Random Stuff!

[TheLocalYokel]

Mrs Yokel and I had a pleasant stroll along footpaths through the fields by the River Yeo from Wrington to Congresbury and back this afternoon - about five miles or so in total.

It was eerie in the sense that the usual procession of landing or departing aircraft (depending on wind direction) a mile or so to the north was completely absent during the 90 minutes of our walk, not even a small single-engine private aircraft.

I've never been a huge 'spotter' but I certainly missed the company of what I had come to consider old friends. There was something lacking in the walk today despite the beautiful weather and gorgeous scenery.

 

[superking]

Bus services in and around the city of Bristol are being ramped up today with extra buses laid on and also extra seats are being offered on buses. Another step for things getting back to some where near normal as much as it can.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Bus services in and around the city of Bristol are being ramped up today with extra buses laid on and also extra seats are being offered on buses. Another step for things getting back to some where near normal as much as it can.

I used some First buses today and all seats now seem to be available. That means that a stranger could sit next to another passenger.

I suppose that's the same as the situation on aircraft but slightly odd given that the government still only allows limited numbers of spectators at sporting events who must be socially distanced, and that's in the open air.

Pubs and restaurants must ensure that tables are spaced out with no more than six people in a group.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

The newly elected West of England Combined Authority Labour mayor doesn't seem to share the elected Bristol Labour mayor's views on a mass transport system.

Metro mayor cautious about Bristol underground plans

Bristol mayor Marvin Rees has strongly backed the idea, making it a campaign pledge

www.bristolpost.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Two of Bristol's longstanding institutions in the news today.

It had already been announced that Bristol Zoo Gardens, nearly 200 years old, would be closing and the animals moved to the Society's much bigger site called Wild Place just outside the city near Cribbs Causeway regional shopping centre. Wild Place is already home to large animals. The original Clifton site on the edge of the Downs lost most of its large animals years ago as public sentiment towards keeping large animals in relatively small spaces changed.

The original idea was to sell off the Clifton site for housing but today it's been announced that campaigners want to save it for a sort of walk-around digital zoo experience.

New pictures show what a new Bristol zoo could look like

The images show what to expect from Our World Bristol's immersive experiences — from pterodactyls to beehives

www.bristolpost.co.uk

The BBC West site at Whiteladies Road on the edge of Clifton that opened nearly 100 years ago is to partially close. BBC Studios, the largest of its type outside London, is home to the BBC Natural History Unit and numerous factual tv programmes. These will move to Bridgewater House, a modern office block at Finzels Reach near Bristol Bridge close to Channel 4's Bristol site. The grade 2 listed Broadcasting House at Whiteladies Road, which has spread into neighbouring properties down the years and now occupies an entire block, will remain the home of BBC Radio Bristol, the regional news programme Points West and Radio 4's Bristol office for the time being whilst a decision is made as to where they will be located in the future.

BBC Studios to leave historic Bristol HQ

The team behind Countryfile, DIY SOS and Antiques Roadshow are on the move

www.bristolpost.co.uk

 

[BRSregular]

I’m all for BBC moving into a new state of the art site which is befitting of modern TV in 2021. I’m sure their Whiteladies are site isnt, but as for the zoo, no one wants to see virtual reality animals and Bristol Zoo want to maximise the value of their site by selling it to developers… they won’t make much of its turned into a digital Jurassic Park.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I’m all for BBC moving into a new state of the art site which is befitting of modern TV in 2021. I’m sure their Whiteladies are site isnt, but as for the zoo, no one wants to see virtual reality animals and Bristol Zoo want to maximise the value of their site by selling it to developers… they won’t make much of its turned into a digital Jurassic Park.

Last year it was speculated in the local press that much of the BBC would move to a new office block in the Temple Enterprise Zone with regional tv and radio remaining at Whiteladies Road.

They were nearly right as Finzels Reach is about half a mile from Temple, although not in the enterprise zone. Whether regional tv and radio will remain at Whiteladies Road for the long term doesn't seem to have been decided although I would guess it unlikely. I presume the BBC owns Broadcasting House but I don't know whether it also owns rather than leases the other buildings that make up the complex. I would think that the properties used by the BBC along Whiteladies Road are worth a few million in total.

The press report seem to imply that the Bristol Zoological Society is intent on selling the current site for housing. The digital zoo appears to be an aspiration of a group of people with no connection with the Society. Sale of the land at Clifton might be an important factor in financing the development of Wild Place.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Marvellous news that one of Bristol's famous old pubs, the 17th Century Llandoger Trow in historic King Street, has reopened. It closed in 2019.
The pub has reputed connections with both Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe.

The name derives from Bristol's historical Welsh connections and the pub is situated near Welsh Back, part of the quayside near Bristol Bridge.

In our younger days my wife and I used to frequent this pub when it was a Berni Inn. Our daughter, who now lives in Australia, worked there as a barmaid in the late 80s/early 90s when home for the long university summer break.

