Gloucester Road North is a road in

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 England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It runs through the suburbs of St. Andrew's, Bishopston and

Horfield Horfield is a suburb of the city of Bristol, in southwest England. It lies on Bristol's northern edge, its border with Filton marking part of the boundary between Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Bishopston lies directly to the south. Monk ...

and is a part of the A38, a former coaching route north of Bristol to

Filton Filton is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, north of Bristol. Along with nearby Patchway and Bradley Stoke, Filton forms part of the Bristol urban area and has become an overflow settlement for the city. Filton Church ...

and the

M5 Motorway The M5 is a motorway in England linking the Midlands with the South West England, South West. It runs from junction 8 of the M6 motorway, M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Brom ...

. The street is a focal point for local businesses, and is promoted by

Bristol City Council Bristol City Council is the local authority of Bristol, England. The council is a unitary authority, and is unusual in the United Kingdom in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Bristol. Bristol has 34 ward ...

as a centre of independent trade. The Bristol North Baths on Gloucester Road North were popular for most of the 20th century, and the location was used in filming for several television shows. Numerous shops and bars have achieved popularity in the local press for their unique contribution to Bristol.

Graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

and stencil art is popular and encouraged by some business in the area.

Geography

The road is around long. It starts at the junction with Cheltenham Road, Zetland Road and Elton Road. Cheltenham Road is spanned by a railway viaduct (known locally as "the Arches") carrying the Severn Beach Line south of this junction. The first property on Gloucester Road (1–3) is the Maplin electronics shop (due to close in 2018) where the, now culverted, Cutler's Mills Brook joins the Horfield Brook. The difference between the two roads is further emphasised by the fact that Gloucester Road has the

postal code A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal a ...

of BS7 whilst Cheltenham Road is BS6. The road heads northeast through the suburbs of St. Andrew's, Bishopston and

, ending at the edge of the 19th century Bristol County Borough by the site of

Horfield Barracks Horfield Barracks is a former military installation in the Horfield area of Bristol. History The barracks were built, largely in response to the Bristol riots of 1831, and completed between 1843 and 1847. During the Crimean War a mutiny took pla ...

. The road ahead through the suburbs is Filton Road, then Gloucester Road North towards the site of Filton Airport and the M5. The road is part of the A38, a cross-country route across England, though in this part of Bristol it is not a major through route. It is part of the Cotham, Redland and Gloucester Road Conservation Area, designated by

to conserve the local architecture and open space. Cycling and motorist groups have clashed about facilities on Gloucester Road; the former want a better provision of cycling lanes, while the latter would like better parking facilities. The situation has increased in the 2010s following Bristol becoming the first Cycling City in 2008 and encouraging more cycling.

History

Only Fools and Horses Location Bristol Flyer & Bristol North Baths, Gloucester Road, Bristol 1999

The road has been part of the coaching route from Bristol to

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, as the name suggests, though the historic route south of it took a different route to the city centre via Cotham Road and Horfield Road, while traffic today goes via Cheltenham Road and Stokes Croft. It had become built-up along its length around 1888. Shops and traders settled on the road in the late 19th century. At the turn of the 20th, there were a high concentration of butchers and grocers, as was typical for the time, but these were gradually replaced by pubs, cafes and charity shops. The street was home to Rooted Records, the central location of the Bristol

dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...

scene until closure in 2010. The Bristol North Baths were based on Gloucester Road, and the building is Grade II listed. Opening in 1915, they once included an annex for "slipper baths" that catered for individual bathing, as opposed to swimming in a group. The annex was demolished and became a car park in 2002, while the main baths closed in 2005. The building is awaiting redevelopment into flats. Along with the Bristol Flyer at No. 96 next door, the baths were used for location shots in the television sitcoms ''

Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses....'' is a British television sitcom created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from 1981 to 1991, with sixteen sporadic Christmas ...

'' and '' The Young Ones''. Although Bristol City Council has invested £3m in redeveloping the North Baths, progress has continually stalled, as hidden structural problems have been uncovered. In 2016, the council reported an extra £1.5 million would be required to complete the project.

Shopping

Hobgoblin pub, Gloucester Road, Bristol - DSC05798

Gloucester Road is well known for independent shops. In 2012, its only

chain store A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many pa ...

was a branch of

Somerfield Somerfield (; originally Gateway) was a chain of small to medium-sized supermarkets operating in the United Kingdom. The company also previously owned the Kwik Save chain of discount food stores. The company was taken over by the Co-operati ...

