in the city , and 50 micro - electronics and silicon design companies employ about 5 , 000 . in 1983 hewlett - packard opened its national research laboratory in bristol . in 2014 the city was ranked seventh in the " top 10 uk destinations " by tripadvisor . during the 20th century , bristol 's manufacturing activities expanded to include aircraft production at filton by the bristol aeroplane company and aircraft - engine manufacturing by bristol aero engines ( later rolls - royce ) at patchway . bristol aeroplane was known for their world war i bristol fighter and world war ii blenheim and beaufighter planes . during the 1950s they were a major english manufacturer of civilian aircraft , known for the freighter , britannia and brabazon . the company diversified into automobile manufacturing during the 1940s , producing hand - built , luxury bristol cars at their factory in filton , and the bristol cars company was spun off in 1960 . the city also gave its name to bristol buses , which were manufactured in the city from 1908 to 1983 : by bristol tramways until 1955 , and from 1955 to 1983 by bristol commercial vehicles . filton played a key role in the anglo - french concorde supersonic airliner project during the 1960s . the british concorde prototype made its maiden flight from filton to raf fairford on 9 april 1969 , five weeks after the french test flight . in 2003 british airways and air france decided to discontinue concorde flights , retiring the aircraft to locations ( primarily museums ) worldwide . on 26 november 2003 concorde 216 made the final concorde flight , returning to bristol filton airport as the centrepiece of a proposed air museum which is planned to include the existing bristol aero collection ( including a bristol britannia ) . the aerospace industry remains a major sector of the local economy . major aerospace companies in bristol include bae systems , a merger of marconi electronic systems and bae ( the latter a merger of bac , hawker siddeley and scottish aviation ) . airbus and rolls - royce are also based at filton , and aerospace engineering is an area of research at the university of the west of england . another aviation company in the city is cameron balloons , who manufacture hot air balloons ; each august the city hosts the bristol international balloon fiesta , one of europe 's largest hot - air balloon festivals . in 2005 bristol was named by the uk government one of england 's six science cities . a £ 500 million shopping centre , cabot circus , opened in 2008 amidst predictions by developers and politicians that the city would become one of england 's top ten retail destinations . the bristol temple quarter enterprise zone , focused on creative , high - tech and low - carbon industries around bristol temple meads railway station , was announced in 2011 and launched the following year . the 70 - hectare ( 170 - acre ) urban enterprise zone has streamlined planning procedures and reduced business rates . rates generated by the zone are channelled to five other designated enterprise areas in the region : avonmouth , bath , bristol and bath science park in emersons green , filton , and weston - super - mare . bristol is the only big city whose wealth per capita is higher than that of britain as a whole . with a highly skilled workforce drawn from its universities , bristol claims to have the largest cluster of computer chip designers and manufacturers outside silicon valley . the wider region has one of the biggest aerospace hubs in the uk , centred on airbus , rolls - royce and gkn at filton airfield . culture arts bristol has a thriving current and historical arts scene . some of the modern venues and modern digital production companies have merged with legacy production companies based in old buildings around the city . in 2008 the city was a finalist for the 2008 european capital of culture , although the title was awarded to liverpool . the bristol old vic , founded in 1946 as an offshoot of the old vic in london , occupies the 1766 theatre royal ( 607 seats ) on king street ; the 150 - seat new vic ( a studio - type theatre ) , and a foyer and bar in the adjacent coopers ' hall ( built in 1743 ) . the theatre royal , a grade i listed building , is the oldest continuously operating theatre in england . the bristol old vic theatre school ( which originated in king street ) is a separate company , and the bristol hippodrome is a 1 , 951 - seat theatre for national touring productions . other smaller theatres include the tobacco factory , , the redgrave theatre at clifton college and the alma tavern . bristol 's theatre scene features several companies as well as the old vic , including show of strength , shakespeare at the tobacco factory and travelling light . theatre bristol is a partnership between the city council , arts council england and local residents to develop the city 's theatre industry . several organisations support bristol theatre ; the residence ( an artist - led community ) provides office , social and rehearsal space for theatre and performance companies , and equity has a branch in the city . the city has many venues for live music , its largest the 2 , 000 - seat colston hall named after edward colston . others include the bristol academy , the fleece , the croft , the exchange , fiddlers , the victoria rooms , trinity centre , st george 's bristol and several pubs , from the jazz - oriented