# Bristol, Which County?



## Spymaster (Feb 20, 2012)

Some web sources say Avon, which doesn't exist anymore, others seem divided between Somerset and Gloucestershire, and others say it's a unitary authority so is in no county.

What do Bristolians/Bristolites (?) say?


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## rover07 (Feb 20, 2012)

Avon.


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## Libertad (Feb 20, 2012)

Gloucestershire.


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## bi0boy (Feb 20, 2012)

Gloucestershire innit


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## butchersapron (Feb 20, 2012)

It's in the county of bristol ffs.

(parts of north bristol are in south gloucs)


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## 5t3IIa (Feb 20, 2012)

Wiki says it's a unitary authority. Like Brighton and Hove, which aren't in Sussex anymore.


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## Ground Elder (Feb 20, 2012)

It is an outpost of Cornwall.


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## marty21 (Feb 20, 2012)

Avon doesn't exist anymore


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## se5 (Feb 20, 2012)

Avon hasnt existed since 1996!


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## butchersapron (Feb 20, 2012)

marty21 said:


> Avon doesn't exist anymore


Avon never existed. Cunts.


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## Hocus Eye. (Feb 20, 2012)

Bristol be Bristol


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## marty21 (Feb 20, 2012)

butchersapron said:


> Avon never existed. Cunts.


 People always put Somerset in their address during the period Bath was exiled from its rightful county


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## butchersapron (Feb 20, 2012)

marty21 said:


> People always put Somerset in their address during the period Bath was exiled from its rightful county


Damn right.


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## Gerry1time (Feb 20, 2012)

butchersapron said:


> It's in the county of bristol ffs.
> 
> (parts of north bristol are in south gloucs)


 
This.

Although it always looks odd when stuff ordered off the internet and which requires a county turns up addressed to

Gerry1time
1time Towers
Gerry Street
Bristol
Bristol
BS1 1AA


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## killer b (Feb 20, 2012)

Surprised it arrives at all tbh.there is no Gerry street in Bristol.


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## Spymaster (Feb 20, 2012)

Gerry1time said:


> This.
> 
> Although it always looks odd when stuff ordered off the internet and which requires a county turns up addressed to
> 
> ...


 
Same with London, London.

The assumption that one _must_ live in a county has always annoyed me.


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## butchersapron (Feb 20, 2012)

We all agree 'fuck avon' right? Cunts


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## butchersapron (Feb 20, 2012)

Spymaster said:


> Same with London, London.
> 
> The assumption that one _must_ live in a county has always annoyed me.


But bristol is a county, as established.


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## Spymaster (Feb 20, 2012)

Accepted. 

But London isn't.


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## Hocus Eye. (Feb 20, 2012)

Gerry1time said:


> This.
> 
> Although it always looks odd when stuff ordered off the internet and which requires a county turns up addressed to
> 
> ...


Bristol Bristol - so good they named it twice.


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## butchersapron (Feb 20, 2012)

Hocus Eye. said:


> Bristol Bristol - so good they named it twice.


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## Hocus Eye. (Feb 20, 2012)

Spymaster said:


> Accepted.
> 
> But London isn't.


It was when the LCC existed. It was Thatcher who took it away to discomfit Ken Livingstone. Under the grave of the old GLC there lurks the old county just waiting to rise up.


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## butchersapron (Feb 20, 2012)

London forum over there.--->


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## Spymaster (Feb 20, 2012)

Hocus Eye. said:


> It was when the LCC existed. It was Thatcher who took it away to discomfit Ken Livingstone. Under the grave of the old GLC there lurks the old county just waiting to rise up.


 
Not quite.

London County was abolished in 1965 and replaced by Greater London, and the LCC with the GLC.


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## bi0boy (Feb 20, 2012)

butchersapron said:


> But bristol is a county, as established.


 
It is now, but prior to that (ignoring the Avon nonsense) it was in Gloucestershire.


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## butchersapron (Feb 20, 2012)

No it wasn't.


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## bi0boy (Feb 20, 2012)

butchersapron said:


> No it wasn't.


 
Yes it was, long time ago mind.


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## SpookyFrank (Feb 20, 2012)

5t3IIa said:


> Wiki says it's a unitary authority. Like Brighton and Hove, which aren't in Sussex anymore.


