HOW IT RATES

Bristol has a cool reputation as a place of youth and creativity. This is complemented by a scientific side, with BBC Bristol housing the Corporation’s wildlife arm, and a strong aerospace industry. Financial firms are also well-represented.

ARCHITECTURAL GEMS

St Mary Redcliffe is a striking example of 14th-century artistry. Bristol Cathedral has pretty side chapels and Saxon carving, and The Lord Mayor’s Chapel is worth a visit for the stained glass. The Clifton Suspension Bridge, which opened in 1864, is Brunel’s masterpiece over the Avon Gorge.

WHAT’S NEW

The shell of Merchant Venturers’ College is being converted into flats, costing from £375,000 (Savills, 01179 100354). City View on Barton Hill is a new-build with flats from £141,950 (Knight Frank, 01179 439850).

QUALITY OF LIFE

A social and creative hub, Bristol is known for its relaxed atmosphere. Its manageable size gives it a good sense of community; in summer everyone relaxes on The Downs. Recently rescued warehouses provide a plethora of galleries. There is, as in all cities, a less salubrious district: in Bristol it is St Paul’s.

TRAVEL

Trains from Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington take 1¾ hours. Bristol is well connected by road: the M5 leads to the Midlands and the South West and the M4 to London and Wales. There’s also an international airport.

POPULATION

398,300 people, including 25,600 students. Bristol has a city-centre workforce of 91,100, 20 per cent of whom commute on foot or by bicycle.

SMARTEST STREETS

Clifton is the most beautiful suburb, with elegant Georgian mansions near the quaint but lively Clifton Village. It is immediately next to The Downs and is much in demand.

BEST RESTAURANTS

The Albion in Clifton Village is an excellent gastropub. The famed Bell’s Diner in Montpelier is an organic bistro in a Fifties shop and The One Stop Thali Café is fun for Asian food. Of the many options on Whiteladies Road, the best offerings are the Ocean Café for exquisite seafood and Quartier Vert for beautifully simple cuisine.

NIGHTLIFE

The Kensington Arms in Redland and The Windmill on Windmill Hill are two lovely pubs. The Bristol Old Vic is a very popular theatre near the harbour, and jazz can be found close by at The Old Duke. The Hippodrome offers some opera, ballet and classical concerts, along with its regular diet of hit musicals.

EDUCATION

The famous Clifton College is now coed; 10 per cent of its pupils go on to Oxbridge annually. Badminton School is an established boarding and day school for girls and Bristol University has an excellent reputation.

WORKING LIFE

Unemployment is at 4.5 per cent, compared with the national average of 5.1 per cent. The average salary is £23,700, which is £100 below the national average. 31 per cent of the city’s jobs are in finance, IT and business, followed by 27 per cent in public services and 22 per cent in distribution, hotels and restaurants.

UPSIDE

A symbol of the city’s restored wealth, the At-Bristol Millennium complex offers tropical glasshouses, a planetarium and an IMAX cinema. The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is an annual highlight of summer that draws a diverse crowd for the magical spectacle of hundreds of hot-air balloons released into the sky.

DOWNSIDE

The city was badly damaged in the Second World War and a number of Sixties monstrosities still scar the townscape. Subsequent development of the commercial centre and the docks has been clumsily managed, giving the city an incongruous image. And locals say that the public transport leaves something to be desired.

£209,604 The average property price in Bristol
Source: Halifax

5% The increase in property prices in Bristol over the past three months
Source: Halifax

204% The increase in property prices in Bristol over the past ten years
Source: Halifax

33 The number of public libraries in Bristol
Source: Bristol City Council

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