December Highlights
News and events from Bristol Books this December
News and events from Bristol Books this December
Take the Bristol Miscellany Quiz 2025
This Christmas we have another Bristol-themed festive quiz for you to test your local knowledge. The questions are all inspired by historical facts from the brilliant Manson’s Bristol Miscellany - the perfect gift for a Bristolian this Christmas! Why not share the quiz with your friends or work colleagues and see who scores highest?
OUT NOW!
Self Portrait with Animals
Martin Rieser
In this collection of Ekphrastic verses, Bristol poet, Martin Rieser, reflects on personal identity and agency inspired by pictures that include images of animals by some of the world’s most revered artists. These poems will surprise and delight the reader, and the pictures will never be seen again without the verses echoing long in the viewer’s mind.
Bristol Books in Little Book Stop
Bristol Books have donated a selection of books to the Little Book Stop, located in Redfield’s 3ft 6 Cafe on Lancaster Street. The cafe was chosen as one of 90 locations by Penguin in partnership with the non-profit Little Free Library. The community bookshelves are looked after by volunteer and cafe co-owner Jack Barnett. Find out more about our community impact here.
Get your local Christmas gifts
Looking for gifting inspiration? Take a look at our Christmas book guide. Whether you are buying a Secret Santa for a friend, or choosing a special gift for a family member, we have a huge range of local books to choose from. There’s also a 10% discount code inside!
December events
Bristol Books @ Chew Magna Christmas Fayre
2pm – 5:30pm, Saturday 6th December
St Andrew’s Church, Chew Magna
Visit the Bristol Books stand in St Andrew’s Church, Chew Magna and find the perfect local Christmas gift. Festive events will be taking place across the village including a lights switch-on, plus performances by the school choir and Congresbury brass band.
Book launch: Self Portrait with Animals
Martin Rieser
7:30pm, Tuesday 2nd December
The John Sebastian Lightship, Bathurst Basin
Supporting poets include: Sophie Dumont, Lisa Lopresti, Agata Palmer, Naomi Madlock, Pete Weinstock, and David Punter.
The Life & Times of Harry Dolman
Talk by author Clive Burlton on the multi-millionaire, inventor, draughtsman and engineer, Harry Dolman OBE, who’s love of football led him to Bristol City Football Club where he became director, chairman and president.
7:30pm, Friday 5th December
Stoke Bishop Local History Group, Stoke Bishop Village Hall
7:30pm, Thursday 11th December
Long Ashton Local History Society, Jubilee Pavilion
PICTURE THIS…
Downend’s memorial to the greatest cricketer
The opening of the WG Grace Memorial Pavilion at Downend Cricket Club on 6th June 1922. Born in Downend, Bristol in 1848, William Gilbert Grace was an English cricketer who is widely considered one of the sport's all-time greatest players. This image is taken from A History of the Bristol & District Cricket Association, by Trevor Crouch and Edwin Morris.
The Bristol Miscellany Quiz 2025
This Christmas we’re once again delighted to provide you with a new festive quiz for you and your friends or work colleagues to share.
This Christmas we have another Bristol-themed festive quiz for you to test your local knowledge. The questions are all inspired by historical facts from the brilliant Manson’s Bristol Miscellany - the perfect gift for a Bristolian this Christmas! Why not share the quiz with your friends or work colleagues and see who scores highest?
Who is commemorated with a statue on Narrow Quay, outside Arnolfini?
Which river was diverted in 1239 to expand the Bristol quayside?
Which famous Bath-based architect built Bristol’s Corn Exchange building?
The Nails on Corn Street are made of what type of metal?
Bird’s Eye, Honeydew and Three Castles were the names given to what type of Bristol-made product?
Where would one visit to be cured of ‘hot livers, feeble brains and red pimply faces’ in 17th century Bristol?
What Victorian feature can be found in Mina Road Park, St Werburghs?
The University of Bristol’s Health Research Institute is named in honour of which female doctor?
What is a Bristol Lodekka?
Where is the social campaigner Raja Rammohun Roy buried in Bristol?
What’s the name of Bristol’s specially designed fireboat, often moored outside M Shed?
Dr Paul Stephenson OBE organised a boycott against which company in 1960’s Bristol?