the old duke to rock at the fleece and firkin and indie bands at the louisiana . in 2010 prs for music called bristol the uk 's most musical city , based on the number of its members born there relative to the city 's population . since the late 1970s bristol has been home to bands combining punk , funk , dub and political consciousness , and trip hop and bristol sound artists such as tricky , portishead and massive attack ; the list of bands from bristol is extensive . the city is a stronghold of drum and bass , with artists such as roni size 's mercury prize - winning , as dj krust and more rockers . this music is part of the bristol urban - culture scene which received international media attention during the 1990s . the bristol city museum and art gallery houses a collection encompassing natural history , archaeology , local glassware , chinese ceramics and art . the m shed museum opened in 2011 on the site of the former bristol industrial museum . both are operated by bristol museums , galleries and archives , which also runs three historic houses ‍ — ‌ the tudor red lodge , the georgian house and blaise castle house ‍ — ‌ and bristol record office . the 18th- and 19th - century portrait painter thomas lawrence , 19th - century architect francis greenway ( designer of many of sydney 's first buildings ) were born in the city . the graffiti artist banksy is believed to be from bristol , and many of his works are on display in the city . the watershed media centre and arnolfini gallery ( both in dockside warehouses ) exhibit contemporary art , photography and cinema , and the city 's oldest gallery is at the royal west of england academy in clifton . the nomadic antlers gallery opened in 2010 , moving into empty spaces on park street , on whiteladies road and in the purifier house on bristol 's harbourside . stop motion animation films and commercials ( produced by aardman animations ) are made in bristol . bristol is home to the regional headquarters of bbc west and the bbc natural history unit . locations in and around bristol have featured in the bbc 's natural - history programmes , including animal magic ( filmed at bristol zoo ) . bristol is the birthplace of 18th - century poets robert southey and thomas chatterton . southey ( born on wine street in 1774 ) and his friend , samuel taylor coleridge , married the fricker sisters from the city . william wordsworth spent time in bristol , where joseph cottle published lyrical ballads in 1798 . comedians from the city include justin lee collins , lee evans russell howard and writer - comedian stephen merchant . architecture bristol has 51 grade i , 500 grade ii * and over 3 , 800 grade ii listed buildings in a variety of architectural styles , from medieval to modern . during the mid - 19th century bristol byzantine , a style unique to the city , was developed , and several examples have survived . buildings from most architectural periods of the united kingdom can be seen in the city . surviving elements of the fortifications and castle date to the medieval period , and the church of st james dates back to the 12th century . the oldest grade i listed buildings in bristol are religious . st james ' priory was founded in 1129 as a benedictine priory by earl robert of gloucester , the illegitimate son of henry i. the second oldest is bristol cathedral and its associated great gatehouse . founded in 1140 , the church became the seat of the bishop and cathedral of the new diocese of bristol in 1542 . most of the medieval stonework , particularly the elder lady chapel , is made from limestone taken from quarries around dundry and felton with bath stone being used in other areas . amongst the other churches included in the list is the 12th century st mary redcliffe which is the tallest building in bristol . the church was described by queen elizabeth i as " the fairest , goodliest , and most famous parish church in england . " secular buildings include the red lodge , built in 1580 for john yonge as a lodge for a larger house that once stood on the site of the present colston hall . it was subsequently added to in georgian times and restored in the early 20th century . st bartholomew 's hospital is a 12th - century town house which was incorporated into a monastery hospital founded in 1240 by sir john la warr , 2nd baron de la warr ( c . 1277 – 1347 ) , and became bristol grammar school from 1532 to 1767 , and then queen elizabeth 's hospital 1767 – 1847 . the round piers predate the hospital , and may come from an aisled hall , the earliest remains of domestic architecture in the city , which was then adapted to form the hospital chapel . three 17th - century town houses which were attached to the hospital were incorporated into model workers ' flats in 1865 , and converted to offices in 1978 . st nicholas 's almshouses were built in 1652 to provide care for the poor . several public houses were also built in this period , including the llandoger trow on king street and the hatchet inn . manor houses include goldney hall , where the highly decorated grotto dates from 1739 . commercial buildings such as the exchange and old post office from the 1740s are also included in the list . residential buildings include the georgian portland square and the complex of small cottages around a green at blaise hamlet , which was built around 1811 for retired employees of quaker banker and philanthropist john