University of Bristol campus tour: Wills Memorial, Royal Fort and Clifton

The University of Bristol grew out of University College, Bristol, which opened in 1876, and it received its royal charter in 1909. Much of the money behind it came from the city's merchant families, above all the Wills tobacco dynasty, whose name is on several of its best buildings. The university has no walled campus: its buildings are spread across a hillside between the city centre and the Georgian suburb of Clifton. This guide covers the landmarks, where students live, and the city that surrounds it all.

How the university fits into the city

Bristol is a hilly city, and the university sits on one of the hills. The main precinct lies around Tyndall Avenue, Woodland Road and Queens Road, about fifteen minutes' walk uphill from the centre. Lecture theatres, laboratories, libraries and the sports centre are mixed in with Victorian villas that now hold academic departments.

Students live in three main areas: Clifton, to the west; the city centre, down the hill; and Stoke Bishop, a leafy suburb to the north, on the far side of the open grassland known as the Downs.

The Wills Memorial Building

The Wills Memorial Building, at the top of Park Street, is the university's emblem and one of the best-known landmarks in Bristol. It was paid for by George and Henry Wills in memory of their father, Henry Overton Wills, the university's first chancellor. Sir George Oatley designed it in a late Gothic style, and although it looks medieval, it opened in 1925.

The tower rises about 68 metres and holds Great George, one of the largest bells in England, which strikes the hours. Inside are a vaulted entrance hall with twin staircases and the Great Hall, with a hammerbeam roof, where graduation ceremonies are held. The law school and earth sciences are based in the building. Next door is the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, which belongs to the city, not the university.

Royal Fort House and its gardens

A few minutes' walk behind the tower, Royal Fort House stands on the site of a Civil War fortification. The house was built around 1760 for a local merchant family, and each of its three main fronts is in a different style. The gardens around it, landscaped by Humphry Repton, are one of the nicest open spaces in the precinct, with lawns, mature trees and a mirrored maze sculpture.

Beside the house is the H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, another Oatley design, with a castle-like tower. The physicist Paul Dirac was a Bristol graduate, and Cecil Powell won a Nobel Prize for work carried out in this laboratory.

The Victoria Rooms and Queens Road

On Queens Road, where the precinct meets Clifton, the Victoria Rooms look like a Greek temple, with a portico of Corinthian columns and fountains in front. They were built as assembly rooms and completed in 1842; today they house the Department of Music, with a concert hall inside. The students' union is a short way along the same road.

Where first-years live

University residences come in three clusters, and they feel quite different:

Clifton: the closest to the precinct, among Georgian terraces. Goldney Hall is the best known, built around an 18th-century house whose garden has a tower, an ornamental canal, an orangery and a grotto lined with shells.
Stoke Bishop: several large halls in parkland north of the Downs, including Wills Hall, built around a college-style quadrangle. It is a bus ride from lectures.
City centre: residences in the old city, close to the harbour, shops and nightlife.

After first year, most students rent shared houses, often in Redland, Cotham and Clifton.

Clifton and the Suspension Bridge

Clifton Village, ten to fifteen minutes' walk from the precinct, is a neighbourhood of crescents, independent shops and cafés. At its edge, the Clifton Suspension Bridge crosses the Avon Gorge high above the river. It was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and completed in 1864, after his death. The lookout by the observatory on the Downs gives the classic view.

The city below

Park Street runs steeply down from the Wills Memorial Building to College Green and the cathedral. Beyond is the old harbour, now lined with museums, galleries, cafés and bars; Brunel's steamship, the SS Great Britain, sits in the dry dock where she was built. Bristol is known for its music and street art, and its independent shops and food.

The university's own history has an independent streak, too: University College, Bristol was the first higher education institution in England to admit women on the same terms as men.

Seeing the university for yourself

Because the university is part of the city, you can walk through most of the precinct freely: along Tyndall Avenue, through Royal Fort Gardens and past the Victoria Rooms. The entrance hall of the Wills Memorial Building is often accessible during the day, though it is a working building and may close for events. The gardens at Goldney Hall are private and open to the public only on particular days.

Like most British universities, Bristol holds events for prospective students and offers tours of the precinct and residences. Dates, formats and booking arrangements change, so check the university's official visit pages for what is on offer.

Getting there and around

By train: Bristol Temple Meads is the main station, with direct trains from London Paddington taking roughly an hour and a half to an hour and three-quarters. The precinct is about half an hour's walk, mostly uphill, or a short bus or taxi ride. Clifton Down, a small station on a local line, is closer.
By air: Bristol Airport is south of the city, connected by an express bus.
By car: the city is close to the M4 and M5 motorways, but parking around the university is limited.
On foot: distances are short but the hills are real. Wear comfortable shoes.

Where families usually base themselves

Clifton: attractive, close to the precinct and the bridge, with small hotels and guesthouses.
Harbourside and the city centre: the widest choice, with restaurants on the doorstep and an uphill walk to the university.
Near Temple Meads: convenient for an early train.

Tips for the day

Start at the Wills Memorial Building, walk through Royal Fort Gardens to Tyndall Avenue, then head along Queens Road to the Victoria Rooms and on into Clifton.
Allow time to see the residences if accommodation matters to you; Stoke Bishop in particular is a separate trip.
Comparing universities? Our guides to Manchester, Edinburgh and King's College London cover three other British cities.

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Cover photo: Suicasmo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons