Timeline of Bristol facts for kids

Bristol is a historic city in England with a long and interesting past. This timeline will take you through some of the most important moments in Bristol's history, from its early beginnings to modern times. You'll learn about how the city grew, important buildings that were built, and key events that shaped Bristol into the place it is today.

Bristol's Early Days (Before 16th Century)

• 803 – St James' Priory was founded. This was an early religious building.
• Around 1000 – A Saxon settlement, which was like a small village, started to grow where the rivers Frome and Avon meet.
• 1009 – A market was already busy in Bristol, showing it was a place where people traded goods.
• 12th Century – College Green, a well-known open space, was created.
• 1140 – St Augustine's Abbey was founded. This later became Bristol Cathedral.
• 1141 – In February, Stephen, King of England was held prisoner in Bristol Castle after a big battle.
• 1172 – King Henry II gave Bristol a special document called a charter, which gave the city more rights.
• 13th Century – The Society of Merchant Venturers was formed. This was a group of important traders.
• Around 1220 – Construction began on Bristol Cathedral.
• 1224 – Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany was held in Bristol Castle for many years until her death in 1241.
• 1292 – The famous Church of St Mary Redcliffe was built.
• 1373 – Bristol became a "county corporate." This meant it was a city that also acted like its own county, giving it more independence. Redcliffe became part of Bristol.
• 1470 – St Stephen's Church was rebuilt.
• 1497 – In May, an explorer named John Cabot, who was from Italy, sailed from Bristol on his ship, the Matthew. He was looking for new lands to the west.
• 1498 – In May, Cabot set sail again for the Americas but was never seen again.

Bristol in the 16th and 17th Centuries

• 1542 – The See of Bristol was created, making Bristol an important religious centre with its own bishop.
• 1552 – The Society of Merchant Venturers received its official charter.
• 1595 – The Merchant Venturers' School was founded.
• 17th Century – Bristol became a major port for trade, including the sad trade of enslaved people.
• 1643 – In July, during the English Civil War, Bristol was captured by Prince Rupert's forces.
• 1645 – In September, Bristol was taken by Oliver Cromwell's forces.
• 1656 – Bristol Castle was torn down.
• Around 1670 – The King William Ale House was built to help poor women.
• 1691 – The Bristol Corporation of the Poor was founded to help people in need.

Bristol in the 18th Century

• 1702 – The Bristol Post-Boy newspaper started being published.
• 1710 – Colston's Hospital was founded.
• 1729 – Walter Churchman patented his invention for making chocolate.
• 1737 – The Bristol Royal Infirmary, a hospital, opened.
• 1738 – William Champion invented a way to get zinc from a rock called calamine.
• 1739 – The New Room, a Methodist chapel, was built.
• 1743 – The Exchange, a building for merchants to do business, was built.
• 1747 – Bristol became Britain's busiest port for the slave trade.
• Around 1759 – Joseph Fry started making chocolate.
• 1766 – The Theatre opened.
• 1768 – Bristol Bridge was built.
• 1770 – Bristol porcelain and Bristol blue glass started to be made.
• 1779 – Stapleton Prison was built to hold naval prisoners during the American Revolutionary War.
• 1786 – Wills, Watkins & Co. opened a shop that would become the famous W.D. & H.O. Wills tobacco company.
• 1788 – John Wesley gave a speech against slavery.
• 1793 – On September 30, the Bridge riot took place.
• 1796 – John Harvey & Sons, known for Harvey's Bristol Cream sherry, was founded.

