The Ashley Vale area

Ashley Vale is a small and unique neighbourhood in north-central Bristol in the west of England (see map). Although very much a part of the inner-city district of St Werburghs, the area forms a distinctly 'rural' cityscape. Lying less than two miles from the city centre, the area is dominated by allotments, woods and other green spaces.
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The area is surrounded on all sides by steep hills and embankments and the only road access is through a railway tunnel. A network of footpaths provide pleasant walks through the allotments and other green spaces. The eight acre Narroways Hill to the east is former railway land that was bought for the community in 1996 and has since been designated as a Millennium Green. Narroways Hill and the other green spaces in Ashley Vale offer a range of different sorts of wildlife habitat including ash woods, dense thickets, grasslands, orchards and other cultivated land. A number of butterfly species are attracted to the area, and other common fauna include frogs, slow worms, hedgehogs, squirrels, bats and jays. Less frequent visitors include sparrowhawks and herons.

Most of the houses in the area were built at the beginning of the twentieth century, although a couple of houses and a mill had stood in the woodlands that then covered the valley for some centuries. During the first world war, the woods were cleared to provide land for the allotments that are still worked today. In addition to some 40 houses, the area now boasts a number of light industrial units and workshops, a City Farm and cafe, and a pub.

The houses lie along three streets - Hopetoun Road, Watercress Road, and the northern section of Mina Road - and on a couple of small lanes. The former scaffolding site which we are re-developing is located at the junction of Watercress Road and Mina Road and backs onto the Narroways conservation area. We hope that the development of this site will reflect the unique character of Ashley Vale.

 

St Werburghs as a whole, together with the other surrounding neighbourhoods, offers a range of facilities. Shops, takeaway restaurants, playground areas, two primary schools and two secondary schools, all lie within 5 minutes walk.

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