Discover Bishopston, a thriving suburb in the north of Bristol. Developed around the popular Gloucester Road, Bishopston boasts an excellent array of independent shops, gastropubs, traditional pubs, cafes, and restaurants. Making it a vibrant hub of social and commercial enterprise.
Gloucester Road has a real local high street feel to it, adding to the charm of Bishopston, which is popular with families of all ages and sizes, as well as young professionals and students from Bristol’s universities.
Originally built in the Victorian era, Bishopston’s stunning residential properties are a sight to behold. Some have been converted into multi-person occupancies, offering a good selection of flats and apartments throughout the area. With its unique character and vibrant community, Bishopston is a great place to call home in Bristol.
Bishopston Location in Bristol
Explore Bishopston with easy access to major roads such as Gloucester Road (A38), running north all the way to Gloucester and south to Bristol Airport and the Mendip Hills. Other major roads in and around Bishopston include Coldharbour Road, running west to north, and Cranbrook Road, striking southeast from Gloucester Road.
Bishopston is surrounded by numerous affluent and interesting areas, including Henleaze, Horfield, Lockleaze to the north and Redland, The Arches, and St. Andrews. To the west is Stoke Bishop and to the east is Ashley Down, home to the Bristol County Ground, where Gloucestershire Cricket Club play.
In north Bishopston, on the border with Horfield, you’ll find the Memorial Stadium, home to one of Bristol’s two major football teams, Bristol Rovers. It also occasionally hosts music concerts, adding to the lively feel of Bishopston.
There are numerous buses that run along Gloucester Road and can take pedestrians to the northernmost parts of the city or directly into the city centre.
The History of Bishopston
Bishopston takes its name from the bishop of the local diocese from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Although a controversial figure, the parish of Bishopston was originally created during the summer of 1826 with a population of just 1300, which rapidly grew to well over 9,000 by the turn of the century. Today, the Bishopston population has only grown by a few thousand to just shy of 14,000 according to the Census of 2011.
Bishopston has been home to some remarkable people over the years, including two Nobel Prize-winning physicists; Paul Cirac and Cecil Frank Powell. Dirac, a theoretical physicist, attended Bishop Road Primary School and went on to make significant contributions to quantum mechanics. Powell, on the other hand, was awarded the prize in 1950 for his development of the photographic method of studying nuclear processes and related discoveries.
Other famous Bishopston residents include founding members of the music group Massive Attack, and 2006 World Cup-winning Italian footballer Alessandro Del Piero, who lived there briefly as a child. However, perhaps the most famous Bishopston alumni of all is the legendary Cary Grant. He also attended Bishopston Road Primary School and lived in Highenden Road, where a special blue plaque commemorated his time there.
Shopping in Bishopston
Bishopston is home to Gloucester Road, which offers an excellent array of independent and chain stores, making it a great place to explore for your shopping needs. One of the area’s unique features is its blend of different shops, including a large number of independent retailers, which gives the whole area a bohemian vibe, making it one of the most interesting and fun shopping areas in Bristol.
Bishopston Bars and Restaurants
Gloucester Road is home to some of the best bars and restaurants Bristol has to offer. Enjoy chargrilled Lebanese meats and meze dishes from within Lona Grill House and Juice Bar, a spacious, colourful and easy-going restaurant. Or head to Dev’s Kerala, a bring-your-own South Indian restaurant.
Other eating options include Tinto Lounge, a fun and casual cafe bar decorated with mismatched furniture or the late-night option of Ciao Burger, which includes a number of vegetarian options.
For a bowl of something tasty, it has to be Ramen Ya (Japanese), or Eat a Pitta, where you can find a range of freshly prepared salad toppings to go with gluten-free freshly cooked falafel. For those that like pizza, Gloucester Road has a few options such as Pizzarova.
There are a number of traditional pubs around Bishopston, some of which serve food and others don’t. Check out Hobgoblin for burgers and loaded fries, The Lazy Dog, The Gloucester Old spot, or The Gallimaufry. Other interesting bars in the area include the Grace, the Bristol Flyer, and the Sportsman, which shows various televised sports games and has eleven pool tables. For some late-night decadence, check out Bootlegger cocktail bar and the Golden Lion, which has bands on almost every evening of the week.
Other Bishopston Attractions and Places of Interest
Bishopston was the venue of some location filming for the cult comedy show The Young Ones, with the late great Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson. Codrington Road in the south of the area was one such place, while external shots for the bank-robbing scene in the last episode of the show were filmed on Gloucester Road, just outside the former Bristol North Swimming Baths.
