Bristol Facts - no.1

1.A 12thC charter forbade anyone in who was not a Bristolian from owning a tavern in the city.

2. Bristol's oldest building is St James Priory and has been standing for over 900 years. It is open daily to the public and acts as a centre to help drug and drink addicts try to overcome their addiction.

3. Bristol Zoo is the fifth oldest in the world.

4. The world's oldest working cinema, The Curzon, is in the small town of Clevedon 17 miles south west of Bristol.

5. John Cabot set sail on his voyage of discovery from Bristol in 1498.

6. Bristol was first granted a royal charter in 1188 by Prince (later King) John.

7. The Knights Templar were given land in Bristol to build a church in 1145. The area is still known as the Temple Quarter today.

8. The oldest railway terminal in the world was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and is called Temple Meads.

9. Edward III gave Bristol a royal charter in 1347, enabling the city to have a proper full-time jail.

10. Bristol was given county status - again by royal charter - in 1373. It is the only city in Great Britain to be a County in it's own right.