scandrett harford , who owned blaise castle house . the 18th - century kings weston house , in northern bristol , was designed by john vanbrugh and is the only vanbrugh building in any uk city outside london . almshouses and pubs from the same period intermingle with modern development . several georgian squares were designed for the middle class as prosperity increased during the 18th century . during world war ii , the city centre was heavily bombed during the bristol blitz . the central shopping area near wine street and castle street was particularly hard - hit , and the dutch house and st peter 's hospital were destroyed . nevertheless , in 1961 john betjeman called bristol " the most beautiful , interesting and distinguished city in england " . sport bristol has teams representing all the major national sports . bristol city and bristol rovers are the city 's main football clubs . bristol rugby ( rugby union ) and gloucestershire county cricket club are also based in the city . the two football league clubs are bristol city and bristol rovers ‍ — ‌ the former being the only club from the city to play in the precursor to the premier league . non - league clubs include mangotsfield united , bristol manor farm and brislington . bristol city , formed in 1897 , were division one runners - up in 1907 and lost the fa cup final in 1909 . in the first division in 1976 , they then sank to the bottom professional tier before reforming after a 1982 bankruptcy . bristol city were promoted to the second tier of english football in 2007 , losing to hull city in the playoff for promotion to the premier league that season . bristol rovers , the oldest professional football team in the city , were formed in 1883 and promoted back into the football league in 2015 . they were third - tier champions twice ( division three south in 1952 – 53 and division three in 1989 – 90 ) , watney cup winners ( 1972 ) and runners - up for the johnstone 's paint trophy ( 2006 – 07 ) although have never played in england 's top division . the club has planning permission for a new 21 , 700 - capacity all - seater stadium at the university of the west of england 's frenchay campus . construction was due to begin in mid - 2014 , but in march 2015 the sale of the memorial stadium site ( needed to finance the new stadium ) was in jeopardy . bristol academy women 's football club is based at south gloucestershire and stroud college . the city is also home to bristol rugby , formed in 1888 as bristol football club by the merger of the carlton club with rival redland park . westbury park declined the merger and folded , with many of its players joining bristol . bristol rugby has often competed at the highest level of the sport since its formation in 1888 . the club played at the memorial ground , which it shared with bristol rovers from 1996 . although bristol rugby owned the stadium when the football club arrived , a decline in the rugby club 's fortunes led to a transfer of ownership to bristol rovers . in 2014 bristol rugby moved to their new home , ashton gate stadium ( home to bristol rovers ' rivals bristol city ) , for the 2014 – 15 season . dating from 1901 , the bristol combination and its 53 clubs promote rugby union in the city and help support bristol rugby . the most prominent of bristol 's smaller rugby clubs include clifton rugby , crusaders , and cleve . rugby league is represented in bristol by the bristol sonics . the first - class cricket club gloucestershire county cricket club has its headquarters and plays the majority of its home games at the bristol county ground , the only major international sports venue in the south west of england . it was formed by the family of w. g. grace . the club is arguably bristol 's most successful , achieving a period of success between 1999 and 2006 when it won nine trophies and became the most formidable one - day outfit in england , including winning a " double double " in 1999 and 2000 ( both the benson and hedges cup and the c & g trophy ) , and the sunday league in 2000 . gloucestershire ccc also won the royal london one - day cup in 2015 . the bristol flyers basketball team have competed in the british basketball league , the uk 's premier professional basketball league , since 2014 . bristol aztecs play in britain 's premier american football competition , the bafa national leagues . in 2009 ice hockey returned to bristol after a 17 - year absence , with the bristol pitbulls playing at bristol ice rink ; after its closure , it shared a venue with oxford city stars . bristol sponsors an annual half marathon and hosted the 2001 iaaf world half marathon championships . athletic clubs in bristol include bristol and west ac , bitton road runners and westbury harriers . bristol has staged finishes and starts of the tour of britain cycle race and facilities in the city were used as training camps for the 2012 london olympics . the bristol international balloon fiesta , a major uk hot - air ballooning event , is held each summer at ashton court . media bristol is home to the regional headquarters of bbc west and the bbc natural history unit based at broadcasting house , which produces television , radio and online content with a natural history or wildlife theme . these include nature documentaries , including the blue planet and planet earth . the city has a long association with david attenborough 's authored documentaries , including life on earth . bristol has two daily newspapers , the western daily press and the bristol post ; a weekly free newspaper , the bristol observer ; and a bristol edition of the free metro newspaper . all are owned by the trinity mirror group . the city has several radio stations , including bbc radio bristol . bristol 's television productions include points west for bbc west , endemol productions such as deal or no deal , and itv news west country for itv west & wales ( formerly htv west ) and itv westcountry . the hospital drama casualty , formerly filmed in bristol , moved to cardiff in 2012 . bristol has been a location for the channel 4 comedy - drama teachers , the bbc drama mistresses , the e4 teen drama skins and the bbc3 comedy - drama being human ; the latter moved to barry after series two . publishers in the city have included 18th - century bristolian joseph cottle , who helped introduce romanticism by publishing the works of william wordsworth and samuel taylor coleridge . during the 19th century , j.w. arrowsmith published the victorian comedies three men in a boat ( by jerome k. jerome ) and the diary of a nobody by george and weedon grossmith . the contemporary redcliffe press has published over 200 books covering all aspects of the city . bristol is home to youtube video producers the yogscast , with founders simon lane and lewis brindley moving their operations from reading to bristol in 2012 . dialect a dialect of english , known as bristolian , bristolese , or bristle ( after the publication of derek robson 's " krek waiters peak bristle " ) is spoken by longtime residents , who are known as bristolians . bristol natives have a rhotic accent , in which the post - vocalic r in " car " and " card " is pronounced ( unlike in received pronunciation ) . the unique feature of this accent is the " bristol ( or terminal ) l " , in which l is appended to words ending in a or o . whether this is a broad l or a w is a subject of debate , with " area " pronounced " areal " or " " . the ending of " bristol " is another example of the bristol l . bristolians pronounce -a and -o at the end of a word as ( ) . to non - natives , the pronunciation suggests an l after the vowel . until recently bristolese was characterised by retention of the second - person singular , as in the doggerel " cassn 't see what bist looking at ? cassn 't see as well as couldst , ? and if couldst , ' 't , ' ? " the west saxon bist is used for the english " art " , and children were admonished with " thee and thou , the welshman 's cow " . in bristolese , as in french and german , the second - person singular was not used when speaking to a superior ( except by the egalitarian quakers ) . the pronoun " thee " is also used in the subject position ( " what bist thee doing ? " ) , and " i " or " he " in the object position ( " give he to i. " ) . linguist stanley ellis , who found that many dialect words in the filton area were linked to aerospace work , described bristolese as " a cranky , crazy , crab - apple tree of language and with the sharpest , juiciest flavour that i 've heard for a long time " . religion in the 2011 united kingdom census , 46 . 8 % of bristol 's population identified as christian and 37 . 4 % said they were not religious ; the english averages were 59 . 4 % and 24 . 7 % , respectively . islam is observed by 5 . 1 % of the population , buddhism by 0 . 6 % , hinduism by 0 . 6 % , sikhism by 0 . 5 % , judaism by 0 . 2 % and other religions 0 . 7 % ; 8 . 1 % did not identify with a religion . bristol has several christian churches ; the most notable are the anglican bristol cathedral and st mary redcliffe and the roman catholic clifton cathedral . nonconformist chapels include buckingham baptist chapel and john wesley 's new room in broadmead . after st james ' presbyterian church was bombed on 24 november 1940 , it was never again used as a church ; although its bell tower remains , its nave was converted into offices . the city has eleven mosques , several buddhist meditation centres , a hindu temple , reform and orthodox - jewish synagogues and four sikh temples . education , science and technology bristol has two major institutions of higher education : the university of bristol , a " redbrick " chartered in 1909 , and its main building opened in 1925 . a polytechnic university opened in 1969 , giving the city a second institute of higher education which became the university of the west of england in 1992 . the university of law also has a campus in the city . bristol has two further education institutions ( city of bristol college and south gloucestershire and stroud college ) and three theological colleges : trinity college , wesley college and bristol baptist college . the city has 129 infant , junior and primary schools , 17 secondary schools , and three learning centres . after a section of north london , bristol has england 's second - highest number of independent - school places . independent schools in the city include clifton college , clifton high school , badminton school , bristol grammar school , redland high school , queen elizabeth 's hospital ( the only all - boys school ) and the red maids ' school ( founded in 1634 by john whitson , which claims to be england 's oldest girls ' school ) . in 2005 chancellor of the exchequer gordon brown named bristol one of six english " science cities " , and a £ 300 million science park was planned at emersons green . research is conducted at the two universities , the bristol royal infirmary and southmead hospital , and science is demonstrated at at - bristol , the bristol zoo , the bristol festival of nature and the create centre . the city has produced a number of scientists , including 19th - century chemist humphry davy ( who worked in hotwells ) . physicist paul dirac ( from bishopston ) received the 1933 nobel prize for his contributions to quantum mechanics . cecil frank powell was the melvill wills professor of physics at the university of bristol when he received the 1950 nobel prize for , among other discoveries , his photographic method of studying nuclear processes . colin was the planetary scientist behind the beagle 2 project , and neuropsychologist richard gregory founded the exploratory ( a hands - on science centre which was the predecessor of at - bristol ) . initiatives such as the flying start challenge encourage an interest in science and engineering in bristol secondary - school pupils ; links with aerospace companies impart technical information and advance student understanding of design . the bloodhound ssc project to break the land speed record is based at the bloodhound technology centre on the city 's harbourside . transport bristol has two principal railway stations . bristol temple meads ( near the city centre ) has first great western service which includes high - speed trains to london paddington station and local , regional and crosscountry trains . bristol parkway , north of the city centre , has high - speed first great western service to swansea , cardiff central and london paddington and crosscountry service to birmingham and the north east . limited service to london waterloo via clapham junction from bristol temple meads is operated by south west trains , and there are scheduled coach links to most major uk cities . the m4 motorway connects the city on an east - west axis from london to west wales , and the m5 is a north – south west axis from birmingham to exeter . the m49 motorway is a shortcut between the m5 in the south and the m4 severn crossing in the west , and the m32 is a spur from the m4 to the city centre . the runway , terminal and other facilities at bristol airport ( ) , lulsgate , have been upgraded since 2001 . public transport in the city consists primarily of a firstgroup ( formerly the bristol omnibus company ) bus network . other providers are abus , wessex and wessex star , operated by wessex for the two universities . bristol 's bus service has been criticised as unreliable and expensive , and in 2005 firstgroup was fined for delays and safety violations . private car use is high in the city , leading to traffic congestion costing an estimated £ 350 million per year . bristol allows motorcycles to use most of the city 's bus lanes and provides secure , free parking for them . although the city council has included a light rail system in its local transport plan since 2000 , it has not yet funded the project ; bristol was offered european union funding for the system , but the department for transport did not provide the required additional funding . a new bus rapid transit system ( brt ) called metrobus , is currently under construction across bristol , as of 2015 , to provide a faster and reliable service than buses , improve transport infrastructure and reduce congestion . the metrobus rapid transit scheme will run on both bus lanes and segregated guided busways on three routes ; ashton vale to temple meads ( ) , north fringe to hengrove and south bristol link ( ) . metrobus services are expected to start in 2017 . several road - construction plans , including re - routing and improving the south bristol ring road , are supported by the city council . three park and ride sites serve bristol . the city centre has water transport operated by bristol ferry boats , bristol packet boat trips and number seven boat trips , providing leisure and commuter service in the harbour . bristol 's principal surviving suburban railway is the severn beach line to avonmouth and severn beach . although portishead railway 's passenger service was a casualty of the beeching cuts , freight service to the royal portbury dock was restored from 2000 to 2002 with a strategic rail authority rail - freight grant . the metrowest scheme , formerly known as the greater bristol metro , proposes to increase the city 's rail capacity as well as the restoration of a further 3 miles ( 5 km ) of track to portishead ( a dormitory town with one connecting road ) , despite concerns about insufficient funds to rebuild stations , is scheduled for completion by 2019 . bristol was designated as england 's first " cycling city " in 2008 and is home to sustrans , the sustainable transport charity . the city has urban cycle routes and links with national cycle network routes to bath , london , gloucester , wales and south west england . cycling trips have increased by 21 % from 2001 to 2005 . twin cities bristol was among the first cities to adopt town twinning after world war ii . twin towns include : bordeaux , france ( since 1947 ) hanover , germany ( since 1947 ; one of the first post - war twinnings of british and german cities ) porto , portugal ( since 1984 ) tbilisi , georgia ( since 1988 ) puerto morazán , nicaragua ( since 1989 ) beira , mozambique ( since 1990 ) guangzhou , china ( since 2001 )