Lawrence Hill, Bristol
| Lawrence Hill | |
 Boundaries of the city council ward |
|
| Population | 14,423 [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | ST604732 |
| Unitary authority | Bristol |
| Ceremonial county | Bristol |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRISTOL |
| Postcode district | BS5 |
| Dialling code | 0117 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Avon |
| Ambulance | Great Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Bristol East |
Lawrence Hill is an electoral ward of Bristol, United Kingdom. It takes its name from a small area just to the east of the city centre, and includes the districts of Barton Hill, St Philips Marsh and Redcliffe, Temple Meads and parts of Easton and the Broadmead shopping area.[2]
It is the most deprived electoral ward in the south west region of England, is part of the Bristol European Union Objective 2 area, and has a New Deal for Communities project within its boundaries. The Bristol & Bath Railway Path starts in the south of the ward.
History
Lawrence Hill takes its name from a leper hospital dedicated to St Lawrence, which was founded by King John in 1208 when he was Earl of Mortain.[3] The hospital was located somewhere in the vicinity of Lawrence Hill roundabout. The right to appoint the master was held by the Crown until it was granted to Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester during the reign of Henry V (1413–22). The Hospital of St Lawrence was never rich, and by the mid 15th century it had fallen into decay. In 1465 the hospital was granted to the Dean and Chapter of Westbury College, and it remained in their possession until it was surrendered to the Crown in 1544.[4] In 1544 the properties of Westbury College, which included the Hospital of St Lawrence, were confiscated by the Crown, then sold to Sir Ralph Sadlier, who re-built the hospital as a mansion house. The estate remained in the hands of the Sadlier family until at least 1608 .[5] Queen Elizabeth I stayed at St Lawrence during her visit to Bristol in 1574,[6] which suggests that the mansion was probably a substantial building, but by the 18th century it was in ruins.[7] Today the exact location of the hospital remains unknown.
During the post-medieval period Bristol gradually expanded beyond its medieval walls and by the early 18th century there was a significant amount of development along the main east-west road throgh Lawrence Hill. During the 18th and early 19th centuries the land to the east of Bristol was characterised by market gardens and nurseries interspersed with industrial operations such iron, lead, glass and brick works, potteries and coal mines. Industrialisation of the area led to an increase in population, and by the early 19th century Lawrence Hill had become a suburb of Bristol. The main road through Lawrence Hill was one of the first to be re-surfaced with John Macadam's revolutionary new ‘Macadamisation’ process, which he undertook soon after he was appointed surveyor of the Bristol Turnpike Trust in 1816.[8]
Holy Trinity is a church that is located on the corner of Trinity Road and Clarence Road, which was built in 1829-32 by Thomas Rickman and Hutchinson. Later alterations were carried out c 1882 by John Bevan and in 1905 by William Venn Gough.
Barton Hill
Barton Hill is an area of Bristol that includes residential, retail and industrial premises and is crossed by major roads, railway tracks and the feeder canal leading to Bristol Harbour. The parish church is St Luke's, built 1843–50.[9] Christ Church Barton Hill was opened in 1883 and demolished in 1957. A large geometrical Gothic church without a west front but good looks and a nice apse.[10]
Redcliffe
Redcliffe is a district adjoining the city centre. It is bounded by the loop of the Floating Harbour (including Bathurst Basin) to the west, north and east, the New Cut of the River Avon to the south and Totterdown Basin to the south-east. Most of Redcliffe lies within the city ward of Lawrence Hill, although the western most section, including the cliffs and hill from which the area takes its name, is in Cabot ward.
Redcliffe takes its name from the red sandstone cliffs which line the southern side of the Floating Harbour, behind Phoenix Wharf and Redcliffe Wharf. These cliffs are honey-combed with tunnels constructed both to extract sand for the local glass making industry and to act as store houses for goods. Part of the last remaining glass kiln in the area is now the Kiln Restaurant of the Hilton National Hotel in Redcliffe Way. The parish church of St. Mary Redcliffe is one of Bristol's best known churches, with a spire soaring to a height of 292 ft (90m).
St Philip's
St Philip's is the industrial area north of the Feeder Canal.
St Philip's Marsh
St Philip's Marsh is an industrial inner suburb of Bristol. The River Avon and Harbour feeder canal run through the area. The site is currently home of a large retail and leisure park with Showcase cinemas and Hollywood Bowl among its residents. It has been extensively redeveloped in the past 15 years and a bypass runs over the River Avon creating a major transport link from the A4 road in south east Bristol, to junction 3 of the M32 motorway near the city centre. In past years St Philip's marsh was a housing development for the workers of Bristol's market area (now known as Old Market). One of St Philip's more influential residents during the early 1900s was George Townsend, a major property developer of the South Bristol area. His family home, situated in the St Anne's area of Bristol, is still standing today and a reminder of Bristol's history.
Transport
It is served by Bristol Temple Meads railway station, Lawrence Hill railway station, and buses to Bath, Bitton, Keynsham, Kingswood, Longwell Green and Staple Hill.
References
- ↑ "Lawrence Hill". 2001 Census Ward Information Sheet. Retrieved 20 February 2007.
- ↑ Ward map
- ↑ http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=40293&strquery=hospital%20of%20st%20lawrence Page, W. (ed.) (1907). ‘Hospitals: Bristol.’ in A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 2, 118-119.
- ↑ http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=40293&strquery=hospital%20of%20st%20lawrence Page, W. (ed.) (1907). ‘Hospitals: Bristol.’ in A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 2, 118-119.
- ↑ Bristol Records Office AC/M/12/1
- ↑ Stephenson, D. (1994). The History of Lawrence Hill. Bristol: D. Stephenson.
- ↑ Rudder, S. (1779). A New History of Gloucestershire.
- ↑ Stephenson, D. (1994) The History of Lawrence Hill, Bristol: D. Stephenson, 10.; Skempton, A. W. (2002) A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland: 1500–1830. Thomas Telford, 2002.
- ↑ http://www.churchcrawler.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/stlukebh.htm churchcrawler.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
- ↑ http://www.churchcrawler.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ccbrtnhl.htm churchcrawler.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
External links
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