12 Mar 2021
I was browsing some historical photos the other day, and came across "Rear of Unspecified House" in the Bristol Archives' John Trelawny Ross collection, and immediately recognised it as being the back of 1 Albermarle Row, just around the corner from me. I've not had much time to research the history of this odd little addition to Albermarle Row, or what happened to 1-4 Cumberland Place, number 4 of which used to be attached to the side of 1 Albermarle Row, but it was interesting to look at old maps for a few minutes and work out what used to be where.
That all connects with the little local bit of land at Granby Green, too, as it used to be numbers 1-3 Cumberland Place. There was something of a planning battle over Granby Green, and I've included an old edition of Hotwells & Cliftonwood News that I found online, a copy of which would have been popped through my letterbox at the time.
I was also inspired by some old pictures of Hotwell Road to try to put a few more people in my pictures, though I set my pre-focus a couple of extra metres out from normal to make sure I didn't get too close to anyone!
Tags: Bristol Places UK onemilematt united kingdom Hotwells Cumberland Place Granby Green
Auto-Tags: Tire Automotive tire Newspaper Publication Motor vehicle Tread Font Wheel Material property News Vehicle Automotive wheel system Advertising Tire care Screenshot
Text Recognition Tags: Decision time for new h&cca Open Space in Hotwells HOTWELLS & CLIFTONWOOD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION A recent poll of the people who sion granted to Edward Ware Homes campaigned in vain to preserve makes it clear that the whole site must Granby Green has confirmed that be landscaped and maintained for a year most want the remaining piece of before adoption by the Council, The undeveloped land in Cumberland original plan for the garden was heavily Place, Hotwells retained as a pub- criticised by members of Friends of lic open space with local people Granby Green as over-complex and having a say in how it is developed 'institutional but FROGG members are reviewing revised proposals that were The consultation followed an approach produced last year. They are hopeful by solicitors to the developers Edward that a partnership can be established with the Council Parks Dept. to ensure the residual land they own to the Com that the site is managed in a way that munity Association. Most people who reflects local needs without it being a responded to a questionnaire did not major financial burden for the Commu- ed by and managed. Ware Homes with an offer to transfer see ownership of the space as impor- nity Association. tant but were concermed that it should The whole development has been the be protected from any future develop- subject of a number of planning breaches and consequent enforcement Part of the site intended for open space action by the Council, described as a 'nightmare by an offi- cer in the Planning De- Alkhough Granby Hill is now open to traffic, the planned improvements to the footpath and highway have not yet ment. is owned by Bristol City Council and there is a provision in the planning agreement for the developer's section to be transferred to partment. Bristol C.C. owmership as well. The offer of ownership of one part of the site to the CA taken place. If you want to be in- volved with the pro- posed garden or have any comment on the scheme contact Mike would not therefore overcome the prob lems of split ownership or guarantee the out- come that local people Timmins tel: 9291804 want. The planning permis- The s of the panned garden Granby Green -a short history This apace had cared for by local residents a an informal community garden from as far back as the 1970s unail a fance was erected by a develaper, to establiah a tde with the Land Ragistry in May 2002 Tha 4 day interruption to pubic access later proved to be a crudal factor in the IB legal battle to regster the space as Town Green which would have protected it from developmere, n renoved by a recent High pnenas of Graby Green) campagned to Ibeen regardiess of ownership (iroricaly. chis technical objection has now been Court rulng A support group of around 100 local people prevent the loss of the space and the group tced a professional legal team at a three day publik in In this edition: Community News Winning ideas - Meet Your Neighbour -6 Events & Activities - quiry At one point, Town Green satus wos con ferred by the Bristol CC Open Spaces committee but bear rescinded folawing thrests of legal action by the then ownieri, Etward Ware Homes. Local resident Mike Timmin has ggeed that the now smaler space below Walace Place, che new 4 block of Mats should be christened Gromit Gar. 7 dens Rey Smth Contacts 8 HOTWELLS&CLIFTONWOe Spring 2007 SM3N Published y Hetwells A CIenweed Cemmunity Aassetaten, Htepe Chapel, Hepe Chapel Hill, Hetwells, Brtatel. BSa 4ND Decision time for new h&cca Open Space in Hotwells HOTWELLS & CLIFTONWOOD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION A recent poll of the people who sion granted to Edward Ware Homes campaigned in vain to preserve makes it clear that the whole site must Granby Green has confirmed that be landscaped and maintained for a year most want the remaining piece of before adoption by the Council, The undeveloped land in Cumberland original plan for the garden was heavily Place, Hotwells retained as a pub- criticised by members of Friends of lic open space with local people Granby Green as over-complex and having a say in how it is developed 'institutional but FROGG members are reviewing revised proposals that were The consultation followed an approach produced last year. They are hopeful by solicitors to the developers Edward that a partnership can be established with the Council Parks