The sights, sounds and street art of Bristol

A 100 miles west of London lies the maritime town of Bristol, where colours and art explode in the form of scribbled alphabets, caricaturised leaders, valorised beasts, mysterious abstracts and versions of deities and devils. It is where graffiti morphs into prestigious street art. It is where controversial artist Banksy's bomb-hurling mural Mild Mild West faced other works in defiance (and harmony). Stokes Croft, a main road north of the city centre, acts as the axis of the street arts scene.
Not far from Stokes Croft, the epitome of freedom of expression, we had been shushed into silence by the dapper verger of St Mary Redcliffe, a church whose inner porch dates from 1185. In thrall of its historical and architectural beauty, we had gazed, awestruck, at its old carvings, 13th-century tower, solid brass lectern, and its crucifix-shaped floor plan. The verger, a strict but not unfriendly man, had warmed up with a smile. As we struck up a conversation in hushed tones, he handed us a guide. "Read this," he whispered, "it mentions all the finer details of the church. And oh," he said, remembering a priceless nugget, "do inspect the garden area outside. A tramline nearby was flung over the rooftops when a WWII bomb exploded in Redcliffe Hill." Stepping out in the drizzle, we saw not only its remnant standing in mute testimony but also the incongruity of a tranquil place of worship coexisting with a brutal reminder of war.
Therein - in the delightful paradoxes - lies the charm of Bristol. It is a glorious mashup of conformity and defiance, adherence and opposition, faith and disbelief. an everyman's city of eat, pray and love, and all three miraculously intersect.
In keeping with the appropriateness of its history as a port city as well as its name (Bristol means 'bridge place'), a good place to begin your sojourn is the buzzing Harbourside, the perfect place for an en famille excursion. Having outlived its purpose as a hub of trade and commerce, it has mutated into a wonderland with museums like M Shed, galleries like Arnolfini, and numerous cafes and nightclubs offering a smorgasbord of appetising food choices. This area serves up plenty of history with permanently-anchored boats like SS Great Britain (an engineering masterpiece, it was the first propeller-driven ocean liner) and the Mayflower, the world's oldest surviving steam tug. There is also a replica of the Matthew in which John Cabot sailed from the Bristol harbour to North America in a quest to find Asia. If you care for a heritage journey, hop onto the Bristol Harbour Railway that runs along the harbour. There's also the option of ferry rides. An unmistakable attraction of the Harbourside is stand-up paddleboarding.
College Green boasts a clutch of beautiful heritage buildings that punctuate a large green space (an aside: Bristol has won the European Green Capital award in the past). With gilded unicorns sitting atop its high roof, City Hall - the seat of the local government - has a compelling façade. There's also the historic Abbey Gatehouse with its arch, the Central Library building and statues of Queen Victoria and Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
Lending a sacred hue to College Green is the Bristol Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece. Even though it was founded in 1140, it was rebuilt during the 14th century. As a reminder of the fact that Bristol is UK's street art capital, the city is interspersed with colour. As you walk from College Green towards the University, look right. Well Hung Lover, one of pseudonymous artist Banksy's most popular works depicting illicit romance, peers out from the side of a building that used to, ironically, be a sexual-health clinic (his latest mural appeared in Port Talbot, a town in Wales, in December 2018).
If you have an adventurous disposition, do try your hand (rather, feet) at rock climbing in the Avon Gorge that runs through a limestone ridge - we, being lazy-bones, preferred the easy way and walked across the gorge using a man-made bridge - or enjoy the hot springs of the Avon river. Cycling enthusiasts can take off on the Bristol and Bath Railway Path with miles of cycle trails (trivia: Bristol was UK's first cycling city). For more of the outdoors, there's Whiteladies Road, a premier shopping area with pretty Georgian buildings housing funky boutiques and irresistible restaurants. Whiteladies Road also boasts the 100-year-old eponymous Picture House. Its recent makeover has resulted in some structural changes (the ballroom and the billiards room have been dispensed with) but the façade remains as stunning. Along the same road is the Clifton Down railway station around which a shopping centre has been built.
Upmarket Clifton has excellent restaurants. In fact, no matter where you are in the city, your eating options will always be plentiful and close by. St Nicholas Market, a 275-year-old thrumming indoor bazaar, is bang in the middle of the city and sells delicious food. For those who go by reputations, it may be noteworthy that St Nicholas was voted Britain's best market in 2016.
We had checked the two boxes of eat and pray within no time of arriving in Bristol. As for love, it struck without warning and was further reinforced when we set our eyes upon the Clifton Suspension Bridge against a prismatic evening sky, watching it come alive as dusk rapidly turned into a dark night. A toll bridge spanning the Avon river and the Avon gorge, Clifton was described by its designer Brunel as "my first love, my darling" and had been his crowning glory. What Brunel could never have imagined was that, years later, his bridge would inspire youngsters to leap off and create a sensation. They were arrested (and released, shortly afterward) but the seed of an idea for an indescribable adrenaline surge had been planted. Ladies and gentlemen, this is where the world got bungee jumping - yet another thing one must experience when in beautiful Bristol.
wknd@khaleejtimes.com