Bristol, England Facts & Worksheets

Bristol is a thriving maritime city in southwest England, spanning the River Avon. Its former city center harbor, the Harbourside, is now a cultural hub where the M Shed museum explores local social and industrial histories.

See the fact file below for more information on Bristol, England or alternatively, you can download our 30-page Bristol, England worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

• Bristol was founded as a medieval town in 1155. In 1247, the harbor was enhanced by diverting the Frome to the west and constructing a stone bridge at its old confluence with the Avon.
• Bristol imported raw wool from Ireland and manufactured woolen cloth, which it sold to Spain and Portugal in exchange for sherry and port wine during the time of Edward III. 
• Bristol had grown into a major port, manufacturing town, and distribution hub for abroad and domestic trade by the 16th century.
• The city also had an essential role in nautical history since John Cabot sailed from its harbor in 1497 on his trip to North America.
• Bristol was a Royalist bastion throughout the English Civil Wars until the Parliamentarians took it in 1645 when the Society of Merchant Venturers was founded; its hall, along with a number of other historic buildings, was devastated by German bombing during World War II.
• Bristol thrived as a processing center for sugar and tobacco imported from Britain’s colonies in the Americas, to whom it supplied textiles, ceramics, glass, and other manufactured commodities in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. 
• The import of Jamaican sugar and cacao from the Caribbean resulted in the establishment of Bristol’s “sugar houses” and the production of chocolate. 
• However, by the nineteenth century, the expansion of the Lancashire cotton industry, along with the shipping restrictions imposed by the Avon Gorge below Clifton, resulted in the loss of much of Bristol’s trade to Liverpool.
• The arrival of the railway in 1841, followed by dock extensions at Avonmouth and Portishead, resulted in a rebirth of Bristol’s trade, and a suspension bridge across the Avon Gorge, built by Brunel and finished in 1864, caused even more traffic.

Demography and Culture

• Bristol’s racial and ethnic composition is as follows, according to the 2011 census:
  84.0 % White (77.9 % White British, 0.9 % White Irish, 0.1 % Gypsy or Irish Travelers, 5.1 % other White)
  6.0 % Black (2.8 % African
  1.6 % Caribbean, 1.6 % other Black)
  5.5 % are Asian (1.5 % Indian, 1.6 % Pakistani, 0.5 % Bangladeshi, 0.9 % Chinese, 1.0 % other Asian)
  3.6 % are of mixed-race (1.7 % White and Black Caribbean, 0.4 % White and Black African, 0.8 % White and Asian, 0.7 % other mixed-race) 
  0.3 % Arab
  0.6 % for other.
• There are about 91 distinct languages spoken and 45 different religions practiced. Furthermore, to say it’s a melting pot of many cultures would be an understatement. It all adds up to a city that is international, accepting, and open to new experiences.
• Bristol Culture established a “hub” of community partners and museum personnel to collaborate on exhibitions and incorporate community interaction. 
• The job description of every member of staff has also been updated to incorporate responsibility for engagement and involvement.

STRUCTURES

• The loss of a significant portion of the city center during WWII presented a chance for redevelopment. The Council House (1956), numerous modern public structures, and a new commercial center in Broadmead were all built after the war. 
• The Royal Portbury Dock was added to the port complex, with refined petroleum products, animal feeds, and forest goods now imported. Bristol’s principal exports are manufactured items from the West Midlands, including autos, tractors, and machinery. 
• Sugar refining, cocoa and chocolate production, wine bottling, and the production of excellent glass (Bristol blue), porcelain, and pottery are also local industries. 
• At Filton, the most notable industry currently is aircraft design and construction. 
• The church of St Mary Redcliffe, a 14th-century construction whose splendid proportions and exquisite Perpendicular Gothic style have made it one of England’s most recognized parish churches, is the most spectacular ecclesiastical building in Bristol to survive the war.
• Bristol’s cathedral church, constructed in 1142 as the abbey church of St. Augustine of Canterbury, is known for its Norman chapter house and doorway. 
• Other notable buildings that survived the destruction of the war are as follows: St. Mark’s, or the Lord Mayor’s Chapel, a Dominican priory associated with William Penn and the early history of the Society of Friends (Quakers), the New Room in Broadmead, the first Methodist chapel in the world and the headquarters of that faith’s founder, John Wesley, after 1739, Broadmead Baptist Chapel, also associated with the early Nonconformist movement in Bristol and the theater Royal, built-in 1766.
• Until 1990, claiming that you were from Bristol, a sleepy West Country town whose riches were built on the slave trade, was frowned upon. However, the trip-hop collective Massive Attack, altered opinions particularly in the UK to the point where, by the end of the decade, many saw Bristol as the place to be from. 
• Because each project preferred to work in its own club or workshop space, no one venue, studio, or record label provided cohesion. Nevertheless, several major individuals had worked together as part of a group of deejays known as the Wild Bunch in the mid-1980s.