 
They may be governed separately but still count as part of Sussex. See also Telford which is still in Shropshire for various purposes, and numerous other towns and cities. Manchester, London and Bristol are the only three I can think of which are completely divorced from their traditional counties.


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## Geri (Feb 20, 2012)

Gerry1time said:


> This.
> 
> Although it always looks odd when stuff ordered off the internet and which requires a county turns up addressed to
> 
> ...


 
That's if they give you a choice. A lot of websites have a dropdown list for counties, and Bristol isn't on it. In such circumstances I chose Somerset, but I always have a moment of temporary blood boiling.


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## felixthecat (Feb 20, 2012)

bi0boy said:


> Yes it was, long time ago mind.


 Prior to 1373 is definitely a long time ago!


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## StoneRoad (Feb 20, 2012)

Bristol is a city (county) in its own right (ditto Bath). 
With the old shire counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south......Avon was a tory-led bit of gerrymandering.....


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## Spymaster (Feb 20, 2012)

Bath is very definitely in Somerset.

Hence Bath and North East Somerset.


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## marty21 (Feb 20, 2012)

Bring back Wessex!


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## felixthecat (Feb 20, 2012)

Bath is a bit more complicated. Originally Somerset, then became a county borough, then part of Avon, then BaNES (stupid fucking name for a county)  all within the last 150 years.


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## butchersapron (Feb 20, 2012)

we never went away


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## felixthecat (Feb 20, 2012)

marty21 said:


> Bring back Wessex!


 Damn good idea!


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## Thora (Feb 20, 2012)

Bristol is in Bristol, but some of Bristol is in South Gloucestershire and some is in North East Somerset.


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## butchersapron (Feb 20, 2012)

What part of bristol is in North East Somerset.


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## Thora (Feb 20, 2012)

Whitchurch maybe?


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## butchersapron (Feb 20, 2012)

Maybe?


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## Thora (Feb 20, 2012)

Yeah, it's quite near Bath.


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## butchersapron (Feb 20, 2012)

So is it in north east Somerset?


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## bi0boy (Feb 20, 2012)

This map shows some bits used to be in Somersetshire, Brislington for example.


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## Thora (Feb 20, 2012)

butchersapron said:


> So is it in north east Somerset?


Yes.  FACT.


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## bi0boy (Feb 20, 2012)

felixthecat said:


> Prior to 1373 is definitely a long time ago!


 
Still, if asked whether it should be regarded more as being in Somerset or in Gloucestershire, it's useful to know.


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## Riklet (Feb 21, 2012)

Bristol airport's in north somerset i think?


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## Hocus Eye. (Feb 21, 2012)

Riklet said:


> Bristol airport's in north somerset i think?


One of London's airports is in Luton Bedfordshire. It doesn't mean that London is in Bedfordshire.


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## bi0boy (Feb 21, 2012)

Hartcliffe, Knowle West, Bedminster were all in Somerset until quite recently.


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## Gerry1time (Feb 21, 2012)

marty21 said:


> Bring back Wessex!


 
Although Bristol was in the Hwicce sub kingdom of Mercia rather than Wessex.


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## butchersapron (Feb 21, 2012)

bi0boy said:


> Hartcliffe, Knowle West, Bedminster were all in Somerset until quite recently.


When?


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## bi0boy (Feb 21, 2012)

butchersapron said:


> When?


 
At the beginning of the 19th century. They were all in the Hundred of Hartcliffe & Bedminster, which was wholly a subdivision of the county of Somerset. Hundreds were adjusted a lot in the 19th century before they were finally deprecated, so some time during Victoria's reign these areas would have been subsumed into Bristol following the population growth during the industrial revolution.


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## butchersapron (Feb 21, 2012)

Not sure that i'd call 200 or so years ago quite recent, but fair enough.


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## paolo (Feb 21, 2012)

SpookyFrank said:


> They may be governed separately but still count as part of Sussex. See also Telford which is still in Shropshire for various purposes, and numerous other towns and cities. Manchester, London and Bristol are the only three I can think of which are completely divorced from their traditional counties.



What purposes is Telford (& Wrekin) in Shropshire for?


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## SpookyFrank (Feb 21, 2012)

paolo999 said:


> What purposes is Telford (& Wrekin) in Shropshire for?


 
Stop a Telfordian in the street and ask them what county they are in, they'll say Shropshire.


