Bristol Neighbourhood Guide: Bishopston & Horfield

Bristol Neighbourhood Guide: Bishopston & Horfield

Posted on: 14 Mar 2023

We’re back with our guide to Bristol’s diverse and vibrant neighbourhoods – with some cherrypicked spots to showcase just how much is going on in each corner of the city.

 

This week, we’re taking a look at the North Bristol neighbourhood of Bishopston and Horfield. With a tight-knit community that provides a home for both Bristol Rovers Football Club and Gloucestershire Cricket Club, this is an area rammed with green spaces, cafes and traditional pubs.

 

Read on for our guide to all the nightlife, food, shopping, cultural and historical highlights of Bishopston and Horfield…

 

Nightlife:

 

First up for our rundown of nightlife in Bishopston and Horfield is The Lazy Dog. A community pub serving both award-winning locally brewed real ales and a sensational menu of South African street food and other cuisine classics, The Lazy Dog is inspired by the classic gin palace style boozers of days gone by.

 

Next up is a real Bishopston classic: The Sportsman (pictured below). A popular North Bristol drinking hole that dates back to the 1800s, revellers can spend a night playing pool on one of a dozen pool tables, watch massive sporting events on one of the numerous screens, or indulge in one of their famous stone-baked pizzas. The Sportsman is located just off Gloucester Road and boasts a spacious outdoor space - perfect for soaking up the sun.

We’re back on Gloucester Road for this one (we couldn’t fit it all in one piece!) and Sidney & Eden. This bar is situated in the quieter part of one of Bristol’s cultural hotspots, making it a real hidden gem. With twenty taps of top craft beer and an amazing wine list, Sidney & Eden also hosts a regular programme of comedy, drag, karaoke, film nights and live music in their basement.

 

Just a stone’s throw away from Gloucester Road is The Gloucester Old Spot (pictured below): a quirky spot with a laid-back atmosphere. A cult party venue, its headline feature is its colourful walled beer garden with a covered, heated terrace and marquee – a perfect, family-friendly space for the summer months. The Old Spot also provides a wide range of classic pub grub food options.

Another Gloucester Road mainstay is The Crafty Cow and its epic programme of scrumptious food, local beer and entertaining live music. The pub’s kitchen residents, Naughty Corner Deli, offer American-style comfort food to die for and this, along with a regular music lineup packed with top local talent, is what makes The Crafty Cow such a popular venue.

 

If cosy, country-style boozers are what takes your fancy then The Inn on the Green (pictured below) may well be the place for you. With a fantastic beer garden and top pub grub, this enormous venue stocks an array of great drinks and a roaring open fire. Why not enjoy a kickabout on the green, followed by a well-earned pint?

Food:

 

First on our rundown of Bishopston and Horfield food highlights, we’ve got The Cafe on the Common. This community-run social enterprise located on Horfield Common is run by Ardagh Community Trust and reinvests all profits into projects that benefit the local community. So, why not support the local area and help a proud independent in the process by ordering a top-notch hot coffee, a soft drink or a snack and enjoy it while strolling around Horfield Common or rest your legs in the café’s outside seating area?

 

Next is Tinto Lounge on Gloucester Road, part of the Lounges group which opened their first restaurant on North Street in South Bristol back in 2002. Tinto was the group’s second location and offer a fantastic range of food and drinks (including full kids, gluten-free and vegan menus) with a relaxed atmosphere and a maximalist interior.

Persian and Korean fusion cuisine may seem to be an odd concept but that’s just what Gloucester Road restaurant Per & Kor (pictured below) have made a name for themselves serving. This is a popular and atmospheric family-run eatery with an interesting menu that has become a real favourite with Bristol foodies.

 

Our final food spot on our list is a somewhat unusual one. Gloucester Road’s The Nectar House is a pollinator-friendly café with the distinct purpose of raising awareness for the plight of pollinators. Supporting local non-profit ‘Bee the Change’, this lovely little café serves delicious coffee and scrumptious baked goods.

Culture:

 

Now, culture is a very loose term and deliberately so, Bishopston and Horfield happens to be the home of two of Bristol’s top sports clubs and it is in this section that we’ll round them up.

 

Located in Bishopston, the Seat Unique Stadium County Cricket Club (previously Bristol County Ground) was opened in 1889 and has been the home of Gloucestershire Cricket Club ever since. Following redevelopment between 2009 and 2016, the ground (pictured below) now has a capacity of 17,500 and was even one of the host venues of the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Not far away in Horfield is The Memorial Stadium (pictured below). Opening in 1921, the ground was originally home to Bristol Rugby until 1996 when Bristol Rovers moved in having played in Eastville for most of their history. Following 10 years exiled in Bath after the ground closed due to financial difficulties, Rovers moved into The Mem in 1996. 

 

Rovers and Bristol Rugby (now Bristol Bears) ground shared all the way until 2014 when the latter moved to Ashton Gate (home of Bristol City, Rovers’ arch rivals) and The Mem became the sole home of The Pirates.

One of many green spaces in Bishopston and Horfield, St Andrews Park has everything a good Victorian park should with plenty of green space and a much-loved children’s play area, boasts park toilets, a mobile café and disabled access. Located at the heart of a community-focused residential area, the park has a family-friendly atmosphere.

History:

 

Situated within St Andrews Park is the Wellington T2905 Memorial (pictured below). A sizeable slate memorial plaque and accompanying information board remember those killed in the crash of 11 OTU Wellington T2905 on the site in 1941. The aircraft was on a routine cross-country flight when it became lost and collided with the cables of a barrage balloon protecting the city. Three crew were killed and two crew members and three civilians were also injured. 

Another lesser-known historical treasure in the neighbourhood is The George Müller Museum on College Road. The museum tells the story of how George Müller cared for and educated over 10,000 orphans in Victorian Bristol. Müller was ground-breaking in his treatment and education of orphan girls and boys and the new interactive, multi-media Museum located in one of the original orphan homes allows visitors a chance to explore the lives of Victorian orphans.

So, there it is, 365Bristol’s guide to St Michael’s Hill and Kingsdown. It’s impossible to round up all the nightlife, food, shopping, cultural and historical highlights in 1,000 words but please get in contact with us here and let us know your favourite hangouts or locations.

 

Images: Patrick Bate

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Article by:

Stanley Gray

Stan is a born and bred Bristolian, recently graduated from studying English Literature in Sheffield. His passions are music and literature and he spends the majority of his time in venues all over the city, immersing himself in Bristol’s alternative music scene. A lifelong Bristol City fan, Stan’s Saturdays are spent watching his team both home and away.