Dept. to ensure the residual land they own to the Com that the site is managed in a way that munity Association. Most people who reflects local needs without it being a responded to a questionnaire did not major financial burden for the Commu- ed by and managed. Ware Homes with an offer to transfer see ownership of the space as impor- nity Association. tant but were concermed that it should The whole development has been the be protected from any future develop- subject of a number of planning breaches and consequent enforcement Part of the site intended for open space action by the Council, described as a 'nightmare by an offi- cer in the Planning De- Alkhough Granby Hill is now open to traffic, the planned improvements to the footpath and highway have not yet ment. is owned by Bristol City Council and there is a provision in the planning agreement for the developer's section to be transferred to partment. Bristol C.C. owmership as well. The offer of ownership of one part of the site to the CA taken place. If you want to be in- volved with the pro- posed garden or have any comment on the scheme contact Mike would not therefore overcome the prob lems of split ownership or guarantee the out- come that local people Timmins tel: 9291804 want. The planning permis- The s of the panned garden Granby Green -a short history This apace had cared for by local residents a an informal community garden from as far back as the 1970s unail a fance was erected by a develaper, to establiah a tde with the Land Ragistry in May 2002 Tha 4 day interruption to pubic access later proved to be a crudal factor in the IB legal battle to regster the space as Town Green which would have protected it from developmere, n renoved by a recent High pnenas of Graby Green) campagned to Ibeen regardiess of ownership (iroricaly. chis technical objection has now been Court rulng A support group of around 100 local people prevent the loss of the space and the group tced a professional legal team at a three day publik in In this edition: Community News Winning ideas - Meet Your Neighbour -6 Events & Activities - quiry At one point, Town Green satus wos con ferred by the Bristol CC Open Spaces committee but bear rescinded folawing thrests of legal action by the then ownieri, Etward Ware Homes. Local resident Mike Timmin has ggeed that the now smaler space below Walace Place, che new 4 block of Mats should be christened Gromit Gar. 7 dens Rey Smth Contacts 8 HOTWELLS&CLIFTONWOe Spring 2007 SM3N Published y Hetwells A CIenweed Cemmunity Aassetaten, Htepe Chapel, Hepe Chapel Hill, Hetwells, Brtatel. BSa 4ND
14 Mar 2021
An enormous walk today, or at least it felt enormous. My feet are sore, anyway. I started off recreating a couple of local historical photos in Hotwells, but then headed for my traditional walk along the towpath in the Avon Gorge to the far extreme of Leigh Woods, up and through the woods to the height of the Suspension Bridge, finally crossing into Clifton Village for a well-deserved vanilla latte.
I say "traditional" because this used to be a very regular route for me, first walking, years and years ago, and later jogging—this route combined with a circuit of the Downs on the other side used to be my way of making sure I was fit to do a half-marathon (I did six of them in total, between 2010 and 2014).
I miss the routine of this walk, even though it's a long way and it used to pretty much wipe me out when I did it—I'd come back home and collapse and do very little for the rest of the day. But perhaps that's what Sundays are for, and I should try to remember that.
Doing this walk regularly was quite a meditative experience. Not so much of that today, but once I got to the further extreme of the towpath, where the roar of the Portway traffic on the other side of the river dwindles and I turned into Leigh Woods to climb ever closer to birdsong and further from rushing cars, I did seem to recapture a little of the feeling of previous walks. (I would say my mind cleared, but I was mentally singing along to Life Without Buildings' The Leanover for most of the wander. There are worse songs to have stuck in one's head, though; it's a great track...)
Anyway. Apparently the walk made me more likely to ramble in words, too. I'll stop now :)
Tags: Bristol Places UK onemilematt united kingdom Leigh Woods forest woods
Auto-Tags: Plant Plant community Ecoregion Natural landscape Map Tree Land lot Vegetation Grass Sky Font Landscape Adaptation Groundcover Recreation
Text Recognition Tags: Clean up after your dog Welcome to Kay Leigh Woods Leigh Wsos hes sanetng ter eryone, whetwo much to eplon and lats ot wid to dhcover n foot ar hook, thare's A growing history This section of the bal is stoep and rocky and uneven. Yeu may whth to dnnt ing ing s Discover wildtu Paradioe Bottum Clean up after your dog Welcome to Kay Leigh Woods Leigh Wsos hes sanetng ter eryone, whetwo much to eplon and lats ot wid to dhcover n foot ar hook, thare's A growing history This section of the bal is stoep and rocky and uneven. Yeu may whth to dnnt ing ing s Discover wildtu Paradioe Bottum
The more I research it, the more I find that Hotwells had far better transport links back in Victorian and Edwardian times than it has today. Along with buses that went to more useful places than the City Centre, there were trams, the funicular up to Clifton, the landing stage for paddle steamer services and two railway stations all within easy walking distance of me.
Today I took a day off work as preparation for doing the bookkeeping for my tax return1, and took a wander along to the site of what would have been my nearest station, Hotwells (or Clifton, as it started out in life), nestled in the shadow of the suspension bridge, the Bristol terminus of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier.
