Bristol
Saturday 20 June
8.00am (a) from Northwich
Other pick-up points available - details and booking conditions here.
£27.00

If ever there was a city with a story to tell, it’s Bristol. Enveloped in the hills of South West England, it has its own unmistakable identity, grounded in roots from centuries past and carved out since by passionate locals and spirited fans. Bristol's prosperity has been linked with the sea since its earliest days.

The SS Great Britain was the world’s first great ocean liner. Below decks you can peep inside the luxury cabins of First Class passengers. Eavesdrop on a conversation, dodge the harassed cook in his cramped galley, and marvel at the massive turning engine. Below the glass ‘sea’ is a fish’s-eye view of the world’s oldest iron hull. State-of-the-art technology keeps the air down there as arid as the Arizona desert to prevent rust attacking the ship’s delicate iron hull. The Dockyard Museum tells the SS Great Britain’s remarkable story, from her launch in 1843 through a long career as luxury liner, emigrant steam clipper to a super-sized sailing ship carrying coal to San Francisco. You will discover the story of her rescue from the bottom of the South Atlantic and her final triumphant return to Bristol.

From prehistoric times to the present day, M Shed tells the story of the city and its unique place in the world. Set in the dockside warehouses, see amazing film and photographs, listen to moving personal stories, encounter rare and quirky objects and add your own memories of Bristol through the interactive displays.

The Red Lodge Museum is an Elizabethan house. It took two whole years to put the Great Oak Room together. From 1578 to 1580 the top craftsmen of the day carved the oak, sculpted the stone and moulded the ceiling. John Young, a merchant who had the lodge built, wanted to use the room to show off to other merchants so decorated it with exotic motifs of the age. You’ll find a grand Elizabethan four-poster bed, wood panelling and sturdy oak furniture. There’s also a painting which might just be the earliest portrait of a slave in the UK.

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery has collections of art, nature and history on display in a beautiful building. Fine art includes paintings by French artists, including work by Lucien Pissarro, Italian and Dutch paintings (with a huge painting of Noah’s Ark by Dutch artist Jan Griffier the Elder), British and European Art (The Age of Enlightenment and the Birth of Romanticism) and paintings from the 18th and early 19th century, including Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable. There is also a stunning array of ceramics, carvings and glass from China and Japan. British and European collections are displayed alongside locally made wares, including Bristol Delftware and Bristol Blue Glass.

The Paint Pot Angel is in the main foyer of the Museum, and was donated by Banksy at the end of his hugely successful 2009 exhibition.  You can follow a Banksy Trail around the city.

Bristol Cathedral began in the twelfth century as an Augustinian Abbey, founded by prominent local citizen, Robert Fitzharding. The remains of the abbey can still be seen in the Chapter House, the Abbey Gatehouse and the buildings of Bristol Cathedral Choir School, but it is the east end of the Cathedral which is particularly special; it is one of the finest examples in the world of a medieval ‘hall church’. This means that the vaulted ceilings in the nave, choir, and aisles are all at the same height, creating a lofty and light space with a series of elegant arches. The original abbey was dissolved by Henry VIII’s commissioners in 1539, and the nave that was being rebuilt at the time was never completed. The Church became a Cathedral in 1542 but did not get a new nave until the 1860s. Noted architect, G.E. Street, designed a new nave in a Gothic Revival design that mirrored the architecture of the hall church. J.L. Pearson then added the two towers at the West End and a further re-ordering of the interior was completed in the early part of the twentieth century.
 
Banksy Self-Guided Tour Leaflet here.
Bristol City Centre Map here.
Bristol Cathedral Guide here.

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