Showing 1-8 of 8 results
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Bristol Cathedral
Originally founded as the church of an Augustinian monastery in 1140, Bristol Cathedral has a fine Norman chapter house and gate, while the attractive chapels have eccentric carvings and impressive heraldic glass. Although much of the nave and the west towers date from the 19th century, the 14th-century choir has fascinating misericords depicting apes in hell, quarrelling couples and dancing bears.
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Bristol Zoo
In a lovely spot on Clifton Hill, Bristol Zoo is one of the country's finest. Highlights include an under-water gallery for viewing seals and penguins, a huge open-air aviary, a gorilla island, a reptile house and the Twilight World, populated by bizarre beasties such as two-toed sloths and naked mole rats. There's also a newly opened Monkey Jungle, with a forested enclosure of red-ruffed lemurs, lion-tailed macaques and howler monkeys.
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British Empire & Commonwealth Museum
Bristol's slave-trading past is thoughtfully explored at the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum. Dealing with the history and consequences of British colonial conquest, the 16 galleries range over 500 years of British trade, exploration and exploitation, and while there's a conscious attempt at perspective, it's hard not to be moved by the stories of subjugation that underpinned Britain's imperial rise.
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City Museum & Art Gallery
Housed in a stunning Edwardian building near the university. There's a collection of British and French art on the 1st floor, along with galleries dedicated to ceramics and decorative arts. Look out for the 'Bristol Boxkite' above reception, a pioneering canvas aeroplane built in Bristol and made famous in the 1965 film Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines . On the ground floor is the archaeological, geological and natural history wings, as well as the refurbished Egyptian Gallery.
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Clifton Suspension Bridge
Clifton's most famous (and photographed) landmark is another Brunel masterpiece, the 76m-high Clifton Suspension Bridge, which spans the Avon Gorge over to Leigh Woods in northern Somerset. It's a graceful sight, and one of Britain's most elegant bridges. Though construction work began in 1836, Brunel died before the bridge's completion in 1864.
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Georgian House
For a taste of the aristocratic high life once enjoyed by Bristol's merchants, head for the 18th-century Georgian House. This stunning six-storeyed mansion was the home of former sugar merchant John Pinney, along with his family and his slave Pero (after whom Pero's Bridge is named). The house is magnificently preserved, with a booklined study, sitting parlours, several Georgian-themed bedrooms and the original library containing the Pinney family Bible.
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Red Lodge
Arguably the southwest's finest slice of Elizabethan architecture. It was built in 1590, remodelled in 1730, and bears the hallmarks of Elizabethan, Stuart and Georgian architects. Originally built to accompany a great house that stood on the site of the Colston Hall, the lodge is an architectural feast, packed with wood carvings, original cornicing and delicate plasterwork.
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St Mary Redcliffe
Described as 'the fairest, goodliest and most famous parish church in England' by Queen Elizabeth I, St Mary Redcliffe is a stunning piece of perpendicular architecture with a soaring 89m-high spire, a grand hexagonal porch that easily outdoes Bristol cathedral in splendour, and a vaulted ceiling decorated with fine gilt bosses. The 14th-century south porch is carved with intricate birds and animals.
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Showing 1-8 of 8 results
