Frenchay is a suburb of Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, to the north east of the city, but located mainly in South Gloucestershire

South Gloucestershire

South Gloucestershire is a unitary district in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, in South West England.-History:The district was created in 1996, when the county of Avon was abolished, by the merger of former area of the districts of Kingswood and Northavon...

 and the Civil Parish of Winterbourne

Civil Parish of Winterbourne

The Civil Parish of Winterbourne or Winterbourne Parish is located in South Gloucestershire, on the outskirts of Bristol, England. It comprises four communities, three of which act as ecclesiastical parishes within the overarching Civil Parish: Winterbourne, Winterbourne Down, Hambrook, and Frenchay...

.

Frenchay was first recorded in 1257 as Fromscawe and later as Fromeshaw, meaning the wood on the Frome.
The suburb is situated between the B4058 road

B4058 road

The B4058 is a minor road in southwest England. It starts in Eastville, a suburb of Bristol and ends at Nailsworth in the Cotswolds, passing through the counties of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire.- Route :...

, which runs parallel to the M32 motorway

M32 motorway

The M32 is a motorway in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, England. It provides a link from Bristol city centre to the M4 and is part of the Bristol Parkway. At about , it is one of Britain's shortest motorways...

, and the wooded River Frome

River Frome, Bristol

The River Frome is a river, approximately long, which rises in Dodington Park, South Gloucestershire, and flows in a south westerly direction through Bristol, joining the former course of the river Avon in Bristol's Floating Harbour. The mean flow at Frenchay is The name Frome is shared with...

 valley.

Frenchay's largest place of worship is the Anglican church of John the Baptist

St John the Baptist, Frenchay

St John the Baptist is a church in the Frenchay area of Bristol, England.It was built in 1834 by Henry Rumley. Work on the vestry in 1887 was by the local architect William Larkins Bernard....

, adjacent to the large village common, which is overlooked by period houses. Also overlooking the common is the village school which dates from 1842. The village also contains a Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 church, a Quaker Meeting House and a Unitarian

Unitarianism

Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....

 chapel.

The main campus of University of the West of England

University of the West of England

The University of the West of England is a university based in the English city of Bristol. Its main campus is at Frenchay, about five miles north of the city centre...

 is situated in Frenchay, and there is a business park nearby.

Frenchay is also home to Frenchay Hospital

Frenchay Hospital

Frenchay Hospital is a large hospital situated in Frenchay, South Gloucestershire, on the outskirts of Bristol, England, part of the North Bristol NHS Trust....

, greatly expanded during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 for the US Army, which treated wounded soldiers returning from the D-Day

D-Day

D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...

 landings in Normandy

Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

. Frenchay is still one of Bristol's major hospitals. Its facilities have been greatly extended in recent years, although wartime buildings are still much in evidence. The hospital is currently under threat of closure.

Frenchay's earliest place of worship was the Quaker Meeting House. The present one dates from 1809, and it replaced an earlier one of 1670.

Many Quaker merchants from nearby Bristol made their homes here, including Joseph Storrs Fry

Joseph Storrs Fry

Joseph Storrs Fry was an English chocolate and confectionery manufacturer and a member of the Fry Family of Bristol, England.-Early life:He was born in 1767, son of Joseph Fry and his wife Anna...

, the Quaker chocolate manufacturer, who styled his company J S Fry & Sons. He moved to Grove House (now Riverwood House) in 1800. He died in 1835 and is buried in the burying ground behind the Meeting House along with his wife and daughter, Pricilla.

Frenchay Park, an adjacent suburb, is situated within Bristol city limits.