Which square was the site of the Bristol Riots of 1831?
Is the river Severn the longest river in the UK?
The Smyth family were the owners of which Bristol Estate?
Where was the Roman port of Abonae in Bristol?
The Llandoger Trow in King Street is named after what?
What century was the county of Bristol created?
Where in the Bristol Channel did Marconi send his first radio transmission from?
What was the name of the Monastery in the centre of Bristol, dissolved by Henry VIII?
How did you do? All the answers can be found on the link below.
How much do you know about Bristol? Why does it look the way it looks? What secrets do its streets hide? What stories could its buildings tell if they had a voice?
Michael Manson takes you on a search to find the soul of the city where he has lived for more than 45 years.
November Highlights
News and events from Bristol Books this November
News and events from Bristol Books this November
Bristol Christmas book guide out now!
We’ve just launched our Christmas book guide which is packed full of local gifting inspiration. Whether you are buying a Secret Santa for a friend, or choosing a special gift for a family member, why not buy a local book and help support local independent book publishing? You’ll also find a 10% discount code inside!
BACK IN PRINT!
Bristol Music: Sounds of the City
This essential guide to Bristol music is now back in print and has been revised and updated for 2025. Featuring a timeline of the key moments in the city’s music history from 1955 to the present day, with profiles of almost 100 bands, musicians, DJs and producers who have made a significant impact on the sound of the city from Russ Conway to Massive Attack.
COMPETITION…
Win £50 worth of local books!
This month all our existing newsletter subscribers will be automatically entered into a competition. We are giving you the chance to win £50 worth of local books from the Bristol Books website, all of your own choosing. From history and untold stories, to guides, city walks books, art, sport, biographies and more, we've got it all to choose from. One lucky winner will be drawn from our mailing list. Competition closes on 5th December, 2025. Good luck!
Author talk: Clive Burlton
Bristol's Lost City
Tues 11th November, 7:15pm
Shipham, Rowberrow and Star History Society
Venue: Shipham Village Hall
£4 entry for guests on the night. Refreshments available
Tues 18th November, 7:30pm
Yate Heritage Centre Lectures
Venue: Church Road, Yate
Book a place here
What if Bristol had a metro railway?
This is an artist’s impression of the proposed 1980s Avon Metro. The scheme was put forward by a company called Advanced Transport for Avon (ATA), with a system modelled on London’s Docklands Light Railway. Routes were considered from central Bristol to Portishead, Filton, Emersons Green, Yate, Bradley Stoke, Hartcliffe and Weston-super-Mare, with costs projected at around £230m.
This image is taken from Eugene Byrne’s Unbuilt Bristol walk, featured in The Bristol Ideas Book of Walks, a collection of 12 unique Bristol city walks.
October Highlights
News and events from Bristol Books this October
News and events from Bristol Books this October
Author’s top 5 places to visit near Bristol
A ship graveyard, a rural life museum and a sheep hurdle stack feature in guidebook author, Jackie Strachan’s, top 5 local places to visit from her new book Days Out Around Bristol, Bath & Somerset.
Do you have a Bristol story to tell?
We’re always on the look-out for interesting stories and book ideas about the people, places and events of significance to Bristol and the surrounding area. If you have an interesting Bristol story to tell, an idea for a local interest book, or you’re looking to produce a book for your local organisation, business or charity, get in touch and see how we might be able to help.
Foyles Cabot Circus closure
Bristol Books are sad to say goodbye to Foyles, Cabot Circus store, who are now closed and joining with Waterstones Galleries.
Foyles were a stockist of Bristol Books so it’s sad to see them go, but thankfully as well as Waterstones Galleries there are still other great independent bookshops nearby, in central Bristol, where you can buy our books, including John Wesley's New Room, Broadmead and Stanfords, Corn Street.
Luke Jerram’s Helios at Bristol Cathedral
Mon 6th – Weds 8th October
Bristol Cathedral, College Green, Bristol
Step inside the sun at Bristol Cathedral this October with Helios, a stunning illuminated sculpture by Bristol-based artist Luke Jerram. This breathtaking installation featuring detailed imagery of the sun’s surface will be accompanied by a specially created surround sound composition by Duncan Speakman and Sarah Anderson.
