Cabot Tower and Brandon Hill

Recently I had to drop Master Reggie off at the Bristol Royal Infirmary for a hospital appointment and had a couple of hours to kill so I decided to revisit some places I hadn’t been to for some time (I try and avoid going in to Bristol if I can).

Many years ago, I was told that Bristol is built on a hill surrounded by other hills and it’s true that many parts of Bristol are very hilly. Brandon Hill in Clifton (one of the posher parts) is, as the name suggests, a hill, situated off Park Street (more on this later). After dropping Master R off I drove the short distance to Brandon Hill and parked up. After paying the extortionate parking fee I headed off in the direction of Cabot Tower. If you ever consider visiting, please be aware that it’s a very steep climb and not for those with mobility problems.

As I approached the top of Brandon Hill the ground flattened out and afforded me some excellent views towards the South of the city, the harbour and towards the Mendip Hills in the far background. Behind me Cabot Tower loomed into view.

Walking up the final steps I reached the base of Cabot Tower and walked all the way around, taking a note of the 3 plaques informing me of who the tower had been built in memory of, when it was built and who opened it.

Heading towards the entrance I noticed evidence of some graffiti and wondered whether I would encounter some thugs on the narrow staircase. As it was just after 9am I decided they were probably still tucked up in bed and so I pressed on.

I didn’t count them but there are apparently 109 steps in total, taking you up to an elevation of 105 feet (32 metres for you modern types). About 2/3rds of the way up there is a balcony you exit on to before continuing your journey to the very top via an even narrower spiral staircase. Reaching the final step, you are greeted to some excellent 360-degree views of Bristol and the surrounding area.

The Wills Building seen below (W.D & H.O. Wills of tobacco fame – who had a long history and association with Bristol) is the main University building and a very impressive landmark made of local sandstone. In the last year some trouble-making students have tried to create a fuss because of the association of the tobacco trade with slavery and therefore dragging Wills’ name through the mud.

Next up, and slightly to the right of the Wills Building, we can see the rear of the Council House, a curved building full of socialists, wastrels and leeches and to its right and front is Bristol Cathedral an impressive building and one worth visiting if you’re in the city.

Further again to the right Brunel’s SS Great Britain rests in the dry dock where it was originally built and returned to in the 1970s after spending many decades rotting away in Sparrow Cove, near Port Stanley in the Falklands Isles. I was about 4 or 5 years old when the Great Britain was towed up the River Avon on her final journey. I can just about remember sitting on my father’s shoulders amongst a sea of people all watching the spectacle. The story of the SS Great Britain is quite remarkable and I may well write an article on it for GP.

Move right again and a view of some typical colourful houses built on the hill rising from Jacobs Wells towards Clifton. The 3 large brick buildings in the background are old bond warehouses, long since repurposed for other uses. They are situated near the point where the dock gates are located, keeping the water at a level suitable for ships to use 24/7 (the floating harbour). Unfortunately the view is spoilt by the ugly multi-story tower block.

Right once more and we can see the tops of two towers and yet another Brunel creation, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, peaking above the buildings and treeline.

Right once final time and the modern spire of Clifton Cathedral is a sharp contrast to the Edwardian buildings surrounding it (the original building being a casualty of the heavy bombing of Bristol in WWII). Once again ugly multi-story modern building appear like an unwanted stain, along with the almost obligatory graffiti.

Having taken in the views, I headed back down the narrow spiral staircase, encountering only one Italian family on the way to the bottom. Being only 9.30am I was struck by how quiet the area was. Apart from a few dog walkers and the Italian family there was no one else around. Bearing in mind it was school summer holiday time and a lovely sunny day I thought back to my own childhood and the many happy days spent there. Perhaps there are better things to do in Bristol now?

Exiting Brandon Hill I headed the short distance to Park Street. In my youth it was a busy vibrant street with a good mix of book shops, clothing shops, restaurants, cafes and bars and a couple of record shops. It has completely changed. Only one or two clothing shops remain and most of the shops and places I knew are long gone, replaced with mainly Asian (Chinese, Korean, Japanese) establishments. It had a very China Town feeling to it. I was also struck by the lack of traffic and people. It was deadly quiet. Most likely it is busy when the students come back and clearly the mix of shops and eating places is more driven by their tastes than mine.

Reaching the bottom of Park Street I crossed over the road by the Council House (or Council Louse if you’re from Bristol) and went to walk back up on the other side of the road. Before I got far I spotted a sign advising me of free admission to an art exhibition of Aboriginal art which I decided was worth a few minutes of my time whilst waiting for Master R to call me.

The exhibition was located in a small room in the Council House and I spent 15 minutes or so looking at the pictures and chatting to the young lady who was running the event. She claims they are the UK’s first Aboriginal owned gallery. I gather she has Aboriginal ancestry herself.

I was reasonably impressed by a few of the paintings on display (some of you may recall we bought some Aboriginal paintings a few years back). The following are what I considered the best. For those interested their website is https://coegallery.com/