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Bristol – As good as it gets for solicitors seeking quality of work and quality of life. Bristol has an awful lot going for it, however, it's not all 9-5pm, surf boards and country walks! With an approximate population of 410,950, and an urban area of 550,200, it is England's sixth, and the UK's ninth most populous city, one of England's core cities and the most populous city in South West England. Bristol is a centre of culture, employment and education.
The city is famous for its music and film industries, and was a finalist for the 2008 European Capital of Culture. In literature Bristol is noted as the birth place of the 18th century poet Thomas Chatterton, and the poets Robert Southey, who was born in Wine Street, Bristol in 1774. Samuel Taylor Coleridge married the Bristol Fricker sisters. William Wordsworth also spent time in the city where Joseph Cottle first published Lyrical Ballads in 1798.
The 18th and 19th century portrait painter Sir Thomas Lawrence and 19th century architect Francis Greenway, designer of many of Sydney's first buildings, came from the city, and more recently the graffiti artist Banksy. Some famous comedians are locals, including Justin Lee Collins, Lee Evans, and writer/comedian Stephen Merchant.
Shopping in Bristol caters for the most eclectic of tastes and all budgets. From shopping malls to chic boutiques and independent stores, Bristol has it all. In the centre of Bristol is Broadmead, Bristol's main shopping centre and The Mall Bristol, both of which boast an enticing range of shops with all the familiar high street names.
On the outskirts of Bristol, The Mall at Cribbs Causeway is a modern shopping complex with over 135 stores. Around the old city's grand buildings surrounding the Corn Exchange and St Nicholas Markets you'll find an intriguing choice of stalls with arts and crafts every Friday and Saturday and a Farmers Market every Wednesday. The Slow Food Market takes place on the first Sunday of each month. In the heart of the city you'll also find Park Street and Christmas steps, Colston Street and Perry Row all offering a wide range of shops selling everything from clothes to quirky gifts.
The city has two League football clubs: Bristol City and Bristol Rovers. The city is also home to Bristol Rugby rugby union club and a first-class cricket side, Gloucestershire C.C.C.
There are two principal railway stations in Bristol. Bristol Parkway is located to the north of the city and Bristol Temple Meads located in the centre. Both stations offer direct services to many UK destinations. There is also a limited service to London Waterloo from Bristol Temple Meads, operated by South West Trains. The main service to London is by First Great Western to Paddington station.
Bristol is home to two major institutions of higher education: the University of Bristol, a "redbrick" chartered in 1909, and the University of the West of England, formerly Bristol Polytechnic, which gained university status in 1992. The city also has two dedicated further education institutions, City of Bristol College and Filton College, and three theological colleges, Trinity College, Bristol, Wesley College, Bristol & Bristol Baptist College. The city has 129 infant, junior and primary schools, 17 secondary schools and 3 city learning centres. It has the country's second highest concentration of independent school places.
The areas around the city where legal professionals live are mostly within a 20-minute walk of the city centre where housing options are attractive and affordable. Many choose to live in the modern waterside developments and catch the ferry into work, or stroll in from the more traditional Georgian and Victorian areas surrounding the centre such as Clifton.
If you are moving from London, salary is the biggest consideration for would-be relocators from the City whereby a drop of between 20 – 40% is often the case if you're already practising at one of the larger London firms. However, Bristol firms compare well with other legal centres keeping pace with like for like firms in Birmingham city centre so you won't be underpaid in regional terms.
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