Redland, Bristol

History

There are different views of the origin of the name Redland. One source says that in the 11th century it was known as Rudeland, possibly from Old English rudding, meaning "cleared land". Another source points to a mention in 1209 as Thriddeland, probably meaning "the third part of an estate". Yet another source refers to a mention in 1230 of Rubea Terra and a later mention as la Rede Londe, derived from the red colour of the soil.

For many centuries Redland was in the large parish of Westbury-on-Trym in Gloucestershire. It became a separate civil parish in 1894, but in 1896 the civil parish was abolished and incorporated into the city and county of Bristol. It remained in the ecclesiastical parish of Westbury-on-Trym until 1942.

In 1732 the Redland estate was acquired by John Cossins (d.1759) from his wife's uncle George Martin. He replaced the old manor house with Redland Court, a house of Classical design. The estate was sold off in 1865, and the area was then developed for housing.

Churches

The suburb is known for its Georgian parish church Redland Chapel, which was built, probably by John Strahan with plasterwork by Thomas Paty, in 1742 as a private chapel for the local manor house, Redland Court, though it was not consecrated until 1790. It eventually became the parish church when the parish of Redland was separated from Westbury-on-Trym in 1942 and, unusually, has no dedication to a patron saint. It is a Grade I listed building.

The Swedenborgian church in nearby Cranbrook Road was erected in 1899 and has recently closed. The congregation was formed in 1791 and had a church in Terrel Street. The present gothic church was designed by a Mr Paul of Wells Road and was intended to be a lecture hall alongside a larger church that was never built. Neil Marchant wrote a book ' Like A River Flowing' covering the history of this church which can now be found in Bristol central library. The church is currently up for sale and likely to be redeveloped.

Trinity United Reformed Church in Cranbrook Road closed recently and has been converted into houses. The church began in the recently demolished church hall of 1901 which was demolished for the car park. The main church was built in 1907 to the designs of Phillip Munro in a very Scottish kind of Gothic.

St Catherines church (Salisbury Road) has been converted to housing. It was erected in 1898 with the intention of a larger church being built alongside. The building is currently a long lancet style with porch - however it closed in the 1950s and was used for storage before being converted to housing.

Redland Park United Reformed Church on the Redland side of Whiteladies Road was founded in 1861 (as Redland Park Congregational Church). The building was destroyed in the Bristol Blitz in 1940, and the new church was opened in 1957.

Schools

Redland is home to the Redland High School which takes girls through their secondary years. It also houses the new flagship Redland Green School, a secondary school near to Redland Green.

Other listed buildings

The architecture of the buildings is generally Georgian but with some Victorian buildings and a small number of mid-twentieth century ones.

Redland Court, which is now Redland High School, was built between 1732 and 1735 by John Strachan, for John Cossins, on the site of an Elizabethan House which previously stood on the same site. It is grade II* listed, as are the piers and gates at the main entrance, the perimeter wall, piers and gates to Redland Chapel churchyard and the West gateway and attached garden wall and balustrade.

There are at least twenty individual houses in Redland having grade II or II* listing.

Transportation

The southern part of Redland is served by Redland railway station on the Severn Beach Line.

Redland is served by bus services operated by First Bristol. The central part of Redland is served by routes 8 and 9, Cranbrook Road is served by route 20, and several routes serve Whiteladies Road. A new route 19 will begin on 2 September it is thought it will follow a similar route to the former route 99, although the exact detail is not yet known.

Politics

Redland is within the Bristol West Parliamentary constituency.

Redland ward in the Bristol City Council returns two councillors every four years. The incumbents are Fi Hance and Martin Fodor, both of the Green Party. Hance's partner is Danny Kushlick, who stood for Bristol West in the 2010 General Election, on the policy of legalising drugs and making comedian Mark Thomas Drug Tsar. They live in St Andrews, Bristol.

Local events

At the start of every May a fête is held on Redland Green. This is called the "Redland Fair", the "Redland May Fair", or simply "the may fair", and takes place on the May Day bank holiday.