I belong to a local history walking group. This weekend we had a stroll through my home city of Bristol to discover Victorian Clifton. Medieval Bristol was a small city close to the river and like most cities it outgrew its walls.
Gradually the city spread out. The wealthy merchants moved West up the hill where the air was cleaner. We were able to see how they spent their money on grand houses. The 19th century was also the age of philanthropy and scientific discovery. The area around the suspension bridge was developed during Victoria’s reign. I took all the photos on this page within half a mile of the left hand side of the bridge.
This part of Bristol still has lots of trees as there was no natural boundary to expansion and a large area of land known as the downs was saved for recreation.
The observatory which was converted from an old mill still houses a working camera obscura.
As a thriving port Bristol found it easy to obtain exotic animals and Bristol zoo was opened in 1832.
Examples of Victoria Gothic architecture
More trees
fabulous trees, and a lovely peek at Bristol.
LikeLike
What a beautiful place. I love the architecture as well as all the trees. 🙂
LikeLike