Bristol Temple Quay 1 Friary Temple Quay Bristol BS1 6EA
Located in south west England, Bristol has its borders with Somerset and Gloucestershire. With a population of around 449,300 in 2017, Bristol is 8th largest by population in the United Kingdom. Earlier, Bristol was also known as Brycgstow. A number of great explorations are said to have been started from Bristol.
Bristol owes a lot to its successful economy to the various industries such as electronics, creative media, and aerospace industries. The docks in the city-centre have been restored to function as heritage centres. Bristol, besides housing the two great universities - the University of the West of England and the University of Bristol - also plays home to various centres of art and sport. The currency of Bristol is the Bristol pound.
Bristol had been inhabited since the Paleolithic Age as per some of the findings in Bristol that have been revealed by the archeologists. Bristol started progressing as a trading centre as early as 1020 AD. Initially, it was involved in the production of silver pennies. Bristol, developed as a port in the 11th century and the stone bridge that gives Bristol its name and was built in 1247 was replaced in the 1760s.
Due to the plague that occurred in the 14th century, called the Black Death, nearly half of the Bristol population died. Bristol started progressing due to its trade links with Gascony, Ireland and Iceland during the 15th and 16th century. In 1542, the foundation of the Diocese of Bristol was laid. In the following centuries Bristol was ever on the rise - both economically as well as population wise. Population reached to 428,089 in 1971 from 330,000 in 1901. The 20th century also had disasters in store for Bristol in the form of damages that were incurred by the Nazi and German forces during the Second World War. A number of skyscrapers came up when the Bristol city centre was rebuilt.
During the 1980s, some of the main roads in Bristol were permanently closed. Some areas of the town were restored and regenerated. The tallest tower in the city centre was destroyed. With the introduction of the M4 and M5 motorways, Bristol saw changes in the majority of its roads
Bristol has teams for various national sports like rugby, basketball, cycle racing and hockey. There two main football clubs in Bristol - The Bristol City and Bristol Rovers. Two more clubs, i.e. Bristol Rugby (Rugby Union) and Gloucestershire County Cricket Club also represent the respective sport from Bristol.
It is at the Bristol County Ground (headquarters of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club) that the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club play their home games. The club which was started by the family of W. G. Grace, today is the most successful club in Gloucestershire. The club is also credited with earning the title of Champions of the Royal London One-Day Cup in 2015.
The Bristol Flyers are one of the most successful basketball teams that hail from Bristol. Since 2014, the Bristol Flyers have some good results to show in the British Basketball League. Another team from Bristol, Bristol Aztecs, play in the BAFA (British American Football Association) National Leagues.Having stayed away from Bristol for a period of 17 years, Ice hockey made a comeback in 2009 when the Bristol Pitbulls played at the Bristol Ice Rink.
Every year, Bristol hosts and sponsors a half marathon. In 2001, the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships were held in Bristol. Bristol is also home to athletic clubs such as Bitton Road Runners, Westbury Harriers, and Bristol and West AC. The opening and the final stages of the Tour of Britain cycle race have been hosted by Bristol in the past. A number of trainings that were in use during the 2012 London Olympics were also located in the various facilities in Bristol. The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta has held annually in the summers at Ashton Court.