A TIMELINE OF BRISTOL HISTORY
By Tim Lambert
c. 950 Bristol grows into a busy market town
1066 The population of Bristol is about 4,000 making it a large town by the standards of the time
1129 The Priory of St James is built
1142 An Augustinian Abbey is founded
1155 Bristol is granted a charter (a document giving the townspeople certain rights)
1239-1247 The Frome is diverted
1373 The boundaries of Bristol are extended to include Radcliffe
1497 Cabot sails to Newfoundland
1522 The Merchant Adventurers are incorporated
1532 A grammar school is founded in Bristol
1555-57 Five Protestants are burned in Bristol
1575 The plague strikes Bristol
1590 Queen Elizabeth Hospital School is founded
1602-1604 The plague is back
1643 During the Civil War the Royalists capture Bristol
1644-45 Plague returns to Bristol
1656 Bristol Castle is destroyed
1669 Christmas Steps are built
1700 The population of Bristol is about 25,000
1702 Queen Square is built
1737 Bristol Royal Infirmary is built
1739 The first Methodist Chapel is built
1750 The first bank in Bristol opens
1766 The Theatre Royal is built
1768 A new bridge is built
1801 Bristol has a population of about 68,000
1806 The streets of Bristol are paved, cleaned and lit with oil lamps
1818 Bristol gains gas light
1841 The railway reaches Bristol
1844 The Great Britain is launched
1846 A waterworks is built
1864 The Clifton Suspension Bridge is built
1874 Horse drawn trams begin running through the streets of Bristol
1895 The first electric trams begin operation
1899 The mayor of Bristol becomes a Lord Mayor
1901 The population of Bristol is 330,000
1914 The first council houses in Leicester are built
1909 Bristol University is founded
World War II 1,299 people in Bristol are killed by bombing
1957 Arnolfini Art Gallery opens
1965 Harvey’s Wine Museum opens
1966 The Robinson Building is built
1969 Bristol Polytechnic is founded
1973 Clifton Roman Catholic Cathedral is built
1977 Royal Portbury Dock is built
1978 Bristol Industrial Museum opens
1982 Watershed Media Centre opens
1991 Galleries Shopping Centre opens
2000 The Bristol Centre opens
2002 The British Empire and Commonwealth Museum opens
