Redland, Bristol
 Redland and Kingsdown at dawn |
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Redland is an affluent suburb in Bristol, England. The suburb is situated between Clifton, Cotham, Bishopston and Westbury Park. The boundaries of the district are not precisely defined, but are generally taken to be Whiteladies Road in the west, the Severn Beach railway line in the south and Cranbrook Road in the east.
Redland is also the name of a council ward, which covers a slightly different area. Redland ward extends to the southern part of Bishopston, and does not include the part of Redland south of Redland Road,[1] which is in Cotham ward.
Redland is known as a popular student accommodation area, particularly with second and third year students from the city's universities.
History
There are different views of the origin of the name Redland. One source says that in the 11th century it was known as Rudeland, possibly from Old English rudding, meaning "cleared land".[2] Another source points to a mention in 1209 as Thriddeland, probably meaning "the third part of an estate".[3] Yet another source refers to a mention in 1230 of Rubea Terra and a later mention as la Rede Londe, derived from the red colour of the soil.[4]
For many centuries Redland was in the large parish of Westbury-on-Trym. It was incorporated into the city and county of Bristol in 1896,[5] although it remained in the ecclesiastical parish of Westbury-on-Trym until 1942.
In 1732 the Redland estate was acquired by John Cossins (d.1759) from his wife's uncle George Martin.[6] He replaced the old manor house with Redland Court, a house of Classical design. The estate was sold off in 1865, and the area was then developed for housing.
Churches
The suburb is known for its Georgian parish church Redland Chapel, which was built, probably by John Strahan with plasterwork by Thomas Paty, in 1742 as a private chapel for the local manor house, Redland Court, though it was not consecrated until 1790. It eventually became the parish church when the parish of Redland was separated from Westbury-on-Trym in 1942 and, unusually, has no dedication to a patron saint. It is a Grade I listed building.[7]
The Swedenborgian church in nearby Cranbrook Road was erected in 1899 and has recently closed. The congregation was formed in 1791 and had a church in Terrel Street. The present gothic church was designed by a Mr Paul of Wells Road and was intended to be a lecture hall alongside a larger church that was never built. Neil Marchant wrote a book ' Like A River Flowing' which can be found in the central library. The church is is currently up for sale and likely to be redeveloped.
Trinity United Reformed Church in Cranbrook Road closed recently and has been converted into houses. The church began in the recently demolished church hall of 1901 which was demolished for the car park. The main church was built in 1907 to the designs of Phillip Munro in a very Scottish kind of Gothic.[8]
St Catherines church (Salisbury Road) has been converted to housing. It was erected in 1898 with the intention of a larger church being built alongside. The building is currently a long lancet style with porch - however it closed in the 1950's and was used for storage before being converted to housing.
Redland Park United Reformed Church on the Redland side of Whiteladies Road was founded in 1861 (as Redland Park Congregational Church).[9] The building was destroyed in the Bristol Blitz in 1940, and the new church was opened in 1957.
Schools
Redland is home to the Redland High School which takes girls through their secondary years. It also houses the new flagship Redland Green School, a secondary school near to Redland Green.
Other listed buildings
The architecture of the buildings is generally Georgian but with some Victorian buildings and a small number of mid-twentieth century ones.
Redland Court, which is now Redland High School, was built between 1732 and 1735 John Strachan, for John Cossins, on the site of an Elizabethan House which previously stood on the same site. It is grade II* listed,[10] as are the piers and gates at the main entrance,[11] the perimeter wall, piers and gates to Redland Chapel churchyard[12] and the West gateway and attached garden wall and balustrade.[13]
There are at least twenty individual houses in Redland having grade II or II* listing.
Transportation
The southern part of Redland is served by Redland railway station on the Severn Beach Line.
Redland is served by bus services operated by First Bristol. The central part of Redland is served by routes 8 and 9, Cranbrook Road is served by route 20, and several routes serve Whiteladies Road. A new route 19 will begin on 2 September it is thought it will follow a similar route to the former route 99, although the exact detail is not yet known.
Politics
Redland is within the Bristol West Parliamentary constituency.
Redland ward in the Bristol City Council returns two councillors every four years. The incumbents Sylvia Townsend and Fi Hance both represent the Liberal Democrats.[14] Hance's partner is Danny Kushlick, who stood for Bristol West in the 2010 General Election, on the policy of legalising drugs and making comedian Mark Thomas Drug Tsar. They live in St Andrews, Bristol.[15]
Local events
At the start of every May a fête is held on Redland Green. This is called the "Redland Fair", the "Redland May Fair", or simply "the may fair", and takes place on the May Day bank holiday. This is commonly regarded in Bristol as the best fair to go to on the May Day bank holiday.
References
- ↑ Ward map
- ↑ Smith, V. (2002) Street Names of Bristol ISBN 1-874092-90-7 p.13
- ↑ Mills, A.D. and Room, A. A Dictionary of English Place-Names Oxford University Press
- ↑ Bristol City Council website
- ↑ Vision of Britain website
- ↑ Smith, V. (2002) Street Names of Bristol ISBN 1-874092-90-7 p.90
- ↑ "Redland Chapel". Images of England. Retrieved 2006-07-09.
- ↑ The Presbyterian Churches of Bristol
- ↑ Redland Park URC History
- ↑ "Redland Court". Images of England. Retrieved 2006-07-09.
- ↑ "Piers and Gates at Redland Court". Images of England. Retrieved 2006-07-09.
- ↑ "perimeter wall, piers and gates to Redland Chapel churchyard". Images of England. Retrieved 2006-07-09.
- ↑ "West gateway and attached garden wall and balustrade". Images of England. Retrieved 2006-07-09.
- ↑ Council's ward list
- ↑ The People's Manifesto
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Redland (Bristol ward). |
Coordinates: 51°28′21″N 2°36′12″W / 51.47241°N 2.60321°W