Thornbury: a picturesque market town on the outskirts of Bristol, steeped in history

Just a thirty-minute bus ride from Bristol city center is twee Thornbury, a picturesque town that’s just what you’d expect. According to the Anglo-Saxon Books, Thornbury, spelled ‘Thornbyrig’, dates from at least the 9th century.

The drive to Thornbury from Bristol city center is beautiful as the route follows winding country lanes. Street names such as ‘Forty Acre Lane’ and ‘Washingpool Hill’ retain the spirit of AA Milne’s whimsical fantasy lands, and the rolling hills and cottages make you feel far removed from the hustle and bustle of Bristol Central.

St. Mary’s Church is the oldest building in the city, dating from the 12th century. Thornbury and District Museum houses Thornbury’s hoard of Roman coins, discovered by resident Ken Allen in his back garden when he was digging a pond in 2004.

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We are lucky to have a city steeped in history right on our doorstep. In recent times, however, local residents feel that housing developments have taken over, with little time spent developing the town’s shops and amenities.

The farmers market is held on the first and third Thursday of each month and features a range of locally grown and made produce. However, after visiting on a non-market day, the town lacked the former bustle that I imagine it once had.

Local mum Jenny Newland works at Hawkes House, Thornbury’s popular cafe bar. She is originally from nearby Yate but moved to the market town four years ago.

“I like that it’s quiet here, but it might have to do with me being a bit busier. There is a real sense of community here,” said Jenny.

“Thornbury needs a bit of an upgrade. There are all these new houses, but no place to take the children to eat after school; I’m not saying bring a McDonalds to Thornbury, but Greggs closes at three and the only treat is maybe taking them to Costa for a frappe.”

Alan and Kate Lewis are from Caerwent in Monmouthshire, Wales. They come to visit Thornbury often and are happy that it is well maintained.

“It’s the cleanest town we go to. We go to Caldicot, Chepstow… but this is by far the best in terms of cleanliness,” said Alan. “A lot of people would say the selection of shops isn’t very good, but my wife goes to charity shops and we go to Coffee #1.”

Kate added: “The people who keep it clean are always around and are to be commended.”

Despite several chain stores inhabiting the South Gloucestershire market town, including Costa and Aldi, many of the buildings have retained their period features, creating quite a mosaic of architecture. The old register office now houses a chippy and there are also a number of independent pubs and restaurants dotted around the town.

A number of plans have been put forward to build around 600 homes in Thornbury. However, many residents fear that their city is expanding without a simultaneous upgrade of the city’s infrastructure.

According to the Thornbury Residents Against Poorly Planned Development (TRAPPD) website, a group of Thornbury residents “fully support the building of much-needed homes in the area” but believe the plans “do not provide for major infrastructure improvements that a large increase in the city’s population requires them.”

They would like to see future plans consider city improvements that benefit all residents, rather than proposing individual housing developments. South Gloucestershire Council has been contacted for comment.

Scroll down to explore Thornbury’s character.

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