Bristol

Bristol: history & character

Bristol, founded in the late 9th century at the confluence of the Avon and Frome rivers, was for five centuries England's second port after London — capital of trade with the Americas, of coffee and (until abolition) of the Atlantic slave trade, whose critical memory the city now carries. The 19th-century industrial golden age left two masterpieces: Brunel's SS Great Britain (the world's first iron-hulled ocean steamer, 1843) and the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the city's defining image. Today Bristol counts 470,000 inhabitants, a thriving cultural scene (Banksy was born here), and the most developed pet-friendly culture in the English South West. Over 70% of pubs welcome dogs inside, public transport is free for pets, and the city is ringed by 450 parks and commons where dogs run off-leash — from the 162-hectare Ashton Court Estate to the Downs at the top of the Avon Gorge.