Greenbank

Greenbank

I live in Greenbank, which is quite a nice area. It's not very big and the name isn't really official (we're officially "Lower Easton", although we're higher than the rest of Easton). It is a bit nicer and greener than most of Easton which is a very tightly-packed Bristol suburb.

Main points of Greenbank:

Chocolate factory.
Big, rambling building built by the Quakers. They weren't allowed into a lot of trades because they were Quakers and so had to set up their own businesses. Chocolate was big around Bristol. Up until recently they used to boil up the chocolate there and the streets would smell very chocolatey. But no more. They are leaving the factory in a couple of years and I've heard there are plans for 350 houses there.


Greenbank Cemetery

A very large green space. The cemetery is the dead centre of Greenbank. People are dying to get in there. There's a rule that no one who lives in Greenbank can be buried in the cemetery - they've got to be dead.

At the end of the cemetery is Royate Hill viaduct. Now a nature reserve. I will write more on this soon.

Greenbank cemetery was built in the Victorian times, I think.

Strange tree ( a walnut?)
Taken in the summer, of course.
An angel

Stapleton Road

Stapleton Road

OK, Chaps. I'm going to post a load of photos of Stapleton Road, a road I live near in Bristol. A national newspaper recently called it "the most dangerous road in Britain".
I think that's highly exaggerated. I have to cycle along it in the early hours on Friday and Saturday mornings and I've hardly ever been stabbed.

It was once much grander than it is now and still has some impressive buildings as well as some amazing trees (for how long?)

I've messed about with the mosque photos for dramatic effect. This mosque (just off Stapleton Road proper) was opened this year. I think it is the only new building in Bristol that is good to look at.

The new bus station in Bristol was opened last week. It's very different from how it used to be. Out go fag ends, drunks, mad people and old ladies with loads of shopping. In come smart, young, Metro-reading, cappucino-drinking 21st century people. Or I think that's the plan.
It's certainly a lot cleaner than before.
Last night I heard some Americans ask a cleaner if there was a cafe. "Yes", he said and pointed enthusiastically to a boarded up area, "...it's being built." I think the Americans decided not to bother waiting.

They've installed some funny artwork. It consists of four large clocks, each with only one hand, standing on the floor. The hand moves on just one of the clocks. What does it all mean? There is also another one-handed clock on a pole outside the bus station.

Friday 25th November

Snow!! Not a lot here in Bristol, but South Wales is shut. Most of it has gone now.
This was the view from my bedroom window this morning

Oooh, this is exciting. I'll just do something else to see if this works OK. I'll try and find a nice photo.
This is a mouse that lives in my allotment shed.