From common pasture to fashionable Clifton
In the Middle Ages, Clifton Down was common pasture belonging to the manor of Clifton. The Society of Merchant Venturers acquired the manor during the 17th century and, by the 18th century, Clifton was developing into a fashionable summer spa.
As the area grew in popularity, the Downs increasingly became a place for recreation.
At the southern end of Clifton Down, an attractive green is surrounded by Litfield Place, Harley Place and Christ Church. Penrose Cottage was once home to the writer, poet and activist Walter Savage Landor, who spent winters here during the early 1800s.
Landor befriended and influenced a later generation of literary figures including Charles Dickens and Robert Browning.
The elegant streets of Clifton
Clifton’s streets preserve some of Bristol’s finest Georgian architecture.
Sion Hill began to be developed in 1784, while nearby Caledonia Place, The Mall and West Mall grew as Clifton became an increasingly desirable place to live.
The Mall Gardens were originally private gardens for the surrounding houses. A contemporary writer, remembering Clifton in the 1820s, recalled looking towards an area of green fields and gardens where West Mall and Caledonia Place would later stand.
The former Clifton Assembly Rooms also have a royal connection. From a balcony here, a ten-year-old future Queen Victoria once waved to crowds gathered in Bristol.
A crescent with an expensive beginning
Close by is Royal York Crescent, an extraordinary terrace overlooking the city.
Building began in 1790, but constructing the enormous substructure proved so expensive that the original developers became bankrupt in 1793.
Clifton contains several similar stories of architectural ambition and financial disaster.
Cornwallis Crescent was another unfinished speculative development. Architect Francis Greenway subsequently took over the project, but he too became bankrupt. After later being convicted of forgery, Greenway was transported to Australia, where he went on to become one of the country’s most significant early architects.
Writers, reformers and remarkable residents
Clifton’s handsome houses have been home to an extraordinary collection of people.
Goldney House, built in 1720 by a Quaker grocer, has gardens containing an orchard, Gothic tower, underground shell-lined grotto, canal and orangery.
Nearby, the writer and social reformer Hannah More lived during the final years of her life. Born near Bristol, More became a successful poet and playwright and an influential campaigner for social reform, female education and the abolition of slavery.
Another nearby house was the birthplace of Edward St John Daniel, who was awarded the Victoria Cross at just 17 years of age during the Crimean War.
Science in Hotwells
Descending towards Hotwells brings another remarkable chapter of Bristol’s story into view.
Hope Square was associated with the physician and scientific writer Thomas Beddoes, whose work attracted some of the leading scientific and literary figures of his time.
At nearby Dowry Square lived or worked a remarkable collection of residents including Beddoes, Humphry Davy and Peter Roget.
Their names became associated with developments as varied as the Davy safety lamp, the use of nitrous oxide as an anaesthetic and Roget’s Thesaurus.
Hotwells itself developed around the natural hot springs beside the River Avon, attracting visitors who came to Bristol to take the waters.
What you’ll discover
Clifton Down is a walk through several different versions of Bristol — from open common land and fashionable spa resort to elegant Georgian suburb and the historic streets descending towards Hotwells.
- Clifton Village — Georgian streets filled with architectural and social history.
- The Mall — elegant houses, gardens and the former Assembly Rooms.
- Royal York Crescent — one of Clifton’s most spectacular terraces.
- Goldney House — an historic house with extraordinary gardens and grotto.
- Hope Square — associated with pioneering physician Thomas Beddoes.
- Dowry Square — once home to an exceptional collection of scientists and thinkers.
- Hotwells — the riverside district whose natural springs helped make Clifton fashionable.
The complete City Walks Bristol guide follows the route through Clifton and down towards Hotwells, uncovering many more stories hidden behind its terraces, squares and familiar streets.
