St Andrew's is a suburb of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

situated about 3 km (1.8 miles) north of the city centre. The area is roughly bounded by the Severn Beach Railway Line, Gloucester Road, Somerville Road and Cromwell Road; however the boundary is unclear, as the

Ordnance Survey The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see Artillery, ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of ...

map labels this area as Montpelier, whereas according to the National Gazetteer of 1868, Montpelier is a hamlet within the Parish of St Andrew's. St Andrew's Church, which gave the area its name, was located on St Andrew's Road, Montpelier. It was consecrated in January 1845, declared disused in October 1963 and was demolished in 1969. The area was developed in the late 19th century as St Andrew's Park Estate, and consists mostly of large Victorian villas, with some inter-war housing and some minor rebuilding in Cromwell Road and Belvoir Road following enemy action in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The David Thomas Memorial church was erected on Belmont Road 1879–1881 and was designed in the gothic style by

Stuart Colman Ian Stuart Colman (19 December 1944 – 19 April 2018) was an English musician, record producer and broadcaster. Allmusic noted that he "has an impressive catalogue as a record producer and much of Shakin' Stevens success can be attributed to ...

. The building still retains a thin octagonal spire and west front but the halls, apse and rib vaults have been demolished and replaced by sheltered accommodation in 1988. The church contained a stained glass window called the "Bools Memorial Window", designed by

Arnold Wathen Robinson Arnold Wathen Robinson RWA, FMGP (1888–1955) was an English stained-glass artist. Although Robinson's family, on the paternal and maternal side were involved in local government, he sought a career as a stained-glass artist. During World ...

to commemorated the deaths of the four Bools brothers. The Bools brothers were all members of the RAF, and died in test flights and operations during the Second World War. The stained glass window was donated to the Royal Airforce Museum by the Bools' sister, Mrs Elizabeth Woods, when the building was converted. St Andrew's is well served by

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

, with frequent buses to all parts of the city from Gloucester Road, buses to

University of West England The University of the West of England (also known as UWE Bristol) is a public research university, located in and around Bristol, England, UK. With more than 39,912 students and 4,300 staff, it is the largest provider of higher education in t ...

's Frenchay Campus and a local train service from Montpelier to

Bristol Temple Meads Bristol Temple Meads is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is located away from London Paddington. It is an important transport hub for public transport in the city; there are bus services to many parts of the city ...

, Clifton and

Avonmouth Avonmouth ( ) is a port and outer suburb of Bristol, England, on the north bank of the mouth of the River Avon and the eastern shore of the Severn Estuary. Part of the Port of Bristol, Avonmouth Docks is important to the region's maritime eco ...

on the Severn Beach Line.

St Andrew's Park

St Andrew's Park is in the centre of the area. The park was laid out in 1895, originally with bandstand, paved paths, flowerbeds and the lower area "laid out like an ornamental pleasure ground". These features are no longer present, and the park now has a well-sized children's play area, permanent paddling pool (serviced and used only in the summer months) and public toilets (limited opening hours). On 30 April 1941 an RAF

Wellington bomber The Vickers Wellington (nicknamed the Wimpy) is a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson, a key feature of ...

on a night training flight crashed in the park after hitting

barrage balloon A barrage balloon is a type of airborne barrage, a large uncrewed tethered balloon used to defend ground targets against aircraft attack, by raising aloft steel cables which pose a severe risk of collision with hostile aircraft, making the atta ...

cables, killing three of the six crewmen.''BBC News''
“Website uncovers war crash story”
9 March 2009, Retrieved 15 April 2025 The crash was not reported at the time for fear of lowering morale. A memorial plaque was installed after John Clarke, the descendant of one of the deceased, researched into the crashWellington T2905
Research into the Crash
10 Oct 2012. Accessed 15 April 2025 and brought it to the attention of the Friends of the Park who applied for lottery funding.

References

{{Areas of Bristol Areas of Bristol