Bristol Neighbourhood Guide: Hotwells & Cliftonwood

Bristol Neighbourhood Guide: Hotwells & Cliftonwood

Posted on: 22 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 beautiful Bristol neighbourhood of Hotwells & Cliftonwood. Nestled below the looming high ground of Clifton, overlooking the city’s picturesque Harbourside; Hotwells is a hotpot of wonderful views, historic landmarks and cosy pubs.

 

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

 

Nightlife:

 

Hotwellls is home to a host of top pubs and there’s no better place to start this rundown than The Bag Of Nails (pictured below) on St George’s Road. If you’re a fan of top-quality ale and cute kitties, then this is the place for you. The famous ‘cat pub’ may be small in size but it is large in character.

 

With feline company and plenty of local beers to choose from, what better place to sit back and sip on a pint while listening to an eclectic music mix from the venue record player? 

Not far away, just off the famous Cumberland Basin, is The Merchant Arms. Another tiny free house, this traditional boozer, which dates back to 1832, serves mainly local ales and spans two dark wood rooms. With occasional poetry nights, homemade bar snacks (pork pies, scotch eggs, Cornish pasties) and a roaring fire, this is the perfect spot to shelter from the cold or the rain. 

 

Originally a Victorian pumping station, The Pump House (pictured below) is a popular watering hole situated in a prime waterside location not far away from where the docks meets the River Avon below the gaze of the Suspension Bridge. Serving a wide range of locally sourced food and quality beverages of all types, The Pump House also boasts a spacious outdoor seating area - the perfect pit stop on a summer walk around the docks.

Here in Bristol, we love a night out on a boat, whether that’s a music venue like Thekla, a restaurant like Under The Stars, or a bar-restaurant hybrid such as The Grain Barge (pictured below). Beginning life as a transport barge for wheat and barley, the boat is now moored in Hotwells. A relaxed and friendly bar/restaurant, The Grain Barge with breathtaking views of Bristol Harbourside, a range of top beverages (including a healthy stock of Bristol Beer Factory beers) and delicious food sourced from locally-sourced seasonal ingredients.

 

Opposite The Grain Barge is a rather different watering hole. The Mardyke is a traditional, historic community pub not far from the floating harbour. With a large single bar, a dark wood interior and plenty of cosy nooks and crannies, this is an old-school Bristol hangout.

Food:

 

Once a popular student hangout, The Lion (pictured below) is now a gastro pub with a reputation for one of the UK’s best Sunday roasts. Ran by the same family for 15 years now, it is a cosy pub hidden within the labyrinth of Cliftonwood back roads. With a log fire for the winter and a leafy courtyard garden for the summer, this is a hidden gem that you need to check out.

 

Next on our list of Hotwells food highlights is one that is currently in a state of flux. Known as Dockside Cafe since 1963 and used as Sid’s Cafe in the classic sitcom Only Fools and Horses, the Brunel Lock venue is currently in the process of being transformed into a seafood restaurant. Noah’s have a tough act to follow when they open their doors next month but, if Daniel and Joie Rosser’s experience in the fish and chips industry is anything to go by, it’s sure to do just fine.

Known as one of the city’s best Indian takeaways, Indian Rassasy is situated on Hotwells Road. Co-owner Sam was previously on the staff at the renowned Bristol mainstay Urban Tandoor but now runs the award-winning restaurant with a team of his own. Even the name prepares customers for culinary happiness: dating back to the 15th century, “rassasy” means “To Satisfy Guests With a Great Meal”.

 

Closing our food section is The Chef’s Table on Avon Crescent. One of Bristol’s most critically acclaimed eateries, the restaurant offers a relaxed dining experience with viewing windows and cameras tracking the award-winning chefs’ careful work. There are two menus available with most diners plumping for the tasting one - The Chef’s Table may lighten your pockets but your meal is sure to be aesthetically striking and full of flavour.

Culture:

 

As is often mentioned in our Bristol Neighbourhood Guides, we like to use the culture section in a fairly fluid way. With this in mind, our next pick is the Create Centre and Bristol Archives located in the looming B Bond warehouse (pictured below) by Brunel Lock.

 

Create Centre and Ecohome encourages visitors to explore environmental issues, discovering greener choices in the process. The environmental centre is free to enter with a range of activities available, including the Ecohome itself, which is a demonstration of a sustainable house, highlighting changes that can be made and showcasing ideas for greener living in the future.

Beginning life in Suffolk before expanding to Bristol, Lime Tree Gallery is located on Hotwells Road. Specialising in contemporary fine art and glass and holding exhibitions throughout the year, this is a low-key art gallery with an online catalogue that allows clients to purchase the work they see.

 

One of Bristol’s last remaining second-hand book shops and thus an independent beacon that should be supported and cherished, Dreadnaught Books is a local favourite. Situated at the foot of Brandon Hill, not far from the Harbourside, the small shop is always well stocked with a particular interest in the occult, counter-culture, left-wing politics and history. Just like their next-door neighbours, The Bag of Nails, passers-by may see a cat roaming the bookshelves.

History:

 

Jacob’s Well in Cliftonwood is an early medieval structure built around a natural hot spring, allowing visitors to wash their bodies and even their horses. It is said to be a popular meeting point for Bristol’s Jewish community before their expulsion from England in 1290 and the country’s oldest Hebrew inscription can be found in a building on Jacob’s Wells Road.

 

Not far away, perched atop the precipitous parkland of Brandon Hill and visible from much of the City Centre and South Bristol, the grade II listed Cabot Tower was built in 1898 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot’s journey from Bristol harbour to Canada. While not always open, the tower is free to climb with a stunning panoramic view of the city the reward when you reach the top.

Goldney Grotto, located within the grand surroundings of the University’s private Goldney Gardens, is seen as one of the finest surviving examples of an eighteenth-century grotto in Britain. Built over 27 years these epic chambers featuring Bristol Diamonds, minerals with a pillared hall, a rock pool overlooked by a River God and a Lion’s Den can only be accessed on regular historic tour dates. See here.

 

Finally, the views from above Hotwells deserve an extra special mention. Known as Cliftonwood, the tightly bound labyrinth of roads offer some of the most spectacular views in the city as well as the brilliantly named “World’s End Lane”.

So, there it is. 365Bristol’s guide to Hotwells and Cliftonwood. It’s impossible to round up all the nightlife, food, shopping, cultural and historical highlights in less than 1,000 words. 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.