St George, Bristol
Encyclopedia
St. George is a district of Bristol
, England
on the edge of the inner city.
St. George was once a mining area but now only pit names remain to remind everyone of this district's mining history, i.e., Deep Pit Road.
John Armitstead well known as a coal adventurer — a colliery proprietor had a pit between Church Road and Whitehall Road, St George where he installed a pumping engine for raising coal. Power was generated from water by means of a fire and ergo the device was called a Fire-engine. It stood on Colt’s or Boulter’s Ground but the land came to be known as the Engine Ground. To this day, a pub in the area is called the Fire Engine.
In the modern era St George is known for its many shops and pubs.
Troopers Hill
Located on the outskirts of Bristol, local tradition has it that the Parliamentary army, under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax, camped on Troopers Hill prior to the siege of Bristol in 1645. It has also been suggested that the ditch between the hill and the allotments was dug at this time as a defensive earthworks. It is known that the army approached Bristol via Keynsham
and Hanham
and it is possible therefore that Troopers Hill, with its views of the city, was used while the Parliamentary army was headquartered at Hanham.
Troopers Hill is a local landmark, and was a mining area from the early 19th century (coal) until its closure in 1904 when the last fireclay mines were abandoned. It was declared as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) on 22 June 1995.
The St George Fountain is a Victorian
drinking fountain which divides the main Church Road which forks at this point to Kingswood
and Hanham
. The road was also once the boundary between Bristol and Gloucestershire
. Adjacent to this was the Parish Church of St. George, this has since been demolished and sheltered housing has been built on the site.
Not far from this spot is the St. George Police Station. It is no longer in use, but was converted to flats - so the building has been preserved.
Opposite this, there is a grassed area and on this site used to be the Park Picture House. Another local facility demolished and never replaced, this was a great favourite with children who used to attend the 9d rush on a Saturday morning and they always left desperate not to miss the following week as the final picture was always a serial, which had left the hero strapped to a train track or dangling over some life threatening piece of machinery.
St George Public Library is a prefabricated style building which replaced the previous stone built Victorian building, demolished when it was fashionable to pull down older buildings.
Recently, there has been much televised about the palace at Kew Gardens and it is interesting to note the similarities in design of this building and the old red brick St George Higher Grade School, later St George Grammar School and finally St George Comprehensive School. Now a Sikh
temple and a gym
.
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...
on the edge of the inner city.
History
St George was originally outside the city boundary until about 1860. The area was once the end of the tram line from the city of Bristol, the terminus being in Beaconsfield Road.St. George was once a mining area but now only pit names remain to remind everyone of this district's mining history, i.e., Deep Pit Road.
John Armitstead well known as a coal adventurer — a colliery proprietor had a pit between Church Road and Whitehall Road, St George where he installed a pumping engine for raising coal. Power was generated from water by means of a fire and ergo the device was called a Fire-engine. It stood on Colt’s or Boulter’s Ground but the land came to be known as the Engine Ground. To this day, a pub in the area is called the Fire Engine.
In the modern era St George is known for its many shops and pubs.
Troopers Hill
Located on the outskirts of Bristol, local tradition has it that the Parliamentary army, under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax, camped on Troopers Hill prior to the siege of Bristol in 1645. It has also been suggested that the ditch between the hill and the allotments was dug at this time as a defensive earthworks. It is known that the army approached Bristol via Keynsham
Keynsham
Keynsham is a town and civil parish between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, south-west England. It has a population of 15,533.It was listed in the Domesday Book as Cainesham, which is believed to mean the home of Saint Keyne....
and Hanham
Hanham
Hanham is a village on the eastern outskirts of Bristol, England, situated on the A431 between Bristol, Bath and Keynsham. It is in the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire. It became a civil parish on April 1, 2003....
and it is possible therefore that Troopers Hill, with its views of the city, was used while the Parliamentary army was headquartered at Hanham.
Troopers Hill is a local landmark, and was a mining area from the early 19th century (coal) until its closure in 1904 when the last fireclay mines were abandoned. It was declared as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) on 22 June 1995.
Facilities
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
drinking fountain which divides the main Church Road which forks at this point to Kingswood
Kingswood, South Gloucestershire
Kingswood is an urban area in South Gloucestershire, England, bordering the City of Bristol to the west. It is located on both sides of the A420 road, which connects Bristol and Chippenham and which forms the high street through the principal retail zone...
and Hanham
Hanham
Hanham is a village on the eastern outskirts of Bristol, England, situated on the A431 between Bristol, Bath and Keynsham. It is in the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire. It became a civil parish on April 1, 2003....
. The road was also once the boundary between Bristol and Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
. Adjacent to this was the Parish Church of St. George, this has since been demolished and sheltered housing has been built on the site.
Not far from this spot is the St. George Police Station. It is no longer in use, but was converted to flats - so the building has been preserved.
Opposite this, there is a grassed area and on this site used to be the Park Picture House. Another local facility demolished and never replaced, this was a great favourite with children who used to attend the 9d rush on a Saturday morning and they always left desperate not to miss the following week as the final picture was always a serial, which had left the hero strapped to a train track or dangling over some life threatening piece of machinery.
St George Public Library is a prefabricated style building which replaced the previous stone built Victorian building, demolished when it was fashionable to pull down older buildings.
Recently, there has been much televised about the palace at Kew Gardens and it is interesting to note the similarities in design of this building and the old red brick St George Higher Grade School, later St George Grammar School and finally St George Comprehensive School. Now a Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
temple and a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
.
Local churches
- Crofts End ChurchCrofts End ChurchCrofts End Church is a nonconformist church, located in St George, Bristol, England. The specific area in which it is located is known locally as Crofts End....
, - St George Baptist
- Lighthouse Church, Bristol
- Bridge Community Church
- http://www.bridgechurchbristol.org/Groups/18711/Bridge_Community_Church/Church_Life/Hope_Congregation_East/Hope_Congregation_East.aspx
Regeneration
St George was included in areas covered by the 2004 Redfield Action Plan by David Wilson Partnership and 2md, commissioned by Bristol East Side Traders and Community at Heart which outlined a number of measures to improve social and economic conditions.See also
- BristolBristolBristol 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...
, EnglandEnglandEngland 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...
, - Crofts End, Bristol
- St George ParkSt George ParkSt George Park is a park on the eastern edge of the inner city in Bristol, England, in St George. Built on land that was originally The Fire Engine Farm, the park had many fine architectural features. All that remains of these is three of the original gate pillars at the main Church Road entrance....