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## paolo (Feb 21, 2012)

SpookyFrank said:


> Stop a Telfordian in the street and ask them what county they are in, they'll say Shropshire.



A cultural affiliation, sure.

Any actual purpose or function?

Genuine question. My understanding was that unitary authorities cover everything, but maybe there's exceptions, e.g. Fire Brigades.


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## marty21 (Feb 21, 2012)

Gerry1time said:


> Although Bristol was in the Hwicce sub kingdom of Mercia rather than Wessex.


Really, well that explains a lot


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## marty21 (Feb 21, 2012)

SpookyFrank said:


> They may be governed separately but still count as part of Sussex. See also Telford which is still in Shropshire for various purposes, and numerous other towns and cities. Manchester, London and Bristol are the only three I can think of which are completely divorced from their traditional counties.


 and Brum?


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## Meltingpot (Feb 29, 2012)

Ground Elder said:


> It is an outpost of Cornwall.


 
If memory serves, you used to be able to get pasties from the Trewoon Bakery in Cornwall from the pub opposite Temple Meads railway station (much better than Ginsters btw), but the bakery's gone now.

It seems that the former county of Avon lasted much longer than its official demise in 1996, and still lives in in some organisational names;

"In 2006, the BBC Somerset presenter Adam Thomas, in a BBC One regional programme _Inside Out West_, investigated why Avon refuses to die. The county continues to be included in the databases of large corporations as part of addresses in the area, and in names of some private organisations such as the Avon Wildlife Trust. However, the Royal Mail indicated that it was not necessary to include Avon as part of any address as it had abandoned the use of postal counties in 1996. Some public bodies still cover the area of the former county of Avon: for example, Avon Fire and Rescue Service, the Avon Coroner's District, the West of England Strategic Partnership, Intelligence West, and until 2006 the Avon Ambulance Service (now merged with the Gloucestershire and Wiltshire ambulance services to form the Great Western Ambulance Service). The former county and its southern neighbour form the area covered by Avon and Somerset Constabulary."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avon_county

P.S. This is my 5,000th post on Urban


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## butchersapron (Feb 29, 2012)

Avon died apart from people like this. It never lived apart from people like this.


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## Gerry1time (Feb 29, 2012)

But the name of the River Avon is pre-roman, and just means 'River' (cf. 'afon' in Welsh). The persistence of the name likely indicates a long standing significance of the river to people for miles around, so it's perfectly possible that parts of the old county at least have been called Avon for years.

Incidentally, I've just remember the time I came across some old Avon Council stationery back in the day. The colour scheme seemed to be maroon, which is still reflected in some of the chairs in the council house meeting rooms. Although whether that's coincidence or not I don't know. The logo looked more appropriate for Bath or Somerset than Bristol though, a natty gold affair, but can't find it online now.

Interestingly, the sixth google image result for 'the old avon county council logo' is a skull.


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## butchersapron (Feb 29, 2012)

Where are you from?


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## xenon (Feb 29, 2012)

Geri said:


> That's if they give you a choice. A lot of websites have a dropdown list for counties, and Bristol isn't on it. In such circumstances I chose Somerset, but I always have a moment of temporary blood boiling.



I always choose Avon, it's nearer the top.


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## Roadkill (Mar 1, 2012)

Ground Elder said:


> It is an outpost of Cornwall Devon.


 
Fixed it for you.


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## jusali (Mar 6, 2012)

I always state Avon. As far as accuracy goes it seems I am incorrect.........


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## William of Walworth (Mar 6, 2012)

We handle a lot of old folks' paperwork where  I work 

If they have BS postcodes, it's an interesting mix (with the applications from those 60ish and upwards) between 'South Gloucestershire', just Bristol, and in a few cases 'North Somerset'

I suppose it's all about what part of Bristol they live in, but I don't know the area well enough myself to work our the patterns.


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## BlackArab (Mar 6, 2012)

I like Bristol, Bristol for the sheer reason that it reminds of New York, New York. Life here can be confusing though. I've got a mate in Nailsea, N Somerset who considers himself a Bristolian and as such supports Gloucestershire cricket Club over Somerset. Also the BEP forum is full of people with NS and SG postcodes complaining about Bristol City Council or the loss of both football teams to Bristol even though they are actually moving to those areas.

