Brislington is an area in the south east of the city of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England. It is on the edge of Bristol and from

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Brislington Brook Brislington Brook is a short, long tributary of the River Avon (Bristol), Bristol Avon, rising on the northern slopes of Maes Knoll on the southern boundary of the city of Bristol, England. The stream has been badly affected by pollution but imp ...

runs through the area in the woodlands of Nightingale Valley and St Anne's Wood. Brislington formerly housed the HTV West Studios on

Bath Road The A4 is a major road in England from Central London to Avonmouth via Heathrow Airport, Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Bath, Somerset, Bath and Bristol. It is historically known as the Bath Road with newer sections including the Great West Road ...

, and this is situated next to the historic

Arnos Vale Cemetery Arnos Vale Cemetery () (also written Arno's Vale Cemetery), in Arnos Vale, Bristol, England, was established in 1837. Its first burial was in 1839. The cemetery followed a joint-stock model, funded by shareholders. It was laid out as an Arcadi ...

, other notables landmarks include

Brislington House Brislington House (now known as Long Fox Manor) was built as a private lunatic asylum. When it opened in 1806 it was one of the first purpose-built asylums in England. It is situated on the Bath Road in Brislington, Bristol, although parts of th ...

and the 15th-century St Luke's Church. During the 18th–19th century, Brislington was regarded as a picturesque country village and contained many country homes.

History

The parish of Brislington was historically part of the

Keynsham Keynsham ( ) is a town and civil parish located between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. It has a population of 16,000. It was listed in the Domesday Book as ''Cainesham'' (as it is pronounced), which is believed to mean the home of Sai ...

Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. Brislington is also near to the site of the now demolished chapel of St. Anne's-in-the Wood (actually in nearby St Anne's), erected by one of the Lords de la Warr, whose family held the manor of Brislington from the late 12th to the mid-16th century; in the 15th century the chapel was a place of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

, visited by Henry VII). After the chapel was demolished following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Thomas Amory built a house called "St. Ann's" at the site in the mid-17th century. During the 18th and 19th century, Brislington contained many country homes due to its reputation as a picturesque country village. It was also a notable centre of the making of brightly coloured

English delftware English delftware is tin-glazed pottery made in the British Isles between about 1550 and the late 18th century. The main centres of production were London, Bristol and Liverpool with smaller centres at Wincanton, Glasgow and Dublin. English ...

pottery.

(now known as Long Fox Manor) was built as a private

lunatic asylum The lunatic asylum (or insane asylum) was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. The fall of the lunatic asylum and its eventual replacement by modern psychiatric hospitals explains the rise of organized, institutional psychiatry ...

for the

insane Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...

. When it opened in 1806 it was one of England's first purpose built asylums. The

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

fronted building was originally seven separate blocks into which patients were allocated depending on their

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

. The buildings, estate and therapeutic regime designed by Edward Long Fox was based on the principles of

moral treatment Moral treatment was an approach to mental disorder based on humane psychosocial care or moral discipline that emerged in the 18th century and came to the fore for much of the 19th century, deriving partly from psychiatry or psychology and partly fr ...

which was fashionable at the time. Brislington House later influenced the design and construction of other asylums and influenced Act of parliament. The house and ancillary structures are

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

s which have now been converted into private residences. The original grounds are Grade II* listed on the

Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England The Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by Historic England ...

and now include

St. Brendan's Sixth Form College St Brendan's is a state funded sixth form college located in Brislington, Bristol, England. Over 1700 students study A-levels, BTECs & GCSEs on one purpose-built, university style campus. History St Brendan's was founded by the Irish Christian ...

, sports pitches and some farmland. They are now included on the

Heritage at Risk Register An annual ''Heritage at Risk Register'' is published by Historic England. The survey is used by national and local government, a wide range of individuals and heritage groups to establish the extent of risk and to help assess priorities for actio ...

. In 1866, Brislington became a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

. By the early 20th century it was encompassed by Bristol, and much urban housing and industry developed. In 1933, the civil parish was abolished and absorbed into Bristol. Churches in Brislington include St Luke's (which dates from the 15th century) and includes a bell dating from 1766 and made by Thomas Bilbie of the

Bilbie family The Bilbie family were bell founders and clockmakers based initially in Chew Stoke, Somerset and later at Cullompton, Devon in south-west England from the late 17th century to the early 19th century. Their importance to the local economy and in ...

St Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne ( – 20 March 687) was an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Nor ...

s, Carmel Christian Centre, St Christophers and the United Reformed Church. The

Bristol and North Somerset Railway The Bristol and North Somerset Railway was a railway line in the West of England that connected Bristol with Radstock, through Pensford and further into northern Somerset, to allow access to the Somerset Coalfield. The line ran almost due so ...

(later the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

) had a station at , which linked the city with the towns of the Somerset coalfield. The line opened in 1873 and was closed to passenger traffic in 1959, with freight services withdrawn in the mid-1960s. The early 19th-century

is undergoing restoration after a lengthy public and newspaper campaign. In the early 21st century, Brislington's paint works was converted to studios, offices and houses, home to arts and media organisations.

Education

The area is home to CLC@Brislington, one of Bristol's three

City Learning Centre A City Learning Centre is a facility in the United Kingdom which provides ICT-based learning opportunities for the pupils at the host school, for pupils at a network of surrounding schools and for the wider community. The centre aims to enhance ...

s, which use information communication technology in teaching and learning. Schools in Brislington include

, Holymead Primary School, Broomhill Junior and Infant School, West Town Lane Primary School, and Oasis Academy Brislington, a local secondary school.

Sport and leisure

Brislington has a

Non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

club

Brislington F.C. Brislington Football Club is a football club based in Brislington, in Bristol, England. Nicknamed "Briz", they are currently members of the and play at Ironmould Lane. History The club was established in 1956 as an under-16 team, and initially ...

who play at Ironmould Lane and a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

club,

Old Redcliffians Old Redcliffians Rugby Football Club is an English rugby union team based in Brislington, a suburb of Bristol. The club runs four senior sides and a sevens team as well as a ladies side and the full range of junior teams. The first XV currently ...

who play in

National League 3 South West Regional 1 South West (formerly South West Premier and National League 3 South West) is a level five league in the English rugby union system. It is one of six leagues at this level. When this division began in 1987 it was known as South West D ...

, a fifth level league in the

English rugby union system Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system. Women's Rugby union in England cons ...

. It is also home t
Firebird Studios
an award-winning rehearsal studio based on Emery Road and home to its children's music school
Saturday Music Club.

References

External links

Brislington Conservation and Historical Society

Brislington Cricketers FC

Brislington FC

Friends of Arno's Vale

The Paintworks

The City Learning Centre at Brislington Enterprise College

{{Areas of Bristol Areas of Bristol Former civil parishes in Bristol Places formerly in Somerset