What are the best things to come out of Bristol?

Bristol is steeped in creativity and colour, a city famed for its history of pirates, Brunel’s engineering and a flourishing street art scene.

There are a whole host of things that our city is known for, and locals have spoken – deciding on the top-ten.

As part of new research from Santander UK, residents of the Bristol area have voted on the best things ever to come out of our city.

From a street artist to squash, here is the full list:

1. Concorde

Concorde Filton airfield hangar – photo: Aerospace Bristol

With its iconic pointed nose and sonic boom speeds, Concorde is one of the most famous commercial aircrafts of all time. The supersonic passenger jet was prototyped at Filton Airfield and entered commercial service in 1976, retiring in 2003.

2. Banksy

A world famous street artist with works dotted all over the city, you’re hard-pressed to find a Bristolian who doesn’t boast some tenuous connection with Banksy. In December, queues of hopefuls filled the streets as Banksy held sales of t-shirts in support of the ‘Colston 4’.

3. Hot air balloons

Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is back this year on August 17 – photo: Meg Houghton-Gilmour

The sight of hot air balloons floating through the sky have become the ultimate emblem of Bristol. It’s easy to see why, with Bristol International Balloon Fiesta the largest meeting of balloons in Europe attracting 130 balloons from across the globe.

4. Chocolate bars

Fry’s manufactory was based on Nelson Street – image: Nicholls and Taylor

Bristol role in the history of chocolate is impressive yet often overlooked. Most notably, Bristol was starting point of JS Fry & Sons, or just Fry’s, who produced the first solid chocolate bar in 1847 and became a premier chocolate-maker.

5. Cary Grant

Cary Grant was born in Horfield and named Archibald Alexander Leach – photo: Martin Booth

Bristol was the birth city of Cary Grant, star of Hollywood film and recipient of numerous accolades whose life began in Horfield. His legacy lives on in a bronze statue of the actor unveiled in 2001 and sitting in Millennium Square.

6. Russell Howard

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaXTXRHMddx/

Now a comedian, television presenter, radio presenter, and actor, before his celebrated career in entertaining, Russel Howard studied economics at UWE Bristol. Born in Bath, the 41-year-old performed four intimate warm-up gigs at the Wardrobe Theatre in January.

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7. Stephen Merchant

The Outlaws world premiere was held at the Watershed – photo: Charlie Watts

Stephen Merchant may live in LA, but the actor’s roots are firmly set in our city. Merchant grew up in Hanham and has been immortalised in the hearts of Bristolians through his most recent series set in the city exploring the lives of six people carrying out community service, The Outlaws.

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Read more: What next for the troubled community centre featured in ‘The Outlaws’?

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8. Ribena

The ribena bottling line back in the day – photo: University of Bristol Library, Special Collections

Ribena was invented at Bristol University by scientist Dr Vernon Charley in 1936 as a blackcurrant cordial to be added to milk. Originally seen as a health drink, in World War II it was distributed for free to children and pregnant women as an important source of Vitamin C.

9. Massive Attack

– photo: Benjamin McMahon

Formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja, Adrian ‘Tricky’ Thaws, Andrew ‘Mushroom’ Vowles and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall, Massive Attack currently consists of Del Naja, Thaws and Marshall, with Shara Nelson and Horace Andy. The trip hop band are hailed as a seminal sound of Bristol and headlined in their hometown at the first Downs Festival in 2016.

10. David Prowse

This weightlifter-turned-actor was best known for playing Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy. Prowse passed away in November 2020 at the age of 85.

Main photo: Paulbox© framedogs

Read more: 42 things to do in Bristol in March 2022

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