Hartcliffe is the name of both a

council ward A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

and an Outer Suburb 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 ...

in the United Kingdom which lies within that ward. The ward contains the areas of Hartcliffe and Headley Park, as well as small portions of Withywood and Bishopsworth. Hartcliffe is a post-World War II suburban development, consisting largely of

council house A council house is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing a number of council houses and other amenities like schools and shops. Construction took place mainly from 1919 ...

s. It is one of the poorer areas of Bristol, with significant social problems exacerbated by the decline of industrial employment in the city. Regeneration efforts are underway. Hartcliffe 2

Overview

Hartcliffe is a district of

, England. It is a council estate on the southern edges of the city next to

Withywood Bishopsworth is the name of both a council ward of the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and a suburb of the city which lies within that ward. Bishopsworth contains many council estates. As well as the suburb of Bishopsworth, the ward cont ...

, on the northern slopes of

Dundry Hill Dundry Hill is immediately south of Bristol, England: it includes farmland, a small number of houses and a church. It stretches east–west for some two miles. Most of the hill is within the district of North Somerset. At the hill's eastern end ...

. Construction started in 1952 after the

compulsory purchase Compulsion may refer to: * Compulsive behavior, a psychological condition in which a person does a behavior compulsively, having an overwhelming feeling that they must do so. * Obsessive–compulsive disorder, a mental disorder characterized by i ...

of a number of pre-existing farms. A small shopping area was built (Symes Avenue), and the first church (St Andrew) opened in 1956.

Imperial Tobacco Imperial Brands plc (formerly Imperial Tobacco Group plc), is a British multinational tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, England. It is the world's fourth-largest international cigarette company measured by market share after Philip Mor ...

once had offices and a factory in Hartcliffe. Part of the site is now the Imperial Retail Park while the listed headquarters building is being converted into the Lakeshore flats. Hartcliffe and Withywood Community Partnership (HWCP) was formed by local residents in 1998 to help support the regeneration and renewal of the area. Schools within Hartcliffe include Fair Furlong Primary School, Hareclive Academy, and

Bridge Learning Campus Bridge Learning Campus is a mixed gender all-through school located in the Whitchurch Park area of Bristol, England. History Its construction was completed in December 2008, opening to students the following January. It was officially opened ...

. Hartcliffe Community Farm was opened in 1979 by Hartcliffe Community Council leader Doris Fiedor MA Hons UWE (1919–1995) who founded the community farm. It has over of land based at the farmyard at the top of Lampton Avenue, Hartcliffe. A 250-year-old tithe barn was erected at the farm by YTS trainees but burned down in an arson attack. The farm remains open daily to the public and hosts regular visits by school parties. Symes Avenue is the District Shopping Centre serving the outer estates of Hartcliffe and Withywood with a total population of around 20,000 people. The estates, built in the 1950s and 1960s, have long been identified as suffering a multitude of different problems which characterise a socially excluded community. On 16 July 1992 there was a riot in Hartcliffe estate after two men who were riding a stolen and unmarked police motorbike were killed in a chase with an unmarked police car. The disturbance lasted for three days. Police were stoned and many shops in the Symes Avenue shopping centre were attacked and destroyed. Around the same time, Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown claimed that health indicators in the area were comparable to those of a

Third World The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...

country. On 12 November 2007, a

Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqua ...

supermarket opened after a massive redevelopment of the area. The redevelopment also includes a new library. According to crime statistics between 2017–2018, The Groves, an area in Hartcliffe, is considered one of Bristol's ten most dangerous streets.

Headley Park

Headley Park is a suburb of Bristol. The original estate was built between 1934 and 1938. It is located in South Bristol between

Bedminster Down Bishopsworth is the name of both a council ward of the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and a suburb of the city which lies within that ward. Bishopsworth contains many council estates. As well as the suburb of Bishopsworth, the ward cont ...

Bishopsworth Bishopsworth is the name of both a wards of the United Kingdom, council ward of the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and a suburb of the city which lies within that ward. Bishopsworth contains many council estates. As well as the suburb o ...

Knowle West Knowle West is a neighbourhood situated on a low plateau in the south of Bristol, England, about 2 miles (3 km) from the centre of the city. Historically in Somerset, most of the area is coterminous with the Filwood ward of Bristol City C ...

and Hartcliffe, and is a largely residential area. The area is served by one public house, The Maytree which is located on St Peters Rise. The main Christian Church serving the area is located on St Peters Rise. A church has been on the site for 60 years, and was originally known as Crossways Tabernacle but since 2007 was renamed Headley Park Church following a partnership between Crossways Tabernacle and Kensington Baptist Church in the north of Bristol.

Bishopsworth and Withywood

The areas of Bishopsworth and Withywood lie partly in the Hartcliffe ward, but are mostly in the Bishopsworth ward.

References

{{Districts of Bristol Areas of Bristol Wards of Bristol City farms in Bristol Places formerly in Somerset