Frenchay

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Frenchay is a suburb of Bristol, England, to the north east of the city, but located mainly in South Gloucestershire and the Civil Parish of Winterbourne.

The suburb is situated between the B4058, which runs parallel to the M32 motorway, and the wooded River Frome valley.

Although originally founded by Quakers in accordance with the now obsolete law that places of worship other than for the Church of England must be more than three miles from the cathedral, Frenchay is now dominated by the large Anglican John the Baptist Church. The spired Frenchay Parish Church is adjacent to a large village common, overlooked by many period houses. The village also contains a Catholic church and a Unitarian chapel.

Also within Frenchay is the main campus of University of the West of England (formerly Bristol Polytechnic). There is a small business park nearby.

Frenchay Park, an adjacent suburb, is situated within Bristol city limits.

Frenchay is home to Frenchay Hospital, greatly expanded during World War II for the US Army, which treated many wounded soldiers returning from the D-Day landings in Normandy. Frenchay is still one of Bristol's major hospitals. Its facilities have been greatly extended in recent years, although wartime buildings are still much in evidence.