Bristol Neighbourhood Guide: Ashton & Long Ashton

Bristol Neighbourhood Guide: Ashton & Long Ashton

Posted on: 16 Aug 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, after a brief break from these pieces, we’re taking a deep dive into Ashton and Long Ashton with a focus on the area’s sprawling greenery, landmark football stadium and myriad of pubs boasting top notch grub.

 

Read on for our guide to all the nightlife, food, lifestyle, cultural and historical highlights of Ashton and Long Ashton…

 

Nightlife:

 

Kicking off our nightlife rundown in Long Ashton, Miner's Rest is an outer Bristol pub set amongst beautiful countryside surroundings. With wonderful views from the rear apple garden and a welcoming atmosphere, punters will be impressed by the unchanged nature of the pub’s sizeable interior – classic pub nosh is also served at lunchtime!

Next up is another popular country pub just on the outskirts of Bristol. The Angel has everything you want in a classic country boozer with a home cooked food, a monthly quiz night and live music events. During the summer, enjoy sipping on a cold pint in the venue’s sizeable courtyard while winters at The Angel are made just that little bit more cosy with a roaring open fire.

Moving further into the city and Ashton Road, the Coopers arms is a much-loved Victorian pub with an instantly recognisable white and red façade. Previously known as ‘The Office’ this is a welcoming local particularly popular with workers and Bristol City supporters – with Ashton Gate Stadium located just along the road.

Another watering hole frequented by City fans is the Rising Sun. Reopened last year after a period of closure and renovation, this enormous venue screens live events across multiple televisions, making it a hit with sports fans from across South Bristol. The pub also offers plenty of entertainment with quiz nights, karaoke, music bingo and live sports all taking place.

Food:

 

Beginning our food rundown is Long Ashton’s The Bird in Hand: while this quaint country pub does hold the same rustic charm as its neighbouring institutions, it also holds an unexpected exotic trick. One of the pub’s owners, Liz, hails from South Africa and she has added her own touches to the venue’s décor as well as the menu with dishes such as Bobotie, Sosaties and Malva pudding all included.

If you’re taking a walk around Ashton Court (more on that later) then why not pop into The Courtyard Café? Housed within the old stables of the historic Ashton Court Mansion, the café has a gold standard Bristol Eating Better Award, meaning it serves a variety of locally sourced, healthy and sustainable options including good coffee, chef’s soups, summer salads, ice cream, artisan toasties (the signature dish!) and daily specials.

As we’ve stated in previous guides, we’ve had to be slightly loose with our neighbourhood boundaries for these guides and The Ashville Steakhouse is another example of this. Technically located in Southville, this standalone pub serves some of the best classic steak cuts in Bristol, as well as variety of mouth-watering English dishes.

Culture & lifestyle:

 

Potentially the most iconic landmark of Ashton and Long Ashton (sorry, Bristol City fans, your time will come) is Ashton Court Estate. The country park and mansion cover 850 acres (!!!) of woodland and grassland and boasts an 18-hole golf course, mountain bike trails, a deer park, a café, spaces for picnics and numerous routes for Bristolians to explore and get lost in nature. Ashton Court is also the site of various events: most notably the world-famous Bristol Balloon Fiesta as well as Love Saves The Day, DogFest and more.

Ashton Gate Stadium is the historical home of Bristol City Football Club. Opened in 1887, it was originally home to Bedminster FC until their 1900 merger with Bristol South End. It is now the permanent home for three sports clubs (the men’s and women’s football teams and Bristol Bears Rugby Club), all owned by local businessman Steve Lansdown, the stadium was recently redeveloped, upping the capacity to 27,000.

 

Bristol City men’s play in the second division of English football while Bears and Bristol City women’s both play in the top division of their respective sports. The stadium has also hosted various live music shows with Arctic Monkeys, Elton John, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Spice Girls and Take That all playing amongst others.

Just opposite Ashton Gate Stadium is Greville Smyth Park; originally part of Ashton Court Estate, this is a local community park with facilities including a sizeable play area, three football pitches, a ping pong table, tennis courts, a bowling green and a regular coffee van. In the summer months, the park is popular both as a hangout spot and as a location for local football tournaments.

History:

 

Ashton Court is one of Bristol’s most historically intriguing landmarks. From the 16th till the 20th century, Ashton Court was owned by the Smyth family; an immensely wealthy family whose patriarch, John Smyth, was twice lord mayor of Bristol; but it is now under the stewardship of Bristol City Council.

 

Due to a multitude of expansions and developments, the architecture of the mansion is complicated and unique with the 15th-century manor cocooned within the more modern wings. The estate itself that surrounds the house is significantly smaller than it originally was and now incorporates golf courses and mountain bike trails as well as its population of deers.

 

Other fun facts about the area: Long Ashton was once home to the Long Ashton Research Centre, most famous for its development of Ribena, also, Whitemead House tower block on Duckmoor Road took over from Harlech Tower as the iconic "Nelson Mandela House" in legendary BBC series Only Fools and Horses in 1988. It must be pretty cushty to live with such a good view of the Ashton Gate pitch!

So, there it is, 365Bristol’s guide to Ashton and Long Ashton. Please note that we have had to be loose in terms of neighbourhood borders to fit everything that’s amazing about Bristol into these guides. It’s also impossible to sum up everything that’s great about our city in such a short article, but please get in contact with us here and let us know your favourite neighbourhood highlights.

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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.