We really need to redraw the borders, abolish both NS and SG and bring areas like Kingswood, Cribbs/Bradley Stoke and Filton back into the city boundaries. Outlying areas like Portished and Yate could vote to join us or Somerset/Gloucestershire.


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## danny la rouge (Mar 6, 2012)

Spymaster said:


> Some web sources say Avon, which doesn't exist anymore, others seem divided between Somerset and Gloucestershire, and others say it's a unitary authority so is in no county.
> 
> What do Bristolians/Bristolites (?) say?





> Historically within Gloucestershire, the city received a Royal Charter in 1155 and was granted County status in 1373.


 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol



> From 1974 to 1996, Bristol was subsumed into the new county of Avon following the Redcliffe–Maud Report. Avon was abolished in 1996 and the city became a unitary authority, styled as the City and County of Bristol.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_local_government_in_Bristol#cite_note-charters-2


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## Geri (Mar 6, 2012)

William of Walworth said:


> We handle a lot of old folks' paperwork where I work
> 
> If they have BS postcodes, it's an interesting mix (with the applications from those 60ish and upwards) between 'South Gloucestershire', just Bristol, and in a few cases 'North Somerset'
> 
> I suppose it's all about what part of Bristol they live in, but I don't know the area well enough myself to work our the patterns.


 
Well, my parents live in Pill, which is BS20. When we moved there it was in Somerset, then from 1974 - 1996 it was in Avon and now it is in North Somerset.


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## cointreauman (Mar 26, 2012)

Living as I do now in a town closer to Bath and under the control of Bath and Nort East Somerset Council (though the fact is the council regards itself as still being Bath City Council as nothing exists as far as they are concerned outside the city boundary) I actually have a Bristol postcode! This when I anm doing a bit of the old on-line shopping and the must attach county name drop down occurs - there is no Bristol on many but there is AVON - whatever that is. AFAIK there never was an Avon County rather it spanned a bit of North Somerset, a bit of Bristol city outskirts, South Gloucestershire and a chunk of what I think was known as Wansdyke all of which were authorities in their own right. So my parcesl arrive marked for a place that does not exist and they get here fine.

I did a bit of work for Bristol City Council after they became a Unitary Bosy and still hold the name whilst some of the bits that made up AVON still fall under BCC and others have returned home though Wansdyke is now in the Bath coverage.

What a fuck awful mess - Give me back my early days in SW9 when the telephones did not have a numeric dialling code but the exchange along stockwell Road was Abbey - so the number you gave out was Abbey 1234 but you dialled whatever ABB was. I think my grandparents must have been well off - they had a phone.

Final thought on Bristol - the County Ground for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is in Bristol on the BS7 postcode so historically the place must have been moving around all over the place!!!

Stuff AVON - I thought they did tyres for Rollers!

C


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## butchersapron (Mar 26, 2012)

There was an Avon for two decades plus. It really existed.


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## FaradayCaged (Mar 26, 2012)

Its like Newport, it is its own county. Gwent is no more but people still use it same as people still use Avon for Bristol.


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## SpookyFrank (Mar 27, 2012)

Counties in Scotland are incredibly confusing. They have council areas, historic counties, lieutenancy areas and registration counties; none of which seem to agree with each other.

This creates interesting artefacts like Strathclyde Police, who while still extant themselves are responsible for policing somewhere which only existed between 1974 and 1996.


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## FaradayCaged (Mar 27, 2012)

SpookyFrank said:


> This creates interesting artefacts like Strathclyde Police, who while still extant themselves are responsible for policing somewhere which only existed between 1974 and 1996.


 
Its the same here. Gwent police cover the area that used to be Gwent, again, created in 1974 and abolished in 1996.

I think its better that Newport now only covers its own area and vice versa, smaller authority areas equal better management in my eyes but then again morre councils mean more bureaucracy..


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## butchersapron (Mar 27, 2012)

See also Avon and Somerset police, and probably others in england


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## Maurice Picarda (Mar 27, 2012)

Cleveland, for instance. West Mercia isn't quite the same thing. Actually, can't think of any others.


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## StoneRoad (Mar 27, 2012)

If you want another odd area for a Police force - try looking at the areas covered by Northumbria !


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## Maurice Picarda (Mar 27, 2012)

Oh, and Humberside.


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