Scenic Saturday - Avon

This is No 10 in a series in which we visit the counties that make up England.


This is, as far as I am concerned, a new-fangled county which didn't exist when my geography lessons covered the British Isles. Avon is, principally, the City of Bristol and was carved, in large part, out of south-west Gloucestershire. Indeed, Gloucestershire Cricket Club still play most of their matches in the city. But, although the Ordnance Survey map on which I have based my maps still shows the county, it apparently ceased to exist nearly five years ago. It's all a bit confusing for an old bugger like me and, just to make matters worse, I covered Bath last week although Bath used to be in Avon. Anyway, let's pretend that Avon does still exist and talk about Bristol.

Bristol used to be one of the three biggest ports in England along with London and Liverpool. Many Bristol ship-owners got rich on the slave trade, carrying slaves from Africa to America and then tobacco back from Virginia to Bristol, which certainly was and probably still is one of the two big cigarette manufacturing cities in England. Bristol is also the English ‘home' of sherry - think of Harvey's Bristol Cream.

Being some way up the River Avon, the docks became inaccessible to ships as they grew larger and new docks were built at Avonmouth, on the confluence of the Avon and the River Severn. The dock area became very run-down but has now undergone a renaissance and is a "cultural" area with flats and restaurants, as well as the SS Great Britain, the first ship to be powered by a screw propeller.

There is a story (legend?) That the phrase "cash on the nail" originated in Bristol. There are in Corn Street a number of bronze pillars with flat tops. These were used a dealing tables by merchants and were called nails. Payment would be made by putting cash "on the nail" at the time of the deal. A delightful story, but there are other explanations for the phrase.

There is also in Bristol one of England's best known bridges, the Clifton suspension bridge, which is second only to Beachy Head in Sussex as he country's favourite suicide spot.