People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol favourites: Chris Paradox
The self-styled one-legged existentialist stand-up beat poet has been a fan of Bristol for years, but has just taken the plunge and moved here from London, where he gave up a successful business career to live under a tree in Battersea Park and sell The Big Issue.
On Tuesday, March 29, Chris will be the guest speaker at YES Bristol, a monthly meetup at the Engineers’ House in Clifton for anyone interested in personal growth and development. For tickets and more information, visit www.yesbristol.co.uk.
Here are Chris’ top-five Bristol favourites:
is needed now More than ever
St Werburgh’s and its community spirit
“I’ve just moved to St Werburgh’s and I’m blown away by the genuine community you see here. People are friendly, they say hello to strangers in the street, they have time for one another. You don’t get that in many places any more. It’s like an old-fashioned village in the heart of the city.”
The human scale of Bristol’s city centre
“It feels bite-sized. I know it’s a big important city, it’s got all the amenities you could want, but it’s on such a human scale and that’s fantastic. You can relax, you can run into people you know, everything’s on your doorstep. I walk everywhere. You can’t do that in London.”
Stokes Croft
“I’ve chosen this amazing street because it epitomises the progressive side of Bristol. It’s got such a vibrant feel to it. Walking around you just get the feeling that this place is full of people with new ideas, really up for changing the world in a good way. I’m into innovation, I love the Bristol Pound, and all the hi-tech businesses that are based here. The ‘No to Tesco’ campaign a while back was famous. I didn’t live here at the time but I was involved in it.”
Hamilton House
“It might be a bit of a cheat choosing a street and then a building on the same street but I’m a huge fan of Hamilton House, and I’ve chosen it because it represents Bristol’s vibrant and unpretentious arts scene. There’s originality in theatre, live music, visual art – so many creative people with an edge to what they do.”
Clifton Village
“I love Bristol because it’s just plain beautiful. The architecture, the scenery. Clifton Village is the most obvious choice for formal beauty, but there are plenty of other examples of superb architecture from all ages, in every part of the city including the less obviously affluent ones. I’m knocked out by Bristol. I love it here.”