The SS Great Britain, built in...
by delon
The SS Great Britain, built in 1843, was the first iron clad, propeller-driven ocean liner in history. Then the largest ship in the world (322 feet long). It is now at the great Western dock, where you can also find a maritime heritage centre.
Bristol's Most Romantic Son
by KennetRose
Thomas Chatterton is the kind of hero I like, one who made the literary establishment of his time look extremely foolish!
Chatterton claimed to have discovered a series of poems by a 15th century monk called Thomas Rowley in an upper room of St Mary Redcliffe. The Rowley Poems were taken as genuine and a discovery of extreme importance. It took a long time for an even more startling dicovery to be made - that Chatterton had written the poems himself.
This is all the more remarkable for the fact that Chatterton took his own life before his eighteenth birthday. What he would have achieved had he lived can only be speculated upon.
Starting from Hanham on the...
by greebo
Starting from Hanham on the outskirts of Bristol the cycle/rambling path running alongside the River Avon from Saltford to Bath. Start off from the Cheques pub (very nice for a drink in spring/summer sitting by the river) and walk to Bath, its about 15 miles but very pleasant with views of the surrounding countryside and wildlife such as waterfowl, voles, foxes.
Nightlife varies a lot. You...
by greebo
Nightlife varies a lot. You can choose from nightclubs that stay open until 5am, restaurants, pubs, live music, bowling, several theatres, concert halls, cinemas.
The Fleece and Firkin pub can have extremely good live bands and a number of well known bands have played there but tickets are limited and have to be booked in advance. Also keep an eye out for Massive Attack, a Bristol band who have had a few chart hits. Also we have a fetish club called Spanks located in Old Market Street. Most clubs and restaurants do have a smart dress code.
Everybody knows pies are round
by TheLongTone about Pieminister
Pieminster pies are another Bristol institution. The epicentre of the pie activity is their restaurant in Stokes Croft, but the pies are available for home consumption at various places and they have a small diner in the arcade of St Nicholas's market. As well as the piemobile whih does the festival circuit.
A small but perfectly formed selection of pies, ranging from the traditional steak and kidney to such esoterica as a Thai green curry pie, served with mash, gravy and minted mushy peas. All using locally sourced and ethically produced ingredients.
This is a lunch stop: they close aroud seven in the evening. Pies aren't the only option. You could have a sausage roll. But I'll go for the simple steak and kidney usually, mash and gravy, and I'll pass on the peas. But I'm sure they're good. That'll set you back £5.50.
Only cavil is the cutlery for takeaways. In line with the organi meat and local produce ethos, they provide wooden disposable cutlery: the heat and moisture of your pie will make them wilt until they are inapable of tackling the crust of youur pie.
'What did you learn in school today, son?'
'I learnt that pi R squared'
'It's bread that's square........