Westbury on Trym, Bristol

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Map sources for Westbury on Trym, Bristol at grid reference ST570772

Westbury on Trym (also known as Westbury Upon Trym) is a suburb in north Bristol, near Horfield and Southmead, in the southwest of England.

As is suggested by its name, the River Trym passes through Westbury on Trym: the name of the river was added to the place name because there are several places called Westbury in England.

The recorded origins of Westbury on Trym predate those of Bristol itself. At the end of the 8th century, King Offa of Mercia granted land at Westbury to his minister, Aethelmund. Later there was a monastery at Westbury, probably initially a secular one, with married clergy. This changed towards the end of the 10th century when Oswald, in whose diocese the monastery lay, sent a party of 12 monks to follow more stringent rules at the Westbury monastery. The architect Ednoth constructed a new church and other buildings.

The monastery became a college with a dean and canons at the end of the 13th century. It was rebuilt in the mid 15th century to resemble a miniature castle with turrets and a gatehouse. The Royalist Prince Rupert of the Rhine used it as his quarters during the English Civil War because it was in good condition at the time. When he left, in 1643, he ordered it to be set on fire so that the Parliamentarians could not make use of it. It was restored in the 20th century and the grounds were adapted for housing elderly people.

Canford Cemetery opened in this area in 1903, becoming a crematorium in 1957.

Today Westbury-on-Trym is a lively village. with modern day services and has quite a few churches. It also has great transport routes in and out of Bristol city centre including, The A4174 which runs from the city centre to Cribbs Causeway, and many bus routes serving parts of Bristol and South Gloucestershire.