St Andrews, Bristol

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

St Andrews is a suburb of Bristol, England situated about 3 km (1.8 miles) north of the city centre. The area was developed in the late 19th century as St Andrew's Park Estate, and consists mostly of large Victorian villas, with some inter-war housing and some rebuilding following enemy action in World War II.

The area is roughly bounded by the Severn Beach railway line, Gloucester Rd, Somerville Rd and Cromwell Rd; however as is often the case the boundary is debatable: According to the Ordnance Survey map this area is Montpelier, whereas according to the National Gazetteer of 1868 Montpelier is a hamlet within the Parish of St Andrew's. St Andrew's church, which gave the area its name, was in St Andrew's Road, Montpelier. It was demolished in 1969.

In the middle part of the 20th century the area became unfashionable and many of the houses were converted to multiple occupation. However during the 1990s living in the city centre became fashionable once again and consequently these houses are now being converted back into family homes, their owners once again taking pride in them and restoring their period features.

The area is centred on St Andrew's Park, a pleasant west-facing park laid out in 1895, which is home to events such as 'Music in the Park' during the summer, and 'Carols in the Park' at Christmas. St Andrews is well served by public transport, with frequent buses to all parts of the city and an hourly train service from Montpelier to Bristol Temple Meads, Clifton and Avonmouth. Gloucester Road is home to a large array of traditional and specialist shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants.