Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Weird Bristol

@weirdbristol.bsky.social

1.4K followers 480 following 680 posts

The weird and lesser-known history of Bristol. You can find my books (including WEIRD BRISTOL: TRUE CRIME) here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B00HBFSRCU

www.amazon.co.uk

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · Jun 20

Delve into the murky world of Bristol’s criminal past with my latest book WEIRD BRISTOL: TRUE CRIME.
Featuring 100 tales of lawlessness in our city - from scheming charlatans to plundering pirates, from hot-headed robberies to cold-blooded murder…
Available right now!
Link is in my profile.

3 2 3

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 1h

Happy International Coming Out Day.
Be bold! And remember, life is so much better and filled with more colour once you throw those closet doors open!

a person standing in a dark room looking out a window

ALT: a person standing in a dark room looking out a window

media.tenor.com

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 17h

2/2
Upon this discovery, Grant had her released.
By all accounts their relationship both before and after her release was a frosty one, but he made sure to visit her frequently and that she was provided the funds and healthcare she needed.

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 17h

Bristol-born Hollywood megastar Cary Grant (then Archibald Leach) left for America at 16 but returned to the city many times until his 70s.
As a child he was told his mother had died, when in fact she had been sectioned in Glenside Hospital - then a mental institute.
1/2

2 1 17

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 1d

2/2
The audacity of the burglars and the fact that the crime occurred whilst the family were inside led to homes in Clifton, Redland and beyond installing latches and locks on upstairs windows for the first time.

1 15

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 1d

In 1872, Redland Court (built in 1732) was the scene of a daylight robbery when burglars used a ladder to enter an upstairs room as homeowner George O. Edwards and his family dined downstairs.
The thieves took only a few items but the crime made headlines across the country.
1/2

1 2 21

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 2d

And the answer is…
Brunel Lock (beneath Plimsoll Bridge, Cumberland Basin.)
Well done if you got this one right.

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 2d

Arnos Vale Cemetery houses these Victorian crypt vaults, built to permanently inter bodies above ground in lead coffins. At the time, cremation was assumed to be illegal so this was seen as an alternative to burial. Due to its expensive cost, only 30 bodies were ever placed here.

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 3d

WHERE AM I WEDNESDAY

4 7

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 3d

If you want to visit this fabulous, eerie ruin, the best access is via Sheepwood Close.

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 3d

This huge, beautiful ruin can be found in Sheep Wood, Henbury.
Built around 1830 to serve as an atmospheric summer house and folly for a wealthy merchant, these walls were once part of the Lord Mayors Chapel on College Green and were moved when the building was redesigned in 1820.

1 3 13

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 4d

There would be plenty of material!

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 4d

Bristol features as many different British and Irish cities throughout the charming 2018 film “Stan & Ollie”. Never is it more noticeable than this scene from “Newcastle” which is actually the side door of the Hippodrome and features a glimpse of Bristol’s famous iron pavement edging.

1 26

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 5d

There had been plans to rebuild the blitz parts of the network but during the war, people had grown used to using the buses (which were also cheaper) so it was decided it wasn’t financially feasible to restore the network. It’s a real shame.

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 5d

Electric trams were introduced to Bristol in 1895 and by 1899 we were the first UK city with an entirely electric tramway network.
This building in Brislington (completed in 1899) was the entrance to a tramway depot. There were seven such depots in Bristol and this one is the best preserved.

2 3 30

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 6d

Now Mr Wolfs on St Nicholas Street, this building was formerly the Radnor Hotel, which is believed to be the first gay pub in Bristol. Its exact origins are unclear but it may have been serving a mainly LGBT+ clientele as early as the 1930s.

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 7d

Fragile, beautiful and iconic. Whilst some Bristol blue glass was made in the city from the 1800s onwards, it was also produced throughout the UK.
The name derives from the fact that the cobalt oxide used turn the glass blue was imported from Saxony via the port of Bristol.

2 11

Reposted by Weird Bristol

Watershed @wshed.bsky.social · 8d

On Sunday, an anti-immigration demo is planned in Bristol City Centre, with protesters marching from the Cenotaph to College Green.

As city centre cultural venues, we stand together to celebrate the diversity of Bristol, and the creativity this contributes to our programme, workforce & communities.

“Racism, hate and intolerance has no place in our venues or our city” - Watershed, Spike Island, Arnolfini

1 14 41

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 8d

2/2

Unusually, it was intended to be used by both humans and animals.
For many decades it was the primary water source for countless circus animals which were brought to the Downs for performances.

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 8d

In 1874 there was concern that the animals at an agricultural show held on the Downs had no access to water and were dehydrated.
Following a charity drive, funds were raised to build this huge drinking fountain near the water tower. It was completed in 1877.

1/2

2 22

Reposted by Weird Bristol

Fleur Hitchcock @fleurhitchcock.bsky.social · 9d

Last shout for Saturday's workshop (masterclass?) with meeee!
9+ and we will be scaring ourselves!!!
#kidllituk
bathboxoffice.org.uk/whats-on/bfj...

Creative Writing Masterclass with Fleur Hitchcock

A spine-tingling workshop with Fleur Hitchcock. Discover how inspiration for murder can come from the everyday, how ordinary lives can become extraordinary, and how to weave it all into your own incre...

bathboxoffice.org.uk

2 3

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 9d

3/3
As a gift to the people of Hotwells, she and her friend Willielma Campbell (who was also in Hotwells due to Ill health) funded the construction of the chapel.
Both women succumbed to their illnesses and died later that year.

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 9d

The warm spring waters, which give Hotwells its name, were famed for their supposed curative properties.
Lady Hope was dismayed to discover that attending church required her to climb the steep hill to Clifton - a task she was unable to achieve in her condition.

2/3

1 7

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 9d

Hope Chapel in Hotwells is so named not just because of the religious connotations of the word “hope” but in honour of its co-benefactor Lady Henrietta Hope.
In 1786, Lady Hope was visiting Hotwells from Glasgow in order to bathe in the waters as a treatment for an illness.

1/3

2 18

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 9d

And the answer is:

Portland Square, St. Paul’s - looking towards the Wedding Cake Church (St Paul’s Church/Circomedia).

Well done if you got this one right.

Weird Bristol @weirdbristol.bsky.social · 9d

WHERE AM I WEDNESDAY

5 10