Blaise Castle Estate is one of Bristol’s favourite parks. It has a large adventure playground for children, a small outdoor cafe and a free carpark. It also has a huge area of grass and woodland to explore.

We visited several times when our children were small but spent most of the time near the playground. This time our walking group met  at the entrance to the house to discover more of the history of the estate.

The 650 acre estate is near the village of Henbury, four miles north of central Bristol. The area around the mouth of the river Avon has been settled for a long time. There are the remains of a Roman harbour  and a Roman Villa nearby  and archaeologists have also discovered an iron age hill fort close to the castle.

In the folklore tale of the creation of Bristol two giants, brothers Vincent and Goram were challenged to a duel by the beautiful maiden Avona. She asked them to drain a nearby lake. Goram tried to dig a gorge near Henbury but fell asleep in what’s now known as Goram’s chair on the estate. The industrious Vincent created the Avon gorge.

Blaise Castle Estate Main House

In 1762, Thomas Farr a Bristol sugar merchant bought the land and  began building a house. Like many Bristolians his wealth came from owning slaves in the West Indies and he was bancrupted by the American revolution. He was forced to sell the estate to John Scandrett Harford a Bristol banker.

John Harford finished building the present house in 1789. He was a Quaker and its simple neoclassical design reflects his Quaker principles. It is now used as a folk museum and is free to enter.

Harford’s son another John Harford was a keen abolitionist and a friend of William Wilberforce. He also supported education and donated the site in Wales which became Lampeter Campus of the University of Wales. The Harfords employed  the most famous landscape architect of the time, Humphrey Repton to design the grounds. His brother George Repton helped with the buildings.

Blaise castle

In Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen’s heroine and her friends visit Blaise castle and are very disappointed to find it is just a folly.  It was started by Thomas Farr probably as a lookout tower so he could watch his ships sail up the Avon. John Harford enlarged it and turned it into a gothic folly.  If a flag is flying it means that it is open to the public and you can climb up the stairs to admire the view. (check the website for details). Don’t worry  even if the castle is closed there are still spectacular views from the top of the hill.

After climbing the hill to reach the castle we walked through woodland beside Hazel Brook to Tarn Lake. You can find some of the original paths but they can be muddy and steep in places.

Woodman’s Cottage

There are several other interesting buildings on the estate as well as this small cottage. One of the most poignant is Stratford Mill. it is the only surviving building from the village of Moreton which was flooded when Chew Valley Reservoir was created in the 1950’s. The mill was dismantled and rebuilt at Blaise.

Blaise Hamlet

John Harford commissioned John Nash, the architect who also designed Brighton Pavilion and Marble Arch in London to design a small hamlet for retired estate workers. The village consits of nine cottages, each in a different style circled around a village green complete with water pump and apple trees. All the cottages have tall chimneys and benches outside. At a time when old farm workers often ended up in the work house this shows a very caring attitude. The hamlet is now owned by the National trust and the cottages are still lived in. They have been modernised inside!

Henbury Churchyard

We ended our walk in Henbury Churchyard to look at two very unusual graves. The headstone is more modern but this is one of the few graves of an African slave or servant in England.

The other grave is marked with an obelisk and an ankh. It is the grave of Amelia Edwards who was a noted Egyptologist and travel writer. She is buried along side her friend and companion Ellen Drew Brasher. This was so rare in Victorian England that in 2016 the grave was listed by Historic England as a monument of significance in LGBT history.

Getting there

Blaise Castle Estate is owned by Bristol City Council.

There are regular buses to Henbury from the city centre.

It also has a large free car park.  Postcode BS10 7QS

It has a large children’s play area, an outside cafe and toilets. The house has been turned into a folk museum with a large collection of old toys and domestic objects.

Bristol Barkers recommend the estate for dog walkers. It also has a picnic area. Check the website for downloadable walking trails and details of other permitted activities such as flying model aircraft and horse riding.

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  Discovering Blaise Castle Estate Bristol