For many students arriving at Bristol University, the tumbling hills of Stoke Bishop (once also known as Suffhopestoke and Bishop’s Stoke – now referred to by some as ‘Stokey Bish’) will be their first home in the city of pirates and Banksy. Wills, Churchill, Badock and Hiatt Baker halls of residence are all located in this leafy and affluent suburb in the north-west of town, snuggled in-between Westbury-on-Trym, Sneyd Park and Sea Mills.

Stoke Bishop is concentrated around the pretty little village hall and a row of shops on Druid Hill, which is home to a number of small local businesses and the best-named off licence in Bristol, Aimee’s Wine House, as well as some beautiful and manorly houses. It also encompasses Trinity College, which occupies the historic Stoke House. The house was built in 1669 as a family mansion for Sir Robert Cann, Member of Parliament, Mayor of Bristol and Merchant Venturer, on a nine-acre, partly wooded site and is currently used by those studying theology.

There are plenty of green spaces in and around Stoke Bishop for joggers, dog walkers, cyclists or people simply seeking a bit of fresh air and peace and quiet. The Downs are just to the south and Stoke Lodge, to the north of the area, is used by local schools for athletics, football and cricket. Just round the corner you’ll find the excellent Coombe Dingle Sports Complex which is home to many local sports clubs, as well as the Avon Lawn Tennis Association and Clifton High School and University of Bristol sporting facilities. Members of the public can also hire the pitches and courts here.

St Mary Magdalene Church is a lovely place of worship, situated in Mariner’s Drive, hosting many different community events including concerts, plays, dinners, and even birthday parties.

This bright neighbourhood with a lively community and some beautiful properties scattered about, Stoke Bishop comprises a pretty corner of the city that shouldn’t be overlooked.

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