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OUT | AND ABOUT
Historical Cotham This month’s walk is an urban stroll between two stations on the Severn Beach line. Starting amid the mid-Victorian grandeur of Cotham, it takes in the Georgian charm of Kingsdown before venturing along one of Bristol’s quirkiest Regency streets. It also visits the sites of three Civil War forts and goes past some of Bristol’s finest suburban hostelries, says Andrew Swift
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eaving the train at Redland, head out of the station, turn left, left again across a footbridge and carry on up Lovers Walk. At the top, cross and head along Cotham Park North, beside Colston’s Primary School. At the crossroads, head straight on up Cotham Park, carry on as it curves left and continue past No Entry signs. The obelisks flanking the T-junction at the end originally flanked the gateway to 18th-century Cotham Lodge, demolished in 1846 when the area was developed. • Turn right and right again up Cotham Road. The church at the end, built as a Congregational chapel in 1842, was taken over by the Church of England in the 1970s. A memorial commemorates five Protestant martyrs burnt at the stake here during the reign of Queen Mary. Just past the second gateway, a plaque indicates the remains of Bewell’s Cross, which marked Bristol’s northern boundary. It was the custom to hang malefactors on a nearby gibbet until the early 19th century.
to defend the city. Grand villas were later built in the grounds, part of which became a quarry until they were landscaped, under the guidance of Humphry Repton, in 1804. In 1917, the Royal Fort was bequeathed to the university by HH Wills.
• Turn left down St Michael’s Hill past the Highbury Vaults, noted for its range of cask ales and a model train running round the bar. Opposite is Beerd, Bath Ales’ craft beer bar. Further along is the White Bear, a coaching inn with a pint-wielding polar bear above the entrance.
• As you go through the gateway, the 1920s Wills Physics Laboratory towers above you. Carry on along the north side of Royal Fort House, one of the finest Georgian buildings in Bristol and unusual in having three façades in contrasting styles. Continue along its west and south sides, before following the path as it winds around the fort’s perimeter. After passing the mirror maze below Royal Fort House, turn left along the drive, go through a gate, cross the bottom of Tyndall Avenue and walk along Woodland Road for 50 metres before turning right up St Michael’s Park. At the top, cross and carry on along Myrtle Road and Walker Street. The site of Colston’s Fort, also part of the Civil War defences, lies behind the houses facing you at the end.
• The gabled building on the corner of St Michael’s Park, built around 1670, is one of the oldest in the area. After crossing the zebra crossing, carry on downhill. Just past the Hospital for Sick Children, turn right uphill and bear right through a gatehouse. Apart from a short section of perimeter wall, this is all that remains of a fort built by Royalist troops around 1644
• Turn left past the Green Man – a Dawkins’ Ales pub formerly known as the Bell – and right along Portland Street at the end. Cross the zebra crossing and carry on along Clevedon Terrace. At the crossroads, look left to see some of the last remaining gaslights in Bristol and up to the right to see a two-headed goose.
• Opposite is the Western Congregational College, opened in 1906 and now housing a doctor’s surgery. Ahead is Hampton House Health Centre, originally a homeopathic hospital, with a foundation stone laid by the future Edward VIII in 1921.
• Carry on and turn left by the Wine Vaults along Kingsdown Parade, one of the most eclectic and fascinating Georgian streets in Bristol. It eventually leads down to Fremantle Square, whose Regency charm belies a bloody history. Prior’s Hill Fort once stood on this site. In September 1645, it was captured by Parliamentary forces after two hours of bitter fighting and the defenders were massacred. • At the T-junction, turn right, then right again up the east side of Fremantle Square. Carry on past Thomas Street North (where you can see a framed Banksy a few metres down to the left), continue along Somerset Street and at the end turn left down Montague Hill. Turn left along Dove Street, passing the Hillgrove and the Hare on the Hill, run by Dawkins’ and Bath Ales respectively. At the end turn right downhill. Turn left at the bottom and, after passing the Little Shop, cross the main road. Head to the right of the Salvation Army shop and, after a few metres, turn left along Picton Street. Dating from around 1820, it was named after General Picton, who 62 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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FEBRUARY 2014