I’m staying with friends in north Bristol, who live in Montpelier, an area with a reputation for being bohemian and ‘alternative’. Picton Street is a haven for lovers of organic and vegetarian cuisine. 
Perfectly chosen as a home location by my vegetarian friend, who paints, does yoga and loves acrobatic rope work – and her husband, who has played in various bands; with both loving music, folk festival attendance, and ‘dressing up’. Here is John in one fine example….
Previously, Montpelier was carved by French prisoners of war (P.O.W’s) from the Napoleonic conflicts. All the streets and avenues are named after famous generals or have military connotations, such as Wellington, York and Banner Roads. Picton Street was built and named in honour of Sir Thomas Picton in 1783 endeared himself to Bristolians by bravely facing the rebellious 75th Battalion on College Green and averting a military mutiny.
There is a strong feeling of community spirit in Montpelier, that you feel as you wander around the neighbourhood.
I was in a taxi and caught sight of this image on a wall and thought it must be a “Banksy”….a sprayed stencil of a young Queen Elizabeth II, with her eyes closed, wearing the Crown Jewels. Her Majesty’s face is decorated with a patriotic red and blue stripe, mirroring the jagged stripe used on David Bowie’s 1973 album cover Aladdin Sane. Banksy apparently has not claimed responsibility on his official website for the work. 
Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s unusual name comes from his civil engineer father, a Normandy refugee from the French Revolution and his mother, Sophia Kingdom. He was burnt, broken and buried under his constructions but nothing stopped Brunel. He built under rivers and through hills, creating the longest tunnels, the biggest bridges and the speediest ships the world had ever seen. This is the revolutionary Briton who built Britain.
a St is still there and under “new management”, what a gorgeous little building.
Then visited the “M” Shed Museum, which tells the story of the city and its unique place in the world. It has a brutal and shameful past in the slavery of people from Africa. Between 1697 and 1807, 2,108 known ships transported 1/2 million people were brought into slavery, representing one-fifth of the British slave trade during this time. Due to the over-crowding and harsh conditions on the ships, it is estimated that approximately half of each cargo of slaves did not survive the trip across the Atlantic. 
was one of the greatest engineers of the 1800’s and is considered one of Bristol’s most famous sons. It was Brunel who played a major role in the cutting-edge design and construction of the floating harbour, which is still in use today. This new lock system trapped water in the city’s central harbour and allowed ships and boats to stay afloat without being affected by the changing tides.
A key player in the four month Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963, (as a result of the bus company refusing to employ black or asian bus crews), which had an impact nationally, and led to the passing of the Race Relations Acts of 1965 and 1968, which made discrimination unlawful in public places, employment and housing. He also organised the first multicultural St Pauls’ carnival in 1967 – now one of the largest events in England’s south west.
Dale Wakefield
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