St Werburghs, Bristol
Encyclopedia
St. Werburghs is an area in central north-east Bristol
, England
. Surrounded by the M32 motorway
, railway embankments and allotment
slopes it has the feel of a green village in the inner city.
was relocated (and substantially rebuilt) to Mina Road in this district from Corn Street, Bristol in 1879. It is now a climbing
centre by Undercover Rock. Before then the northern part was Ashley Vale and the southern part Baptist Mills.
The area was historically prone to serious flooding, notably in 1882 and 1889. There are still four Victorian flood marker posts. It was also a source of water supply for the city of Bristol through the Quay Pipe and The Boiling Wells.
St. Werburghs hosts a city farm
and has been the scene of several environmental campaigns including the development of a self-build housing community and the establishing of Narroways Hill as a Millennium Green and wildlife area. There is a campaign to rid the area of the 8 unsightly billboards that dominate the main road through St Werburghs.
Since 2007, on the Saturday before Christmas, local residents have produced and performed a mummers play
based on the life of St Werburgh, performed in and featuring characters from the four local pubs: The Farm, The Miners Arms (which also hosts a beer festival each summer), The Victoria and the Duke of York.
The BBC
Television series Only Fools and Horses
, which was filmed in and around Bristol, used the allotments for the episode 'Mother Nature's Son', and BBC wildlife and gardening programmes and the Casualty
have been filmed in the area.
. St Werburghs shares few of St Pauls' problems (e.g. drug dealing and, to a lesser extent, prostitution). Whilst it has a more of a cultural mix than Bristol , it is not as diverse as other inner city areas. It also has more family housing which has increased house prices. The area has less crime than the other inner city Bristol areas. This leads to the benefits of a multi-cultural community but less deprivation than some neighbouring areas.
Mina Road is St Werburghs' 'high street', whose shops each have an imaginative figurehead protruding from their frontages indicating the type of trade on offer.
The park opposite the shops contains an original example of a cast iron Victorian public lavatory.
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...
. Surrounded by 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...
, railway embankments and allotment
Allotment (gardening)
An allotment garden, often called simply an allotment, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families...
slopes it has the feel of a green village in the inner city.
History
The area became known as St. Werburghs when St Werburgh's ChurchSt Werburgh's Church, Bristol
St Werburgh's Church, Bristol is a former church and climbing centre in St Werburghs, Bristol, England.St. Werburghs is situated in the St Werburgh's area in central north-east Bristol, England, which became known as St.Werburghs when St Werburghs Church was relocated to Mina Road in this district...
was relocated (and substantially rebuilt) to Mina Road in this district from Corn Street, Bristol in 1879. It is now a climbing
Climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
centre by Undercover Rock. Before then the northern part was Ashley Vale and the southern part Baptist Mills.
The area was historically prone to serious flooding, notably in 1882 and 1889. There are still four Victorian flood marker posts. It was also a source of water supply for the city of Bristol through the Quay Pipe and The Boiling Wells.
St. Werburghs hosts a city farm
City farm
City farms are usually community-run projects in urban areas, which involve people interacting and working with animals and plants. They aim to improve community relationships and offer an awareness of agriculture and farming to people who live in built-up areas.They vary in size from small plots...
and has been the scene of several environmental campaigns including the development of a self-build housing community and the establishing of Narroways Hill as a Millennium Green and wildlife area. There is a campaign to rid the area of the 8 unsightly billboards that dominate the main road through St Werburghs.
Since 2007, on the Saturday before Christmas, local residents have produced and performed a mummers play
Mummers Play
Mummers Plays are seasonal folk plays performed by troupes of actors known as mummers or guisers , originally from England , but later in other parts of the world...
based on the life of St Werburgh, performed in and featuring characters from the four local pubs: The Farm, The Miners Arms (which also hosts a beer festival each summer), The Victoria and the Duke of York.
The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Television series Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
, which was filmed in and around Bristol, used the allotments for the episode 'Mother Nature's Son', and BBC wildlife and gardening programmes and the Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
have been filmed in the area.
Area
The district lies adjacent to the district of St PaulsSt Pauls, Bristol
St Pauls is an inner suburb of Bristol, England, situated just north east of the city centre and west of the M32. It is bounded by the A38, the B4051 and the A4032 roads...
. St Werburghs shares few of St Pauls' problems (e.g. drug dealing and, to a lesser extent, prostitution). Whilst it has a more of a cultural mix than Bristol , it is not as diverse as other inner city areas. It also has more family housing which has increased house prices. The area has less crime than the other inner city Bristol areas. This leads to the benefits of a multi-cultural community but less deprivation than some neighbouring areas.
Mina Road is St Werburghs' 'high street', whose shops each have an imaginative figurehead protruding from their frontages indicating the type of trade on offer.
The park opposite the shops contains an original example of a cast iron Victorian public lavatory.