HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE AROUND BISHOPSTON
Bristol's suburbs were at one time, independent villages and hamlets and some even towns in their own right tracing their history at least to Roman times. Over the centuries they have become absorbed into the greater area of Bristol.
Bishopston owes its name and its existence as a suburb to James Monk, Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol 1836 to 1856. This area, called in those days Horfield Great Farm was church land, leased out on the ancient 'lives' system. At the death of the last of the people on whose life the lease had been taken out, it would be renewed. This happened while Dr Monk was Bishop and he decided that 'being contiguous to the city of Bristol it presented a favourable site for the erection of villas... I conceived the idea of effecting a great public benefit to the city and neighbourhood by arrangement either under a private bill or by the Long Leasing Act'. What he proposed was that money received for the land should go half to his family and half to the provision of curates for poorer parts of the city.
Questions were asked in the newspapers in Parliament. The Bishop defended himself vigorously in print, including a lengthy pamphlet. One of the people most opposed to the sale was Rev Richards, vicar of Horfield, who had his own views on the subject, being the largest copyholder. The Horfield Trust was set up with a panel of Trustees and several of the roads that were built bear their names, such as Hatherley after William Page Wood, Baron Hatherley, Lord Chancellor 1868-72 and Birchall after Sir John D Birchall, Mayor and Church Commissioner and of course Monk Road and Monk's Avenue after the bishop himself. Sir Garnet Wolseley, famous for his action in the relief of Khartoum gave his name to Wolseley Road.
Famous former residents include Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac who was born at 15 Monk Road, Bishopston on 8th August 1902, his work in theoretical physics led to the joint award, with Schrödinger, of a Nobel Prize for Quantum Mechanics.
Stephen Hawking commented that: "Dirac has done more than anyone this century, with the exception of Einstein, to advance physics and change our picture of the universe."
The great Hollywood actor Cary Grant was born Archibald Alec Leach in Hughenden Road, Horfield, Bristol and often revisited Bristol to see his mother.
Archibald attended Fairfield School in Montpelier, Bristol that celebrated its centenary in 1998.

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