Bristol in the 19th Century

• 1809 – Bristol Harbour was created, making the city an even better port.
• 1821 – On May 28, the population of Bristol was counted as 52,889 people.
• 1823 – The Chamber of Commerce was founded, and the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery was established.
• 1831 – In October, the Queen Square riots happened, where some people were killed and injured.
• 1836 – The Zoological Gardens opened.
• 1838 – On April 8, the paddle steamer SS Great Western began its first trip to the United States.
• 1840 – The Great Western Railway opened its section between Bath and Bristol, and Bristol Temple Meads railway station opened.
• 1841 – The Great Western Railway fully opened between London and Bristol.
• 1843 – On July 19, the iron steamship SS Great Britain was launched.
• 1858 – The Western Daily Press newspaper started publishing, and Bristol General Hospital opened.
• 1861 – The rights to Durdham Down and Clifton Down, popular open spaces, were acquired.
• 1864 – The famous Clifton Suspension Bridge opened.
• 1867 – The Bristol Beacon concert hall opened as Colston Hall.
• 1870 – Gloucestershire County Cricket Club was formed.
• 1875 – Horse-drawn Bristol Tramways began operating.
• 1876 – University College, Bristol opened, which was an early step towards the university.
• 1877 – Avonmouth dock opened, expanding Bristol's port.
• 1887 – The Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company was formed.
• 1895 – Bristol's trams started using electricity.
• 1898 – The Cabot Tower was built on Brandon Hill.
• 1899 – Bristol's chief magistrate became a "lord mayor," a higher title.

Bristol in the 20th Century

• 1901 – The population of Bristol was 328,945 people.
• 1904 – Shirehampton became part of the city.
• 1906 – The Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company introduced its first motor buses. The Bristol Central Library opened.
• 1908 – The Royal Edward Dock opened at Avonmouth.
• 1909 – The University of Bristol received its royal charter, making it a full university.
• 1910 – The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company started making aircraft.
• 1912 – The Bristol Hippodrome theatre opened.
• 1916 – In August, the first tanks were shipped to France from Avonmouth during World War I.
• 1930 – Whitchurch Airport began operating.
• 1932 – On March 7, the Bristol Evening Post newspaper started publishing.
• 1933 – Ribena, a blackcurrant drink, was first made in Bristol.
• 1934 – On September 18, BBC Bristol Studios opened.
• 1940 – On November 2, the Bristol Blitz began, which was a period of heavy aerial bombing by German forces during World War II.
• 1941 – On April 11, Bristol's trams stopped running because of bomb damage.
• 1944 – On May 15, the Bristol Blitz ended.
• 1945 – Bristol Cars started making cars.
• 1946 – The Bristol Old Vic theatre company and school were established.
• 1956 – On April 17, Chew Valley Lake, a large reservoir, was opened by the Queen to supply water to Bristol.
• 1957 – Bristol Airport opened.
• 1958 – Bristol bus station opened.
• 1963 – On April 30, the Bristol Bus Boycott took place. This was an important protest against racial discrimination.
• 1969 – On April 9, the British prototype Concorde airliner, a supersonic jet, made its first flight from Filton.
• 1970 – On July 5, the historic ship SS Great Britain returned to Bristol. On September 4, BBC Radio Bristol began broadcasting.
• 1972 – On May 1, Bristol Parkway railway station opened.
• 1973 – On June 29, Clifton Cathedral was consecrated.
• 1974 – On April 1, Bristol became part of the new county of Avon. The Avonmouth Bridge opened.
• 1978 – Royal Portbury Dock opened, and Castle Park was created.
• 1980 – On April 2, the St. Pauls riot occurred.
• 1992 – On July 16, the Hartcliffe riot took place. The University of the West of England was granted university status.
• 1996 – On April 1, the county of Avon was abolished, and Bristol once again became both a city and its own county. The first International Festival of the Sea was held in Bristol Harbour. A replica of John Cabot's 15th-century ship, the Matthew, was dedicated.
• 1998 – The Tobacco Factory Theatre was established.

Bristol in the 21st Century

• 2001 – The Bristol Royal Hospital for Children building opened.
• 2004 – The Bristol Shakespeare Festival began.
• 2009 – The Bottle Yard Studios opened as a place for making TV shows and films.
• 2010 – The Brunel Institute opened.
• 2011 – On April 21, the Stokes Croft riot happened. Bristol became a "city of sanctuary" for refugees.
• 2012 – On November 19, George Ferguson became the first elected Mayor of Bristol.
• 2020 – On February 10, councillors voted against expanding Bristol Airport because of concerns about climate change. On June 7, the 1895 statue of Edward Colston, a 17th-century merchant involved in the Atlantic slave trade, was pulled down by anti-racism protesters.
• 2022 – On September 4, Bristol Zoo closed its site in Clifton.