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Easton, Bristol

Coordinates: 51°27′33″N 2°34′12″W / 51.45909°N 2.56993°W / 51.45909; -2.56993
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Easton
Boundaries of the city council ward.
Population13,541 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceST605735
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBRISTOL
Postcode districtBS5
Dialling code0117
PoliceAvon and Somerset
FireAvon
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Bristol

Easton is both the name of a council ward in the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and an inner city area that lies partly within that ward. The Easton ward also contains the Whitehall and Netham areas of the city. Notable places within the ward include Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road railway stations, St Marks and Stapleton Road shopping districts and The City Academy Bristol. The Bristol & Bath Railway Path also passes through the ward.[2] It is home to the Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls, a community sports and social club which also raises money for charities worldwide.[3][4]

Easton

Easton is an inner city area of the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom. Informally the area is considered to stretch east of Bristol city centre and the M32 motorway, centred on Lawrence Hill. Its southern and eastern borders are less defined, merging into St Philip's Marsh and Eastville. The area includes the Lawrence Hill and Barton Hill estates.

In administrative terms, Easton comprises the electoral wards of Easton and part of Lawrence Hill. It is located within the Bristol West constituency.

Geology

The solid geology of Easton comprises Triassic Redcliffe Sandstone, which overlies Carboniferous mudstone, siltstone and sandstone of the Downend Member, and South Wales Middle Coal Measures. The solid geology in the River Frome valley is overlain by Quaternary Tidal Flat Deposits of silt and clay to the south of Junction 3 of the M32 Motorway, and Quaternary alluvium to the north.[5]

The coal deposits beneath Easton form part of the Bristol Coalfield, and were extencively mined in the 19th century. The main collieries were:

  • Easton Colliery, now the site of Felix Road Adventure Playground, St Gabriel's Business Park and Easton Business Centre.
  • Pennywell Colliery, which was situated near the northern end of Pennywell Road.
  • Easton Coal Works, now a residential road (Hinton Road) in Greenbank.

History

The road from Aquae Sulis (Bath) to Abonae (Sea Mills) probably crossed the River Frome somewhere south of Junction 3 of the M32 Motorway. Evidence for Romano-British activity in the area includes inhumation burials in the Mina Road area, and a coin hoard, which was uncovered somewhere near Stapleton Road or St Marks Road in the late 19th century.

In the medieval period Easton lay within the Royal Forest of Kingswood in the manor of Barton Regis. The name Easton is probably derived from the Anglo-Saxon East Tun meaning East Farm. The earliest documentary reference to Easton is Chester and Master's 1610 Map of Kingswood,[6] which depicts three settlements: Upper Easton, which was centred on Easton Road in the area now occupied by the Queens Head Public House, Lower Easton, which was centred on St Marks Road and Stapleton Road railway station area, and Baptist Mills, on the east bank of the River Frome.

In the post-medieval period the area became increasingly industrial with large scale extraction of coal, clay and sand occurring across the area. In the 19th century most of Easton was developed for housing.

In the late 1960s and 70s large areas of Easton were demolished to make way for new roads (A4320 Easton Way and the M32 Motorway) and housing estates.

Demographics

The Census 2011 reports Easton has a higher proportion of under 10s and people in the 25-44 age group than the England and Wales average, but fewer 10 to 15 year olds and people aged over 45.[7] Easton is a very diverse area with a higher than average Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) population, which has risen from 24.1% in 2001 [8] to 37.9% 2011.[7] In 2011 36.1% of the population identified themselves as Christian, 34.8% had no religious beliefs, and 15% were Muslim. 9.6% did not state their religion.[7]

Easton is one of the most deprived areas in the south west of England, with the Lawrence Hill ward the most deprived ward in the region and one of the most deprived in Britain. This has resulted in the area being granted European Union objective 2 status and 'New Deal for Communities' status by the UK government which is only granted to the most underprivileged urban wards.[9] Despite this, Easton also has a bohemian aspect and is home to many of Bristol's younger creative people, looking for affordable housing and a sense of community — a group that has been forced out by the gentrification of areas such as Bishopston, Bedminster and Hotwells in recent years.

