ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORY AROUND BRISLINGTON

Brislington, once a village in its own right has history traced back to roman times with the discovery at the turn of the century of its own roman villa.

It became fashionable in the 18th century for rich Bristol merchants to move out to the countryside and several large estates and houses were constructed.

William Reeve a Quaker who made his fortune from copper smelting, brass foundries and trading in slaves built the Arnos Court Estate in 1760 its house now a hotel, and the Black Castle stable block was a folly constructed from the waste or slag from his foundries.
The William Bridges designed ornate gatehouse to his estate has been moved to an adjacent site as part of road improvements.

Arnos Vale is a Victorian cemetery that is only rivalled in its ornate buildings by Highgate in London, Greek temples, exotic flora and fauna, its topographical beauty preserved for the living as well as the dead it commemorated.

The parish church of St Luke’s, accessible from the old village square has origins back to the 15th century is resplendent in its Bristol pennant with Bath Stone dressings and boasts a gravestone to one Thomas Newman who died in 1542 aged 153!

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