Bristol City Centre and Harbour
Bristol is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in South West England. The wider Bristol Built-up Areais the eleventh most populous urban area in the United Kingdom.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Built the first Iron Clad steam ship here in the city docks "The Great Britain" the largest passenger ship in the world from 1845 - 1854 The Ship is now restored as a museum in its original build dock in the City. Brunel also engineered The Great Western Railway from London To Bristol and South Wales, He also built the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge that spans the Avon Gorge at Clifton in Bristol.
A major port, Bristol was a starting place for early voyages of exploration to the New World. On a ship "The Mathew" out of Bristol in 1497, John Cabot, a Venetian, became the first European to land on mainland North America, and In 1499, William Weston, a Bristol merchant, was the first Englishman to lead an exploration to North America. At the height of the Bristol slave trade, from 1700 to 1807, more than 2,000 slave ships carried an estimated 500,000 people from Africa to slavery in the Americas. The Port of Bristol has since moved from Bristol Harbour in the city centre to the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth and Royal Portbury Dock.
Bristol's modern economy is built on the creative media, electronics and aerospace industries; the city-centre docks have been redeveloped as centres of heritage and culture. The city has two universities: the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol). There are a variety of artistic and sporting organisations and venues including the Royal West of England Academy, the Arnolfini, Spike Island, Ashton Gate and the Memorial Stadium. It is connected to London and other major UK cities by road and rail, and to the world by sea and air: road, by the M5 and M4(which connect to the city centre by the Portway and M32); rail, via Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway mainline rail stations; and Bristol Airport. Bristol has two football teams Bristol City & Bristol Rovers. A major new Entertainment venue is now under construction at Filton (north of the city) The YTL Arena will open in 2024
Bristol was named the best city in Britain in which to live in 2014 and 2017; it won the European Green Capital Award in 2015.
