Totterdown, Bristol
Encyclopedia
Totterdown is a suburb of Bristol
, England
, situated area just south of the River Avon
and south-east of Temple Meads railway station
. It rises relatively steeply from the river bank to a largely terraced Victorian housing area which is notable for its painted homes - often in bright colours - that can be seen from some distance. There is a tight network of extremely steep roads in eastern Totterdown, of which Vale Street, although very short, is alleged to be the steepest residential road in England. For safety cars can only be parked on it at an angle to the kerb.
Once mainly a working class area and built for the nearby railway industry, in the mid to late 19th century, Totterdown has become a popular area for the younger generation taking up work in the city centre.
The Thali cafe is famous for its eco-friendly food and take-away scheme using tiffins, winning the Obsever food award for "best cheap eat". The Thali offers venue hire for private functions such as weddings, workshops and parties.
Banco Lounge, a smart cafe bar based in the old YWCA building on Wells Road, opened in July 2006. In December 2006 the Cumberland on St Luke's Road was given a makeover and opened as a gastro pub called the Star and Dove.
The Bocabar opened in the Paintworks (formerly Central Trading Estate) in 2005 and serves tapas, pizzas, cakes, cappucinos with a licensed bar.
Mrs Brown's Cafe opened in Victoria Park in spring 2007, serving Fairtrade coffee and cakes from a caravan.
Express, A Garage Which Repairs Cars And Does MOT's Called Langdon Motors
A community store which offers everything from groceries to key cutting Called Patco) , a chemist, an optician, a wine shop, a fruit and veg shop, a Gym
(offering gym, aerobics
, etc. plus treatment rooms), various hairdressers and beauty treatment rooms as well as a doctors surgery, and is well served by buses into town and across to Clifton
. There is also Bristol Jamia
Mosque
, close to Victoria Park.
Church. Victoria Park has a good newish play area at the top of the park, as well as tennis courts, basketball courts, football pitches, skatepark, and more.
School Road Park has undergone a transformation and contains challenging play equipment for younger children including swings, slides, mini trampolines, and a sandpit.
Perrett's Park is a natural amphitheater with benches around the top along Bayham Road and Sylvia Avenue: a place where the balloon ascent can be seen during the summer Balloon Fiesta
. It also has a play area suitable for the under 10s.
There is an amateur weather site in Totterdown that has a website for local climate
details.
The Thali Cafe in William Street, features a larger than life bust of Raisa Gorbachev above its front door. This dates from the 1980s when the cafe was previously named Glasnost
.
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...
, situated area just south of the River Avon
River Avon, Bristol
The River Avon is an English river in the south west of the country. To distinguish it from a number of other River Avons in Britain, this river is often also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon...
and south-east of Temple Meads railway station
Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
. It rises relatively steeply from the river bank to a largely terraced Victorian housing area which is notable for its painted homes - often in bright colours - that can be seen from some distance. There is a tight network of extremely steep roads in eastern Totterdown, of which Vale Street, although very short, is alleged to be the steepest residential road in England. For safety cars can only be parked on it at an angle to the kerb.
Once mainly a working class area and built for the nearby railway industry, in the mid to late 19th century, Totterdown has become a popular area for the younger generation taking up work in the city centre.
Food and drink
Totterdown has several local pubs some of which attract a younger clientele with DJ nights. Pubs offering music include the Shakespeare New Found Out and the Thunderbolt (previously known as "The Turnpike"). On Sundays there is live music and food for a fiver at the Thali.The Thali cafe is famous for its eco-friendly food and take-away scheme using tiffins, winning the Obsever food award for "best cheap eat". The Thali offers venue hire for private functions such as weddings, workshops and parties.
Banco Lounge, a smart cafe bar based in the old YWCA building on Wells Road, opened in July 2006. In December 2006 the Cumberland on St Luke's Road was given a makeover and opened as a gastro pub called the Star and Dove.
The Bocabar opened in the Paintworks (formerly Central Trading Estate) in 2005 and serves tapas, pizzas, cakes, cappucinos with a licensed bar.
Mrs Brown's Cafe opened in Victoria Park in spring 2007, serving Fairtrade coffee and cakes from a caravan.
Local facilities
The area also has a TescoTesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
Express, A Garage Which Repairs Cars And Does MOT's Called Langdon Motors
A community store which offers everything from groceries to key cutting Called Patco) , a chemist, an optician, a wine shop, a fruit and veg shop, a Gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
(offering gym, aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
, etc. plus treatment rooms), various hairdressers and beauty treatment rooms as well as a doctors surgery, and is well served by buses into town and across to Clifton
Clifton, Bristol
Clifton is a suburb of the City of Bristol in England, and the name of both one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells...
. There is also Bristol Jamia
Jamia
Jamia is the Arabic word for gathering . It can also refer to a mosque, or more generally, a community or association....
Mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
, close to Victoria Park.
Children
Totterdown is popular with young families. There are daily toddler groups at Totterdown BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church. Victoria Park has a good newish play area at the top of the park, as well as tennis courts, basketball courts, football pitches, skatepark, and more.
School Road Park has undergone a transformation and contains challenging play equipment for younger children including swings, slides, mini trampolines, and a sandpit.
Perrett's Park is a natural amphitheater with benches around the top along Bayham Road and Sylvia Avenue: a place where the balloon ascent can be seen during the summer Balloon Fiesta
Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is held annually during August in Bristol, England. Teams from the UK and other parts of the world bring their hot air balloons to the site and participate in mass ascents where as many as 100 balloons may launch at a time.The event was first held in 1979...
. It also has a play area suitable for the under 10s.
Art
In the last few years the Totterdown Art trail Frontroom has been gaining in popularity. This event invites visitors into the houses of artists in this area of Bristol to view a large range of local artwork.There is an amateur weather site in Totterdown that has a website for local climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
details.
The Thali Cafe in William Street, features a larger than life bust of Raisa Gorbachev above its front door. This dates from the 1980s when the cafe was previously named Glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
.