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Bristol

“One of the warmest cities, with some of the happiest people in the UK”

Is Bristol as good as it gets? For the legal profession it certainly has the right quality of work mixed with quality of life. Reports have shown that people living in the South West are among the happiest in the country. And the city of bridges, balloons, boats, Brunel and Banksy is no exception.

With a population around 550,000 Bristol isn’t a huge city, but it certainly has its place in history. It was home to renowned Victorian engineer Brunel, and one of its most recognisable landmarks is his Clifton Suspension Bridge spanning the Avon gorge. Another of his designs, the world’s first great ocean liner SS Great Britain, now forms the centrepiece of the city’s historic Harbourside.

Nowadays Bristol is more renowned for music and film (Aardman Animations, producers of Wallace & Gromit, are based here). But its past as an important centre of commerce have left an outstanding architectural and cultural legacy.

Museums and Malls

Aside from Brunel’s masterpieces, there are plenty of other historic attractions in the city. The Georgian House is one of the country’s most complete 18th century town houses, while The Red Lodge is a beautifully restored historic Elizabethan property. Bristol Museum & Art Gallery and Blaise Castle both have exceptional collections, while art galleries include contemporary works at Arnolfini and Spike Island and the Royal west of England Academy of Arts, with over 1200 works on display.

Bristol has no fewer than three world-class shopping centres around its redesigned, pedestrian-friendly city centre. Broadmead offers a huge diversity of retailers, while the Cabot Circus three-tiered shopping and leisure complex has many familiar names including Harvey Nichols and House of Fraser. Alongside that is the The Galleries with a further 100 or so stores. Add another modern mall at Cribbs Causeway, the intriguing markets around the Corn Exchange and St Nicholas Markets and countless back-street boutiques, and you’ll find Bristol’s shopping hard to beat.

All kinds of clubs

Bristol is also renowned for its nightlife, from an eclectic mix of cuisine in its restaurants to chic bars and one of the best club scenes in the country.

Equally high energy, the city has two Football League clubs, City and Rovers, is home to Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and the area is particularly strong in rugby union. Bristol is also well-known for ballooning, with an annual fiesta in August.

Well-placed

With easy access to the M5 and M4, Bristol is ideally situated for getting around the country. It also has two principal railway stations, Parkway and Temple Mead, with direct services to many destinations including London.

In terms of education, the city is home to its redbrick University and the University of the West of England, with many other colleges and the country’s second highest concentration of independent school places.

The favourite areas to live with professionals are either the modern waterside developments or the traditional Georgian and Victorian areas such as Clifton, around a 20-minute walk from the city centre.

Thinking of moving to Bristol?

Then hopefully you’ve found this guide helpful. Now all you need to do is contact our specialist consultants, who can advise you on legal and solicitor job opportunities in Bristol and across the South West.

For more information on Bristol and the surrounding area, go to www.visitbristol.com