SIGNIFICANT ATTRACTIONS

• Harbourside has the most tourist attractions in Bristol. The M Shed art space houses numerous original Banksy paintings, and families can enjoy a stroll around the aquarium. The entire neighborhood is relatively easy to navigate because of the vast pedestrianized squares.
• The world-famous Clifton Suspension Bridge was designed by the great Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who died before it was completed in 1864.
• Work began in 1831, but the project was plagued by political and financial issues, and by 1843, just the towers had been built, and the project had been abandoned. Brunel died in 1859 at the age of 53, but the Clifton Suspension Bridge was built in his honor. It was built in the early 19th century for light horse-pulled traffic, but it still meets the needs of 21st-century commuters, with 11-12,000 vehicles crossing it daily.
• The breathtaking sight of the Clifton Suspension Bridge on the cliffs of the Avon Gorge has made it the defining emblem of Bristol, attracting thousands of people each year to stroll across for views of the old Avon Gorge, elegant Clifton, and the great metropolis beyond.
• The Old Vic Theater underwent a multi-million-pound refurbishment recently with a new completely accessible front of the house with a Bar & Café, as well as a new interactive heritage offering and a brand-new Studio Theater.
• It also included cutting-edge rehearsal facilities, and in the auditorium, a drastically enlarged forestage and precision-engineered sightlines enable an even more intimate theatrical experience.
• The purpose of the theater is to create pioneering 21st-century theater in collaboration with the people of this vibrant city, inspired by the history and magical design of the country’s most beautiful playhouse.
• Aerospace Bristol highlights the astounding narrative of Bristol’s fantastic aviation feats and allows you and your family to board Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, the final supersonic jet to fly. Aerospace Bristol has a lot to offer, from the early days of powered flight to today’s cutting-edge aerospace technologies.
• There are planes, helicopters, missiles, satellites, engines, and more to see, as well as numerous interactive exhibits for people of all ages.
• It’s perfect for aspiring pilots to enjoy. Aerospace Bristol is located near Cribbs Causeway and offers tourists free parking.

Bristol, England Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Bristol, England across 30 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about Bristol which is a thriving maritime city in southwest England, spanning the River Avon.

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Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

• Bristol, England Facts 
• Gibberish TIME
• #CritiqueAttraction
• Bristol Word Scrabble
• Find My Name
• Old Vic theater
• Bristol Glossary
• SPOT Bristol
• Tale of Bristol
• #BristolMoments
• Write Your Thoughts

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the racial composition in Bristol, England?

According to the 2011 census: 84.0 % White, 6.0 % Black, 5.5 % are Asian, 3.6 % are of mixed-race, 0.3 % Arab 0.6 % for other.

What is Bristol, England famous for?

In medieval times when Bristol was first established as a town, its location along the harbor meant it thrived and prospered in the trade industry and shipbuilding. Due to its rich cultural history brought on by many years of being a large port city, it is now famous for creative media through art museums and theaters, as well as aerospace technology.

What is unique about Bristol?

One unique characteristic of Bristol is despite it being an independent city with all of today’s modernities, it prides itself in being a “walkable city”. They have built many pedestrian zones and pathways that ensures anyone can enjoy the abundance of art and beautiful structure the city has to offer.

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