Misplaced Pages

Totterdown
Totterdown houses
TotterdownLocation within Bristol
OS grid reference	ST607712
Unitary authority	Bristol
Ceremonial county	Bristol
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BRISTOL
Postcode district	BS
Dialling code	0117
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Avon
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	Bristol South
List of places UK England Bristol 51°26′20″N 2°33′58″W / 51.4388°N 2.5660°W / 51.4388; -2.5660

Totterdown is an inner-suburb of Bristol, England, situated just south of the River Avon and to the south-east of Temple Meads railway station and the city centre.

It rises relatively steeply from the river bank to a largely terraced Victorian housing area which is notable for its painted homes - often in bright colours - that can be seen from some distance.

There is a tight network of extremely steep roads in Upper Totterdown, of which Vale Street, although very short, is alleged to be the steepest residential road in England.

History

Built in the mid to late 19th century to house workers for the nearby railway industry, in the 1970s many of the Victorian buildings were demolished in anticipation of constructing a major junction of the Outer Circuit Road, although ultimately this section of the road was never built.

Totterdown has more-recently become a popular area for the younger generation taking up work in the city centre. In 2016 it was named "fifth hippest place to live in the UK" by The Times newspaper.

Food and drink

Totterdown has several local pubs some of which attract a younger clientele with DJ nights. Pubs offering music include The Oxford, Shakespeare, New Found Out and the Thunderbolt (previously known as "The Turnpike"). The Oxford has regular live music including "open mike" events and the Thunderbolt books local and national bands. There was another pub (formerly) the Cumberland which is known now as the Star and Dove. It closed in May 2017 for a short period however, reopened in December 2017.

Totterdown has a growing number of popular restaurants. Mrs Brown's Cafe opened in Victoria Park in 2007, serving Fairtrade coffee and cakes from a caravan.

Local facilities

The area also has a Tesco Express, a garage (repairs and MOTs), a convenience store called Patco Supermarket which offers everything from groceries to key cutting, a chemist, an optician, a wine shop, a fruit and veg shop, various hairdressers and beauty treatment rooms as well as a doctors surgery, and is well served by buses into town and across to Clifton. There is also the Bristol Jamia Mosque close to Victoria Park as well as thriving Methodist, CofE and Baptist churches. In 2015, an artisanal bakery opened for business opposite the Oxford Pub on Oxford Street, replacing a long since closed Chinese restaurant. A number of new independent businesses have also opened along the Wells Road in recent times, including several cafes and a bar, a craft store, a vintage shop and a florist.

Children

Totterdown is popular with young families. There are daily toddler groups at Totterdown Baptist Church. Victoria Park has a good newish play area at the top of the park, as well as tennis courts, basketball courts, football pitches, skatepark, and more. School Road Park has undergone a transformation and contains challenging play equipment for younger children including swings, slides, mini trampolines, and a sandpit. Perrett's Park is a natural amphitheatre with benches around the top along Bayham Road and Sylvia Avenue: a place where the balloon ascent can be seen during the summer Balloon Fiesta. It also has a play area suitable for the under 10s.

Art

The Totterdown Art trail Frontroom invites visitors into the houses of artists in this area of Bristol to view a large range of local artwork.

Aldebury

Totterdown is believed to be the site of the Aldebury Iron Age hill fort behind Bellevue; however, the area is now built over.

Gallery

• Old Bank and Power Station Gym
• Three Lamps sign

References

1. Dyckhoff, Tom (24 April 2010). "Let's move to Totterdown, Victoria Park and Knowle, Bristol". Guardian. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
2. Henrys, Colin. "Vale Street, Bristol". Ten of the UK’s steepest climbs to tackle. Road Cycling UK. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
3. "Ravenswell Mosaic". Tressa.
4. Mukherjee, Koel (9 May 2017). "The community razed to the ground for a road that was never built". The Bristol Cable. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
5. Whateley, Laura (14 March 2016). "20 hippest places to live in Britain" – via The Times.
6. "Pubs & bars in Totterdown, Bristol, Avon that have DJ's". Use your local. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
7. "The Thunderbolt". The Thunderbolt. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
8. Mellen, Steve (25 April 2014). "From Victoria Park to Hart's custard tarts: 101 Bristol gems". Bristol Post. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
9. "Totterdown Express". Tesco. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
10. "Patco Food & Wine". Yell. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
11. "Jamia Mosque Bristol". Victoria County History. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
12. "Baked". Baked. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
13. "Wells Road". Bristol.org. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
14. "Victoria Park". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
15. "Perrett Park, Bristol , England". Parks and Gardens UK. Parks and Gardens Data Services Ltd. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
16. "Totterdown Front Room Arts Trail". Totterdown Front Room Arts Trail. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
17. "Aldebury". Pastscape. Historic England. Retrieved 11 December 2015.

External links

• Totterdown Residents Environmental and Social Action
• Map of Totterdown circa 1900

• Areas of Bristol
• Places formerly in Somerset