With a population of almost half a million, Bristol is a bustling modern city, with a lengthy and interesting history which can easily be traced back more than one thousand years. Because of its location close to the sea, industries including food, drink, paper, print, tobacco and packaging have carved Bristol into the city it is today. Although no longer a major UK port, the dock area still plays a significant role in Bristol’s life.
Location is also arguably one of the keys to Bristol’s sucess. Both the M4 and M5 motorways link Bristol to the UK’s capitol city of London, the South-East as well as the Midlands, to such cities as Nottingham, Birmingham and Leicester, and the North of the country to cities such as Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield.
Bristol boasts two superb Universities; University of the West of England (formerly a polytechnic) and Bristol University (founded in 1876). Both univiersities have influenced the city, again carvbing it into the city it is today.
Rather more darkly, some of Bristol’s past income has come from working in the slave trade. Many of Bristol’s ships traded products and goods for slaves, which were then traded in turn for produce including sugar, clothing and tobacco. These, in turn, were brought back in to Bristol. It is also understood that slaves were brought back to Bristol to work as house servants. Of course, this is something that Bristolians are not proud of, but as with everything in history, it shapes a town.
Bristol also offers a variety in terms of housing, with hoomes of all shapes and sizes, including single bedroom flats with shared plumbing, semi-detached houses, bungalows (with flat and pitched roofing) and a number of large detached dwellings – no doubt some with resident nannies, maids and cleaners.
