Fishponds, Bristol
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fishponds is an outer urban area to the east of the English city of Bristol. It is approximately three miles from the City centre. It has two large Victorian era parks; Eastville Park and Vassell's Park (formerly the Vassell's Family estate). The River Frome runs through both parks, with the Frome Valley Walkway running alongside it. A restored Snuff Mill can be found near the Vassells Park end of the River. It has retained its original waterwheel which can still be seen and heard turning today. Eastville Park has its own large boating lake with central wildlife reserves. The pedalos are available for hire in the summer months.
Fishponds is mainly a residential area through which many bus routes pass. Housing is typically of the terraced Victorian variety. The high street comprises of many local shops such as greengrocers and florists. There is a small student population due to the presence of the St Matthias and Glenside campuses of the University of the West of England.
The name of this area of Bristol derives from when it was, like nearby Soundwell, a quarry district. The empty quarries were then filled and there were many large fishponds in the area which have since been filled in. There is one pond remaining which was, until the mid 1970s when it was officially closed, a popular swimming area, named "The Lido" by locals.
At its Eastville end, the elevated section of M32 motorway cuts through the area near its terminus at the Broadmead shopping centre. Fishponds is bordered by four suburbs: Downend, Staple Hill, St. George and Eastville.
Public Houses in Fishponds
There are currently fifteen pubs in Fishponds. Most are along the Fishponds Road running from Downend and Staple Hill to the north down towards Eastville to the south. Many date from the Victorian era, though at least two are modern conversions (of a cinema and a post office).