. It has survived due to the concentration of

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Com ...

housing on either side of the road, whose occupiers prefer local goods. A ''

Bristol Post The ''Bristol Post'' is a city/regional five-day-a-week (formerly appearing six days per week) newspaper covering news in the city of Bristol, including stories from the whole of Greater Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. It was ...

'' report suggested "you can buy anything you could ever need" on Gloucester Road, and that it captured the independent spirit of the local community well. A

Barratt Homes Barratt Developments plc is one of the largest residential property development companies in the United Kingdom operating across England, Wales and Scotland. It was founded in 1958 as Greensitt Bros., but control was later assumed by Sir L ...

report has described Gloucester Road as having the longest row of independent shops in Europe. The Grape & Grind, an

off licence Off or OFF may refer to: Art and entertainment *Off (video game), ''Off'' (video game), a video game by Mortis Ghost. *Sven Väth, German DJ and singer who uses the pseudonym OFF *Off (album), ''Off'' (album), by Ciwan Haco, 2006 *Off! (album), ' ...

at No. 101, was established in 2010, and includes an enomatic wine dispenser. Reclaimers Reclamation at No. 307, specialises in furniture recycled from other products, such as kitchen worktop made from the slate off a

snooker table A billiard table or billiards table is a bounded table on which cue sports are played. In the modern era, all billiards tables (whether for carom billiards, pool, pyramid or snooker) provide a flat surface usually made of quarried slate, that ...

. Along with the craft shop Fig at No. 206, these shops were featured as part of the ten best independent shops in Bristol in a report by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''. Crawford's Newsagents, at No. 200, has been trading since the Victorian era. The Drapers Arms, a pub, is at No. 447. It is currently being converted into a

micropub A micropub is a very small, modern, one room pub founded on principles set up by Martyn Hillier of the first micropub, The Butchers Arms in Herne, Kent, which are "based upon good ale and lively banter". Definition A micropub, according to ...

with locally brewed beer and a lack of

fruit machine A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine ( Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively ...

s and

juke boxes A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to selec ...

Culture

Because Gloucester Road is popular with artists, creative works are encouraged by local businesses. The Golden Lion pub permits

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

artists to draw on their walls, provided their artwork includes a lion. In 2014, a graffiti stencil of

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

, who grew up in the local area, was drawn above Room 212 on Gloucester Road. Though

Banksy Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigram ...

's artwork features in many locations around Bristol, there is none on Gloucester Road; the nearest being "

The Mild Mild West ''The Mild Mild West'' is a mural by graffiti artist Banksy, sited on No. 80 Stokes Croft, Bristol. It depicts a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at three riot police. History Banksy painted the artwork over three days in broad daylig ...

" further south on the A38 at Stokes Croft. An annual

street party A block party or street party is a party in which many members of a single community congregate, either to observe an event of some importance or simply for mutual solidarity and enjoyment. The name comes from the form of the party, which ofte ...

is held every Christmas on Gloucester Road. During the event, shops are encouraged to open late, and additional food and drink stalls are available. In 2014, Bristol City Council spent over £23,000 on new

Christmas lights Christmas lights (also known as fairy lights, festive lights or string lights) are lights often used for decoration in celebration of Christmas, often on display throughout the Christmas season including Advent and Christmastide. The custom g ...

on order to promote the party and related events.

Public transport

Ten bus routes operate on Gloucester Road; the 3A, 3B and 3X operated by

Stagecoach West Stagecoach West is the trading name of Cheltenham & Gloucester Omnibus Company Limited, a bus operator providing services in Gloucestershire, Bristol, Swindon, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, North Somerset and Herefordshire, in the West of England. ...

, and the 71, 72, 73, 75, 76, T2 and Severn Express operated by

First West of England First West of EnglandCompanies House extract company no 25088
...

. The nearest railway station is

Montpelier railway station Montpelier railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and serves the district of Montpelier, Bristol, Montpelier in Bristol, England. It is from . Its three letter station code is MTP. The station has a single platform, serving trains in bot ...

on the Severn Beach Line.

Future plans

Studies produced by the

West of England Combined Authority The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is a combined authority within the West of England area, consisting of the local authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset. The combined authority is led by the ...

have deduced that journeys by bus along Gloucester Road are slow and unreliable as a result of slow-moving traffic along the route, which limits the potential to achieve modal shift from the car as public transport is not an attractive option for many journeys. Highway constraints on the road limit the ability to increase public transport capacity with additional bus services. Therefore, a fully segregated rapid transit route, potentially underground, is desired to address transport needs on the corridor.

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

The Gloucester Road Story
– interactive history of shops along the road
Love Gloucester Road
– information site Streets in Bristol Shopping streets in Bristol