Bristol Business Guide

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Just north of the city centre is Clifton
Village, with its elegant Georgian
streets, beautiful boutiques and
delightful cafés. It’s the location of
Brunel’s iconic suspension bridge
which spans the stunning Avon Gorge
affording visitors spectacular views of
the sweeping Downs and surrounding
countryside. Clifton is also home to the
world’s fifth oldest zoo, Bristol Zoo
Gardens, which remains one of Bristol’s
most popular attractions and a world
leader in conservation.
Bristol is famed for the energy and
atmosphere of its nightlife, acting as
a beacon for revellers travelling from
across the region. Packed with great
theatres, concert venues, cinemas,
clubs and pubs, the city has an
unrivalled buzz throughout the year.
The highest concentration of Bristol’s
nightlife is to be found in the city
centre area, in the Old City, on
Harbourside and along Park Street
and Whiteladies Road. A more chilled
out vibe can be enjoyed in Clifton
Village and for those in the know,
there’s a number of outstanding
bars, restaurants and even one or
two of the city’s best live performance
venues in the Southville and Gloucester
Road areas.
Although the city is famed for
inventing ‘trip hop’, courtesy of iconic
bands such as Massive Attack, Roni
Size and Portishead, Bristol is also
a hot-bed for diverse musical genres
and can boast some of the best music
venues in the country, offering
anything from dubstep to jazz, indie
rock to opera. Bristol is also the
undisputed clubbing capital of the
South West, with the region’s widest
selection of party venues. Alternatively,
you can enjoy an unrivalled range of
award-winning restaurants and
fantastic pubs, from Michelin star
dining to traditional city pubs offering
a great selection of locally sourced
food and drink.
All this and easy access to the
spectacular surrounding coast
and countryside of Somerset,
Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and
South Wales makes Bristol
increasingly the destination of
choice not only for business and
leisure visitors but also a truly
outstanding place in which to
work, live and learn.
For more information and a range of
services go to
History
Bristol has long been acknowledged
as one of the foremost historic cities
in Europe. Its long and diverse history
dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, when
a settlement, known as Brigstowe (a
place of settlement by the bridge), grew
up between the Rivers Avon and Frome.
It was the diversion of the River Frome
in the 13th century, giving extra
quayside space, which increased
Bristol's capacity as a port. There was
considerable direct trade with Europe
as well as the English and Welsh coastal
towns. This helped launch Bristol as
England's second city and one of the
most economically and culturally
important cities in Europe as well as a
major port and manufacturing centre.
John Cabot's 1497 voyage in The
Matthew and his landfall on mainland
America was apparently predated by
Bristol fishing boats sailing to
Newfoundland's Grand Banks. In 1542
prosperous Bristol was granted city
status by Henry VIII and the church
of the dissolved St Augustine's Abbey
became Bristol's cathedral. During
the 17th and 18th centuries Bristol's
maritime industry boomed, and the
city continued to grow apace during
the industrial revolution thanks to its
developments in railways, engineering,
manufacturing, commerce and
communications. The council’s
website Know Your Place allows you
to explore the city through historic
maps, images and linked information.
for more information,
The legacy of the long colourful history
of the city includes some of Brunel's
finest engineering work, a splendid
heritage of historic buildings and green
spaces, beautifully transformed
Harbourside and restored city spaces.
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