Bristol in a Nutshell
Bristol has an estimated population of around 430,000, and is home to nine museums, and even has its own dialect. Some of the well-known things to come out of Bristol include Wallace and Gromit, Derren Brown, and thirty three other places called Bristol.
Bristol Old Vic Theatre is currently the oldest continually operating theatre in Great Britain. Daniel Day-Lewis and Jeremy Irons are among the more famous of its alumni.
The F Word: Bristol’s Italian restaurant Prosecco featured on Gordon Ramsay’s the F Word.
Gordon Meets the Owner of Prosecco...
J. K. Rowling was born on the 31st July 1965 in Yale, Bristol, and went on to become famous for her seven part book series about a young wizard, Harry Potter.
Banksy is the pseudonym of British graffiti artist, political activist and guerrilla painter. His identity remains secret, but his work grew from the Bristol underground art scene as he became involved in “the great aerosol boom” of the late eighties. His art often makes poignant statements about the society embellished with his graffiti.
Some of Banksy's Fascinating Work.
Nine Different Museums are located in and around Bristol. One of the most impressive being the final resting place of Concorde, a British and French engineering masterpiece. Concorde’s test flight was from Filton, Bristol, to RAF Fairford in 1969. The decision was made upon the retirement of Concorde to return them to their locations from around the world.
Namesakes: There are thirty four other places in the world called Bristol, in the United States, Canada, Jamacia, and Costa Rica.
Bristol, along with Liverpool, became a centre for the triangular trade. In this, manufactured goods were taken to Africa, and exchanged for slaves. These slaves were then taken to their fate in the Americas, and traded for exotic goods such as sugar, tobacco, rum, rice and cotton.
Famous Graduates from Bristol university include Derren Brown, Simon Pegg, Matt Lucas, and Nick Frost.
Bristolian: A dialect of English is spoken by some Bristol inhabitants, known colloquially as Bristolian, or even more colloquially as “Bristle” or “Brizzle”.
Bristol was ranked as the UK’s most sustainable city in 2008. Based on its efforts towards tackling environmental problems as well as future-proofing development, recycling and biodiversity, it hit the high spot on the Forum for the Future’s Sustainable City index.
The Stop-Motion Animation production company, Aardman Animations, are based in Bristol. Having produced animation films such as Wallace and Gromit, as well as commercials and a television series focussing on the natural world, they are a credit to Bristol’s artistic standing.
Wallace and Gromit Originate from Bristol!
The City is home to the BBC’s Natural History Unit, and the area often features in natural history programmes, including the children’s TV series, Animal Magic, which is filmed at Bristol Zoo.