Exploring more of Brislington and St. Annes in Bristol

I grew up in Hanham just outside of Bristol. on the north side of the River Avon. As we played in the local woods and on the slag heaps left from centuries of coal mining we looked across to St. Annes on the other side of the river. My husband on the other hand lived for a few years in St. Annes as a child. When he played in the local woods he looked across to Hanham. After over 40 years together, I think it is definitely time we discovered each other’s childhood haunts

So last summer, we spent a couple of afternoons exploring the area around Brislington and the woods leading to St. Annes well. Most people know Brislington as the Bristol suburb they pass through on the way to Bath. Nowadays,it is the location for major supermarkets and the Showcase cinema.

St. Annes

Despite bordering some of Bristol’s most congested areas and only a stone’s throw from the main train station, Temple Meads, St. Annes part of Greater Brislington is a residential area with plenty of greenery. St. Annes park has an impressive play area.

As we explored St. Annes I was suprised to find that we were following the medieval pilgrimage route taken by thousands of pilgrims including Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York.

According to tradition St. Anne was the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus. Traditionally women prayed to St. Anne if they wanted to have a child. Elizabeth’s eldest child Arthur was born shortly after her visit. Sadly he died young and this may be partly why the pilgrimage route fell out of favour.

St. Anne's well today — The well today. people still leave rags on the nearby trees.

The large chapel which was near the well was destroyed during the disolution of the monastries by Arthur’s brother King Henry VIII and the land let to the local gentry.

St. Anne’s wood is a steep sided valley with a path leading down through the trees to a clear stream at the bottom. Brislington brook is a short 5 mile long tributary of the river Avon rising near Dundry. It flows through the delightfully named Nightingale valley and under a restored packhorse bridge. It is a favourie place for dog walkers especially if your dog enjoys paddling or swimming.You can find more details here.

Brislington

Nearby Brislington is an area to the south east of Bristol and is ten miles from Bath. It is home to the ITV west studios on Bath road. My last blog visit was to Arnos vale Cemetery for a halloween walk

During the 18th and 19th century it had a reputation as a picturesque country village. It was also a notable centre for making the brightly coloured English delftware pottery. At the turn of the 20th century there were sixteen working farms as well as market gardens in the area.

Brislington house now known as Fox Manor was built as a private lunatic assylum for the insane. When it opened in 1806 it was one of Britain’s first purpose built assylums.

The Paint works

A lot of the old factories and warehouses in Brislington have been converted into a trendy arts venue and cafe known as the paintworks.

By Jaggery, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46670864

The Black castle

Other notable Brislington landmarks include the Black castle which looks like a wierd theme park version of a fairy tale castle but is actually a folly built in 1750. There are lots of ghost stories associated with the castle. A rich and eccentric copper magnate named William Reeve owned the nearby Arnos Court and the castle is built from industrial waste. After William Reeve’s death Arnos Court became a convent for nuns. It is rumoured that after one of the nun’s became pregnant she killed herself and the other sisters bricked her body behind a wall. I don’t know if the story is true or not but during renovation work a skeleton was found behind one of the walls.

Arnos Court is now a hotel and the Black Castle is a Greene King Pub.

The Pytchair boeing 727

The fuselage of a Boeing 727 parked outside a factory in Brislington — One of the strangest exhibits, the Pytchair (Boeing 727)

This unusual staff canteen on the Brislington trading estate is a former VIP luxury jet liner. It is sometimes open to the public.

Beese’s tea gardens.

Beese’s riverside bar is a Bristol institution. It is still a favourite destination for boat trips from Bristol harbour. We reached it via a steep and muddy path from a housing estate but the best way is to arrive by boat.

If you would like to enjoy afternoon tea overlooking the river, Bristol ferry company offer a midweek cruise on Thursdays from the city centre. The journey takes about an hour. You cruise to the end of the harbour before joining the river Avon through Netham lock. The boat heads upstream to the pontoon directly outside the tea garden. (the trip is not suitable for wheelchair users.)