Catbrain Hill, simply known as Catbrain, is a small village in England north 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 ...
, within the county of
South Gloucestershire
South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming part ...
. It is located near
Cribbs Causeway
Cribbs Causeway is both a road in South Gloucestershire, England, running north of the city of Bristol, and the adjacent area which is notable for its out-of-town shopping and leisure facilities. The retail and leisure complex takes its name fr ...
, on a road that contains many car dealerships. A new
housing estate
A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country.
Popular throughout the United States a ...
has been recently constructed at Catbrain, with more developments nearby underway as of 2022. At the bottom of the hill lies the runway of the former
Bristol Filton Airport
Filton Airport or Filton Aerodrome was a private airport in Filton and Patchway, within South Gloucestershire, north of Bristol, England.
Description
The airfield was bounded by the A38 road to the east, and the former London to Avonmouth r ...
.
The area belongs to the postcode area BS10.
Name history
"Cat's brain" is a common name for fields in the south of England, and likely indicates soil type (the rough stony clay found here supposedly resembling
feline brain matter).
There are other Catbrains in Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Surrey.
[ Catbrain has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names, within the UK and beyond.
]
Hazel Brook
The Hazel Brook
The Hazel Brook, also known as the Hen, is a tributary of the River Trym in Bristol, England. It rises at Cribbs Causeway in South Gloucestershire. From there, its course takes it south, passing the western end of Filton Aerodrome on its left ...
rises in nearby Cribbs Causeway and its flow into the River Trym
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
is controlled by an attenuation reservoir at Catbrain, which reduces the silt flowing into the system from the many shopping malls in the area.
See also
Catbrain attenuation reservoir
References
{{South Gloucestershire
Villages in South Gloucestershire District
Areas of Bristol