You can explore more of Luke’s work, including Helios, in the new book Luke Jerram: Of Earth and Sky, published by Bristol Books.
Poets’ Walk poetry readings
Martin Rieser
Sat 11th October, 4pm
Princes Hall, Clevedon
Readings from Poets’ Walk a compilation of poetry edited by Martin Rieser, as part of a one day celebration of books and book-related arts, featuring a marketplace for local authors plus author talks.
John Boorman and Bristol: The Newcomers and Money into Light
Sun 26th October, 12-5pm
Bristol Megascreen (Bristol Aquarium), Bristol
In 1964 John Boorman helped launch BBC 2 with a six-part series about Bristol. ‘The Newcomers’ is a unique view of the city in the mid-1960s at a time of social, cultural, political and economic change. Following the screening of the complete The Newcomers, ‘Money Into Light’ will be showing, where Boorman returns to Bristol 25 years on and revisits the places he worked in and filmed.
Hotwells before the wrecking ball
This photo shows what Hotwells looked like before the wrecking ball. Many of the buildings in this photo were demolished when the flyover was built in the 1960’s. Places of interest include:
1. Rownham Inn, 2. The Brethren Chapel, 3. Sopey Park, 4. Anderson's workshop, 5. Public lavatories, 6. Territt Memorial Hall, 7. Spa Assembly Rooms, 8. Brunel’s Swivel Bridge (survived).
This image is taken from Hotwells: Spa to Pantomime, a wonderfully illustrated and colourful tale about the community of Hotwells and Cliftonwood and its ability to adapt to extraordinary changes.
Top 5 places to visit near Bristol
Guidebook author, Jackie Strachan, chooses her top 5 places to visit from Days Out Around Bristol, Bath & Somerset
Guidebook author, Jackie Strachan, chooses her top 5 places to visit from Days Out Around Bristol, Bath & Somerset.
Severn collier, Purton Hulks ship graveyard
PURTON HULKS SHIP GRAVEYARD
I’d already heard of this place, but even so, nothing had quite prepared me for the strange sight of rusty old pipes, weathered rudders and sun-bleached timbers seemingly erupting directly out of the earth. These are the remains of vessels of all kinds, deliberately beached, and now filled with silt, to shore up the bank of the Severn which is perilously close to the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal here.
Mells Village Shop, Post Office & Café
MELLS
I love this delightful village near Frome for its pretty main street, great gastro pub the Talbot and beautiful seasonal Walled Garden with plant nursery and café. But it's the church with its many surprising artistic connections that was a total revelation, with works by Lutyens, Eric Gill, Burne-Jones among others, not to mention the presence of First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon in the churchyard.
Somerset Rural Life Museum
SOMERSET RURAL LIFE MUSEUM
In the shadow of Glastonbury Tor, this excellent museum depicts rural life from the 1800s onwards, with exhibits both inside and out on rural trades and working the land. The well-laid out galleries are full of tools and equipment, with exhibits on farm and village life. I enjoyed it all but particularly the wonderfully evocative photos from when the past definitely was a different country.
Sheep Hurdle Stack
PRIDDY
I like this village deep in the Mendips first and foremost for its sheep hurdle stack on the village green that could have come straight out of a Thomas Hardy novel. The Queen Victoria pub is all flagstone floors and low beams, just perfect, while places to explore nearby include Priddy Pools (SSSI), the weird ‘gruffy’ ground of the Mineries, the legacy of lead mining, Stockhill Wood and ancient Neolithic sites.
Chepstow Bridge
CHEPSTOW BRIDGE
Built in 1816, this graceful iron bridge straddling the Wye looks beautiful shining in the sun on a summer evening. The river bank here is a great place for a short walk, perhaps stopping off in one of the pubs with a view across to England and the Gloucester Hole. One year I saw the weird Mari Lwyd wassail procession which meets the English contingent on the bridge. Great fun.
Discover more places to visit in Days Out Around Bristol, Bath & Somerset.
This guidebook is packed with ideas for great days out within an hour or so’s drive, with suggestions to suit your mood, schedule and starting point. From the Mendip Hills and Somerset Levels, to South Wales, the southern Cotswolds, the Coast and its resorts. This guide will help you explore what is on the doorstep or to venture further afield along paths less travelled.
