Memorandum Monday : Discovering Bristol

It was last May that I met up with blogger friends Miriam, Helena and Barbara in Bristol and we spent some time doing part of a Sculpture Trail around the centre. The trail is 2.5 miles in total and points out a variety of plaques, monuments and sculptures that are all related in some way to Bristol's history. I found the walk online and you can find it here. It is a great way to wander round parts of the city which you might otherwise miss. We were very lucky to have a sunny day on that occasion and you can read more about it here

 Yesterday I had the opportunity to revisit the trail with some other friends and also complete parts that I had not done. This brings me to Sian's Memorandum Monday where we give Sian and all other bloggers a wave and talk about something new that we have done or discovered. The previously uncompleted part of the trail did indeed introduce me to parts of Bristol I had never visited and made me open my eyes to objects I had never noticed before.

 The weather was the direct opposite of my trip in May. A steady drizzle and dull cloud accompanied us all the way round. We started by Neptune's statue in the centre. This was moved to it's present position some years ago. It is at present surrounded by boarding to protect it from the work being carried out in preparation of the new City Metro bus. We could just see Neptune peeping out.

The first statue that was new to me is one that I have most likely been past several times and not noticed. This is a kind of double sculpture with a King George V memorial on one side (more about that another day) and a carving in Portland Stone on the other. The carving depicts a farmer and a coal miner and was originally on a nearby building.

The arch provided an ideal photo opportunity.

I had equally never noticed the ceramic panels in the wall of the building Broad Quay. There are 15 of these of which I have chosen two. This first one is an image of a 17th to 18th Century trade token the size of a finger nail which was issued by a local tavern. A forerunner of the Bristol Pound perhaps!

The second covers a more sensitive subject but one that is very much part of Bristol 's past and that is the tobacco industry and slave trade.

This is only a taster of what we saw. Many photos I am saving for other days but as we peeped through gates and archways and wandered down ancient streets we learnt a lot more about Bristol's past and present time.

                                                         

Then as a bonus we were lucky enough to spot some of Bristol's newer residents perching high up on one of the buildings hence slightly fuzzy pictures. A pair of Peregrine Falcons who frequently dine on the pigeon population of Bristol.

I wish you all a good week and I look forward to hearing what new things you have all done.