Bristol house buying guide

It’s a real people pleaser, thanks to its thriving bar and restaurant district, excellent transport links, and popular primary schools. Plus, there's shops and supermarkets just a stone throw's away. So if you want to live in a friendly community without straying too far from the city, this could be the place for you.

Transport

Bishopston is just a 15 minute drive north from Bristol, or catch a train to get you into the centre in x. This makes Bishopston a great choice if you need to travel into the city centre for work or you’d like to explore other suburbs.

Local schools

Bishopston’s local primary schools are rated ‘outstanding’ and ‘good’, including Bishop Road Primary School, St Bonaventure's Catholic Primary School and Shield Road Primary School. There are also well-rated secondary schools, including Bishopston Comprehensive, Olchfa School and Gowerton Comprehensive School, making Bishopston particularly ideal if you’re seeking a family-friendly location. 

Property price growth

Over the last year, property prices in Bishopston are 1% up on the previous year.

History

Bishopston itself is a fairly new creation; the area has a much longer history connected to the earlier established parish of Horfield. Horfield was almost certainly a settlement in Saxon times, and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086! In 1140 Lord Berkeley, whose estates included the Manor of Horfield, founded St. Augustine’s Abbey and gave the Manor to the Abbey in whose possession it remained for the next 400 years.

During the Reformation, instead of confiscating the monastic holdings, Henry V111 gave the manor instead to the newly formed Bishopric of Bristol. Many years later the estate was broken up, and by the mid 19th century Horfield was a country village on the highway from Bristol to Gloucester, two miles north of the old city boundary.

The first recorded use of the name 'Bishopston' didn't appear until 1862, but by the end of the century much of Bishopston had been developed.

You’ll find Bedminster and Southville just south of the river. While these vibrant and laid back suburbs are two separate towns, they share North Street — a haven for creatives, foodies and craft-beer enthusiasts. 

Bedminster and Southville share similarities to Clifton. We’re talking bay-windowed Victorian terraces, beautiful green spaces, and the type of nightlife you’d usually expect from a city centre. 

Thankfully, the Bedminster and Southville sisters are significantly more affordable than their posh cousin north of the river!

Transport

You can get into central Bristol from both Bedminster and Southville quickly on bike or by car in around 10-15 minutes. There's also plenty of buses to get you into the city in around 20 minutes, or a brisk half an hour walk.

Local schools

Primary school wise, Ashton Gate Primary School is rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted, while Southville and Victoria Park Primary Schools both are well-rated too. For older children, there's also St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School which is rated 'Outstanding', while the academy Bristol Cathedral Choir School and Cotham School are both rated 'Good'.

Property price growth

Over the past year, property prices in Bedminster were 2% down on the previous year, while in Southville prices were similar to the previous year.

History

Bedminster was historically a small market town separate from Bristol and its boundary. Bedminster is believed to have Roman origins, with archelogical finds suggesting a rural farmstead located there between the 2nd and 4th centuries, but with possible Iron Age origins. The river Malago that runs through Bedminster was an early Christian place for baptisms - in fact, the old word for baptisms beydd may be the origin of Bedminster's name.

By Anglo-Saxon times, Bedminster was a manor held by King Edward the Confessor in the 11th century, and stayed in the hands of lords until the 19th century. By the late 18th century, Bedminster was a sprawling market town with the beginnings of its mining industry.

Southville is much more recent, with most of the houses built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for workers in the local coal mines and tobacco factories. During the second world war, Southville was the unintended target of many short-falling bombs aimed at the adjoining dock facilities.

Situated to the south east of Bristol, Brislington has changed a lot over the years. Today, it's become one of the city’s most beautiful and versatile suburbs, attracting families, young professionals, and lots of investment. 

Head towards the river and you’ll find Bristol’s creative quarter aka ‘Paintworks’  — old warehouses that have been transformed into apartments, workspaces and restaurants. It also has an event space for weddings, conferences and flea markets! 

Of course, Brislington’s got all the sensible stuff too, such as big supermarkets, trustworthy transport links, and great schools.

Transport

Brislington is only a 20 minute bus journey into the centre, or a 10-15 minute car drive. You can also make the journey in around 20 minutes cycling, or just under an hour on foot.

Local schools

When it comes to primary schools in Brislington, both Broomhill Junior School and Holymead Primary School are well-rated. For secondary education, slightly further our St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School is rated 'Outstanding', while the closer schools of John Cabot Academy and St Brendan's Sixth Form College are both rated 'Good'.

Property price growth

Over the last year, sold property prices in Brislington were similar to the previous year.

History

Similar to Bedminster, Brislington was inhabited in Roman times - the remains of a Roman villa dating from around AD 270-300 were found when Winchester Road was being built. It's mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1087 as ‘Brisilton’, part of the manor of ‘Cainesham’ (Keynsham). It became a manor in its own right when William II gave it to Robert Fitzhamon.

There's been a church on the site of the present St Luke’s since at least the 13th century; the present church dates from 1420 and was built by the 5th Baron Thomas la Warr. In medieval times, Brislington was a place of pilgrimage, rivalling Walsingham and Canterbury, with the Chapel of St Anne-in- the-Wood founded in 1276 near a holy well, which was said to have healing powers and survived until it was dismantled in 1538 under Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Bu the mid-18th Century the older Brislington family names began to be replaced by the new landed gentry, as it became a fashionable retreat for Bristol Merchants. In the 20th century the area became more industrious including the opening of biscuit and jam factories, but most major industry closed in the 1980s. Today, Brislington has returned to a rural, semi-agricultural community.