Bristol (recorded in the Domesday Book as Bristou) is a city at the confluence of the rivers Avon and Frome in the county of Bristol in west England. It has been a port since medieval times, when it was almost as large as London. The medieval town was based around the bridge across the river, and traded with France, Spain, Portugal and Holland, importing many luxury goods such as wine and exporting woollen cloth. Bombing during the Second World War destroyed many of the medieval buildings, but many medieval churches remain. The cathedral was the abbeychurch and still has the Norman chapter house and three gateways besides the church itself, which is later medieval with a very fine Lady Chapel. St Mary Redcliffe is considered the best medieval parishchurch in the country; 13th and 14th century, large, rich and intricate with a soaring spire. The harbour was improved in the 13th century, and reached its present form with the floating harbour and basins in the early 19th century.
Bristol is no longer a commercial port (the docks are at the mouth of the Avon), but still dominates the middle of the city and has become an attraction, with the Maritime Heritage Centre, Bristol Industrial Museum, ferries, occasional steam trains and most famously the SS 'Great Britain', Brunel's vast steam ship of 1843, now being fully restored. Harvey's Wine Cellars Museum is a reminder of one famous part of Bristol's trade. Some big 17th-century timber-framed houses and inns survive, and the Tudor Red Lodge has early furniture as well.
After a decline, Bristol again became the city with the second largest population in the country in the first half of the 18th century, and there are many Georgian houses still surviving, including squares and even a crescent. Queen Square is the most impressive, and Georgian House has been furnished as a museum of 18th century life. John Wesley's chapel dates from 1739, and is the earliest Methodist building in the world. The Merchants Exchange has earlier stone pillars outside, called Nails where the merchants paid out - from which is the origin of the saying 'to pay on the nail'. Bristol was on the early Great Western Railway, and part of Temple Mead Station (now mostly a car park) is one of the earliest stations in the country, built of castellated stone in 1839. 19th century Bristol processed tobacco and made chocolate, both industries being based on local imports. Soap and glass were also produced, blue glass being a Bristol speciality. The town centre is very diverse, with many Victorian commercial buildings including a covered market, the big Victorian City Museum, and a mixture from Georgian to modern. The huge Gothic tower of the Wills MemorialBuilding (built in 1925 and comprising part of the University) is a particular landmark. Bristol today spreads across several hills, and in contrast to its genteel neighbour, Bath, is a functional city, lively and cosmopolitan, but still very human despite its great size.
Bristol is a town and seaport in Bristol County, Rhode Island, USA. Bristol had been the ancient residence of King Philip until his death. After the termination of King Philip's War in 1679 the town was settled by colonists. Afterwards the town was noted for its Privateers.
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Gazetteer
Research Bristol