Easton is a vibrant community with local community and pressure groups, local bands, political groups, housing and workers cooperatives and some anarchist communes. It also has three mosques, a synagogue, a Sikh temple and several churches of different denominations.

St Marks Road in northern Easton is a shopping street noted for its exuberant decoration and, like Mina Road in St Werburghs, the number of shops with sculpted shop signs hanging above their doors. There are a number of Moroccan and Indian subcontinent restaurants and shops specialising in organic and ethnic foods, further reinforcing the area's reputation as 'alternative'. The best known of these is the Bristol Sweetmart, a grocer and delicatessen that has expanded shop-by-shop over the years, its success mirroring the economic growth of the area. Its cafes also include Cafe Maitreya, one of Britain's highest-rated vegetarian restaurants (by the Vegetarian Society 2004).

The northern Stapleton Rd area near the train station is also witnessing redevelopment and investment with a large Asian store opened in a derelict property.

Banksy

The name Banksy is synonymous with Easton. There are several Banksy 'originals' in Easton although the council inadvertently blackwashed one and another has had a tin of paint thrown over it. This was possibly done in response to the house that the art was attached to being sold as a piece of Banksy graffiti with a house thrown in for free.[10]

Transport

Easton has two railway stations, Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road, which are served by trains on the Severn Beach Line plus services to and from Gloucester and South Wales. The main line to South Wales, the Midlands, Scotland and London also passes through Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road, branching away from the Severn Beach line just north of Stapleton Road Station. The M32 motorway marks the border of Easton to the north. The A4032 dual carriageway cuts the area in two.

Greenbank Cemetery

Greenbank

Greenbank lies in the north of Easton just south of Eastville.

The residents have successfully fought against redevelopment of a closed chocolate factory into flats and houses. The Elizabeth Shaw chocolate factory was, in the eyes of local residents, a building that represented the industrial heritage of Bristol. The opposition to this redevelopment was supported by George Ferguson, whose vision turned the defunct tobacco factory in Bedminster into one of Bristol's leading venues.

Whitehall

Main article: Whitehall, Bristol

Whitehall is a mainly residential area in the east of Bristol, which lies between the Easton, Eastville and St George areas of the city.

References

  1. ^ "Easton" (PDF). 2001 Census Ward Information Sheet. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  2. ^ Bristol City Council. "Easton map" (PDF). Ward finder. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
  3. ^ Iles, Dan (September 2011). "Bristol: Chameleon skin, seditious heart". Red Pepper. Retrieved 2 February 2012. The area is also home to a community sports venture, The Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls.
  4. ^ Lamdin, Fiona (1 November 2010). "The Easton Cowboys football team help charities in Mexico". BBC News. Retrieved 2 February 2012. A Bristol football team is celebrating a decade of raising vital funds for charities around the world. The Easton Cowboys went to Mexico 10 years ago to play football, since then they've raised around £100,000 to provide fresh water for the area.
  5. ^ [1], Geology of Britain Viewer.
  6. ^ [2], Chester and Master's 1610 Map of Kingswood.
  7. ^ a b c http://www.bristol.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/council_and_democracy/statistics_and_census_information/2011%20Census%20Profile%20-%20Easton%20ward.pdf 2011 Census
  8. ^ http://www.bristol.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/community_and_safety/neighbourhood_partnerships/Ashley%20Easton%20Lawrence%20Hill%20stastistical%20profile%20v2_0.pdf 2001 Census
  9. ^ "Evaluation of the Bristol Objective 2 Neighbourhood Action Plan (2000 –2008)" (PDF). Vivid. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  10. ^ http://www.cems.uwe.ac.uk/~rstephen/livingeaston/art/banksy.html cems.uwe.ac.uk
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Easton (Bristol ward).

51°27′33″N 2°34′12″W / 51.45909°N 2.56993°W / 51.45909; -2.56993

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