Let’s move to Hotwells, Bristol – ‘It’s enchanting’

By Tom Dyckhoff  (@tomdyckhoff)
October 21, 2016


The old Bristol of radical politics, Rastafarian culture, 60s concrete beside Tudor beams still lurks beneath the fresh paint

Hotwells: ‘Bristol has an energy I’ve never seen in the place before.’ Photograph: Alamy

What’s going for it? The multicoloured terraces of Hotwells, as lurid as M&M’s, cling to the hillside like a hipster favela. They have become a symbol of the city, reproduced on promotional material and Instagram accounts celebrating nu-look Bristol. I hadn’t been to the city for a couple of years and, yes, maybe it’s time to believe the hype. Bristol has an energy I’ve never seen in the place before, alive with creativity, waistbands bursting with its proliferating food and drink scene. Mercifully, it has yet to fall in love with itself, the old Bristol of radical politics, Rastafarian culture, rusting boats or 60s concrete beside Tudor beams still lurking beneath the fresh paint. In enchanting Hotwells, which in a 17th-century form of urban regeneration was once a spa to rival Bath, you’ll still find community playgrounds, quiet, crumbling lanes tumbling down the slope, proper boozers and snatches of weedy space un-built-upon-by-property-developers. Long may it last (but, miseryguts, I doubt it will).

The case against I hope you have good brakes/a good clutch and are deft at reversing backwards up a hill and round corners; narrow lanes and ratruns. Hotwell Road is busier than the M5.

Well connected? A half-hour walk from Bristol Temple Meads, 15 minutes from the centre, five minutes from the Avon. Driving: only if you have to. Bring stout thighs and titanium calves.

Schools Primaries: Hotwells is “outstanding”, says Ofsted, with nearby St George C of E and Christ Church C of E “good”. Secondaries: independents like Clifton College and Bristol Grammar dominate locally, so it’s a walk to the “outstanding” Bristol Cathedral Choir School, the “good” Cotham School or across the Avon to the “good” Ashton Park.

Hang out at… The Lion: the perfect local. And explore Bristol’s burgeoning food scene, much celebrated by our own Marina O’Loughlin.

Where to buy Like a labyrinth of lanes uphill and down dale. Just get lost. And end up at the Lion for a pint. A few detacheds and smaller town houses, £600,000-£800,000. Terraces and cottages, £350,000-£600,000. Flats, £200,000-£350,000. Rentals – not much: a one-bed flat, around £800pcm; a three-bed house, £1,500-£1,600pcm.

Bargain of the week On the plus side, this Georgian town house is gorgeous. On the minus, it’s on Hotwell Road. Five bedrooms for £645,000 with chappellandmatthews.co.uk.


https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/oct/21/lets-move-to-hotwells-bristol-property