Whiteladies Road facts for kids
Whiteladies Road is a busy main road in Bristol, England. It stretches north from the Victoria Rooms all the way to Durdham Down. This road acts like a border, with Clifton on its west side and Redland and Cotham on its east side. It is also part of the A4018 road route.
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Famous Places Along the Road
Whiteladies Road is home to several important and well-known buildings. As you travel along the road from south to north, you will see:
- Broadcasting House: This is where the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has its offices and studios in Bristol. Many TV and radio shows are made here!
- The Whiteladies Picture House: A historic cinema where people can watch movies.
- Clifton Down railway station: A train station that connects people to different parts of Bristol and beyond.
- Tyndale Baptist Church: A beautiful church building.
A Road Through History
Whiteladies Road has been an important route for a very long time.
Early Travel Routes
In the past, the northern part of the road was the main way to get into Bristol from the northwest. This included travelers coming from New Passage, where a ferry brought people from Wales. It was also a key route for those heading towards London and Bath. Later, it became important for traffic coming from the port at Avonmouth.
In the early 1800s, the road was made longer. The section south of Whiteladies Gate was built, and the route continued down Park Street.
Modern Road Connections
Over time, new roads were built that changed how people traveled. In the 1920s, The Portway was built, which took over as the main route from Avonmouth.
Later, in the 1960s, the building of the Severn Crossing and the M4 motorway reduced traffic from Wales. The M32 further helped to reduce traffic on Whiteladies Road. However, the modern A4018 still follows much of the same path through Bristol. Today, it connects to the M5 motorway at Cribbs Causeway and remains a vital way to get into west Bristol from the motorway.
Shopping and Community
Whiteladies Road is a popular place for shopping. A shopping center has been built around Clifton Down railway station. The area north of the station has been a busy shopping street for many years. You can find many different shops and businesses here.
The Names of the Road
The names "Whiteladies Road" and "Blackboy Hill" have interesting histories.
Blackboy Hill
The upper part of Whiteladies Road is often called Blackboy Hill. This name comes from a pub called the Black Boy Inn, which stood on the hill until 1874. After the Restoration period in England, "Black Boy" was a common name for pubs.
Charles II was sometimes called "the black boy" because of his dark hair. The pub sign on Blackboy Hill used to have a picture of Charles II on it until recently.
Whiteladies Road Name
The name Whiteladies Road also seems to come from a pub. Maps from 1746 and 1804 show a pub called the White Ladies Inn. Some people in Bristol used to believe that both Whiteladies Road and Blackboy Hill were named because of the slave trade. However, it appears both names actually came from these old pubs.
An 1826 map shows a house called White Ladies. By that time, the road up to Whiteladies Gate (near where Clifton Down station is now) had already been given its name. Back then, the road north of Whiteladies Gate was a turnpike, which was a road where you had to pay a toll to use it, leading to New Passage.
