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.