From there I wandered down the Portway, following the original line, until I got to the area around Sneyd Park Junction, where the tunnel from the slightly later Clifton Extension Railway joined up with this originally-isolated BPR line. Then I headed up to Clifton through the "goat gully" at Walcombe Slade, seeing the few above-ground bits of evidence of the tunnel (which is still in regular use) along the way.
It was a lovely day, and a good walk, and it was interesting to daydream of the times when I could have walked a few minutes from my flat down to Dowry Parade, caught a short tram ride to Hotwells Stations, and then headed from there to Avonmouth, perhaps even to board a transatlantic passenger service. The completion of the Clifton Extension Railway that linked the Avonmouth station with Temple Meads made relatively direct transatlantic travel from London via Bristol possible, with passengers travelling up from Paddington to Temple Meads, on to Avonmouth on the Clifton Extension Railway and Port Railway and Pier line, then perhaps catching a Cambpell's paddle steamer—which sometimes acted as tenders for large steamers—to a larger ship that was headed out for Canada, say.
1 I've learned that the best approach is to take two days off and deliberately do something that's not my bookkeeping on the first day, as otherwise I just inevitably end up procrastinating and feeling guilty on the first day no matter what. I have an odd brain, but at least I'm learning strategies for dealing with its strange ways as I get older...
2 Information mostly gleaned from Colin Maggs' The Bristol Port Railway & Pier and the Clifton Extension Railway, The Oakwood Press, 1975.
All this and an ambulance just lurking there, too.
Tags: Bristol Places UK onemilematt united kingdom A4 Avon Gorge Portway road cliffs quarry
Auto-Tags: Mountain Plant Sky Nature Car Motor vehicle Natural landscape Highland Grass Terrain Landscape Tree Road Geological phenomenon Slope
Text Recognition Tags: Warning Beware that a loose rock hazard has been identified in this section of rock face. Warning Beware that a loose rock hazard has been identified in this section of rock face.
18 Apr 2022
I didn't really set out with a theme of flowers and gardens in mind for this walk. I just fancied heading up to Clifton Village to get lunch. As it turned out, though, Spring was springing, so a minor theme emerged as I started off with the graveyard flowers of Hope Chapel and wandered up to see the beginnings of the new wildflower garden at Clifton Hill Meadow.
There's been some commotion on Nextdoor about the recent appearance of this sign. Lots of people who have been letting their dogs off their leads in the churchyard for decades have been rather up in arms. I'm not sure there's actually much danger of the rozzers issuing ASBOs or fines to the locals for that kind of infraction, though.
Tags: Bristol Places UK onemilematt united kingdom Clifton Village Clifton St Andrew's churchyard birdcage walk Lime Walk
Auto-Tags: Green White Nature Natural environment Grass Font Biome Line Plant Public space Woody plant Tree Signage Motor vehicle Street sign
Text Recognition Tags: ㅅ Keep dogs on leads and clean up after your dog Notice of a public spaces protection order (PSPO)- All dogs must be held on leads and it is an offence not to clean up after your dog Anti-Social Behaviour Crime And Policing Act 2014, Section 59Notice is hereby given that Bristol City Council (the Council) in exercise of its powers under Section 59, 63 and 72 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 The Act, being satisfied that the conditions set out in section 59 of the Act have been met, made the following Onder City Of Bristol (Dog Control) Public Spaces Protection Order 2020. A Fored Penalty Notice may be issued to a person who a comitable or authorised person has reason to believe has committed an offence in relation to this One offering the person to whom it is issued the opportunity of dischinging any lability to conviction for the offence by payment of a fiend penalty Scene dog fouling provisions and the Exclusion Zones de not app assistance dogs Further information about the PSPO and the front of the Onder can be found at Public Space Protection (PSPO)-bristol.gov.uk ㅅ Keep dogs on leads and clean up after your dog Notice of a public spaces protection order ( PSPO ) All dogs must be held on leads and it is an offence not to clean up after your dog Anti - Social Behaviour Crime And Policing Act 2014 , Section 59Notice is hereby given that Bristol City Council ( the Council ) in exercise of its powers under Section 59 , 63 and 72 of the Anti - social Behaviour , Crime and Policing Act 2014 The Act , being satisfied that the conditions set out in section 59 of the Act have been met , made the following Onder City Of Bristol ( Dog Control ) Public Spaces Protection Order 2020 . A Fored Penalty Notice may be issued to a person who a comitable or authorised person has reason to believe has committed an offence in relation to this One offering the person to whom it is issued the opportunity of dischinging any lability to conviction for the offence by payment of a fiend penalty Scene dog fouling provisions and the Exclusion Zones de not app assistance dogs Further information about the PSPO and the front of the Onder can be found at Public Space Protection ( PSPO ) -bristol.gov.uk