History of Bristol

Living in Bristol has different effects on each of us. Some, we love the city, others might not like it that much. When I started writing this blog, my main objective was to enjoy the city even more, to take the best of it, and to express my love for the city posting for you, reader. Some other people express their feelings in other ways, through pictures or videos for example. A spaniard living in Bristol for the last year has found a very beautiful way to show his love for the city in a very inspiring way.

I recently came across a documentary on Youtube on the history of Bristol and I found it very interesting to learn about the past of the city I am living in. The video itself is divided into parts and I have been able to find the first 6 parts on Youtube. The rest are whereabouts unknown. 

Below, the first part of the documentary. I added small descriptions of what each part talks about. The quality of the video is not very good, which makes the images blurry and colourless, and you can also notice it has been recorded a couple of years ago. However, the content of the documentary, as far as I am concerned, is very interesting.

The first part covers the birth of Bristol city, Avon riverside and its tides, and the build up of first castle and churches. The second part focuses on St Mary Redcliffe, how Bristol grows and a defensive medieval wall is constructed around the city and in 1497, John Cabot lands in Bristol. Part 3 describes how the conflict between Spain and England affected Bristol, Queen Elizabeth visits the city and the beginning of the exchange of corn. Relationships with american natives and the "discovery" of the "new world" is described in Part 4, the beginning of the sugar trade, King James' monopoly over Bristol, Bristol taking the side of the Parliamentary Army during the civil war, Edward Colston, and the slavery. The new business of privateering florishing, the Corn Exchange, John Westley and the first methodist church in the city, America's independence and its influence in trade, industrial revolution, the new dock diverting the flow of the Avon, improvement of road services to benefit trade, and Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the idea of a suspended bridge can be found in Part 5. The last part available on Youtubes covers the railway linking Bristol to London, S.S. Great Britain, Clifton Suspension Bridge's opening, and Portishead and Avonmouth new docks.

LINKS
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"A Charming City" by Moises Pérez:
http://www.moises-perez.com/#!/documentaries/