Famous Bristol pub reopens after two years of being shut

It had been open for at least 350 years

www.bristolpost.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Vision for Bristol to be first city with new generation trams

Three routes are detailed in a major new study

www.bristolpost.co.uk

A study commissioned to look into Bristol's future mass transport has come out in favour of a new-generation tram system instead of city Mayor Rees's dreams of an underground. Interestingly the airport is still included as one of the first three routes despite increasing opposition to it from a number of councils in the area.

We've been here before, more than once. In the 1970s under the short-lived Avon County Council there were plans for a tracked mass transit system in the city, then about 20 years ago the Labour Westminster government allocated money for a line from the city centre to the north of the city but Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council argued like five-year olds over the location of the northern terminus. The government lost patience, withdrew the money and that was that.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

No direct train services between Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff Central for the next month.

Bristol Temple Meads service upheaval as Network Rail work begins

Services to and from Bristol Temple Meads will change for major upgrade work over the summer.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

A new railway station is proposed to serve the new community, including a new 17,000- seat capacity arena, being created on the old Filton airfield site on the border of Bristol and South Gloucestershire. This station will seemingly be called Brabazon.

If it goes ahead the Filton area will be quite well served with railway stations. It already has Filton Abbey Wood, originally built to serve the giant MOD Procurement complex nearby, and Bristol Parkway is also in the general neighbourhood.

First images of train station in new Bristol neighbourhood

The station at Brabazon, which will be built on Filton Airfield near the Bristol Arena, will travel to Temple Meads in 15 minutes

www.bristolpost.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I was at Temple Meads station today - for the first time since the pandemic reared its ugly head in March of last year.

Near the top of the main approach road I saw a statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It's the statue that was originally sited at Broad Quay on 'The Centre' nearly 40 years ago. Then about 15 years ago it was moved and I came across it several years later sited in the Temple Quay office district, tucked away so that it was only visible to those working in the area or people like me who happened to pass through by chance.

I was delighted to see it today in a prominent position visible to many people using the station.

I did a Google search and found that in fact it was only moved there last week, or at least that's when it was officially unveiled.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel statue unveiled outside Bristol Temple Meads railway station

Network Rail has announced that a statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel has been unveiled at Bristol Temple Meads.

www.railadvent.co.uk

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Western Gateway

I was reading a BRS press release regarding an event hosted by the airport last week for leading members of the region's Aerospace and Aviation Cluster. A keynote address was given by the chair of Western Gateway.

This concept has been spoken about for a number of years with the previous city mayor an enthusiastic advocate. It originally envisaged economic co-operation between the Bristol and Cardiff city regions but looking at the Western Gateway website - see link below - the area has been expanded as far as Swansea, Cheltenham, Swindon and Salisbury.

There is a lot of reading material on the website with aspirational targets. How much has actually been achieved so far is difficult to ascertain.

The website home page begins by saying, The Western Gateway is a cross-border economic partnership of Local Authorities, City Regions, Local Enterprise Partnerships and Governments (in Wales and Westminster), working together to bring additionality to the area’s existing strategies and structures.

It sounds laudable but I can't help wondering if the individual local authorities won't also be competing with each other for potential economic growth such as, for example, a large company looking to set up a presence. Within aviation won't BRS and CWL be vying for new business? Would one of them step back and say, 'You pitch for this airline. We'll give you a free run'?

It's an interesting initiative and worthwhile if it does bring results.

Western Gateway: Net-zero Innovation Connectivity International

Western Gateway is the UK's first pan-regional partnership to bring together local leaders from two countries. Stretching across South Wales and Western and Western England.

western-gateway.co.uk

 

[Jerry]

'You pitch for this airline. We'll give you a free run'?

Could depend on the airline I suppose but doubtful. Wouldn't look good pr wise for either airport if they gave up a route or airline in favour of the other airport.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Could depend on the airline I suppose but doubtful. Wouldn't look good pr wise for either airport if they gave up a route or airline in favour of the other airport.

It was really an example of what if? Another would be a major company looking to relocate its headquarters. In that event I'm sure that most local authorities in the Western Gateway area with the wherewithal to accommodate such a move would be doing their best to get. They would not stand back and allow a neighbour to step in content that it had gone somewhere in the Western Gateway.

 

[JENNYJET]

Is there not already a major company in the vicinity namely Airbus? Or am I off beam?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Is there not already a major company in the vicinity namely Airbus? Or am I off beam?

Airbus certainly has a significant presence in the city region as do other aviation/aerospace companies such as Rolls Royce, GKN, BAE Systems and smaller aerospace companies. Most are concentrated in an area around Filton on the Bristol/SouthGloucestershire border as is the huge MOD Procurement Centre.

Aircraft and their engines are no longer manufactured and assembled completely in the Bristol area: the pre-war aircraft and wartime Blenheims, Beauforts and Beaufighters; the Brabazon (an heroic failure but lessons learned for the very popular Britannia); then Concorde of course. The last major aircraft under development seen in the skies around the city was the A380 that used to call at Filton for tests and checks. No runway now - sadly. Much of Filton airfield is becoming another dormitory town and the giant Brabazon Hangar is being transformed into a 17,000-capacity indoor entertainments arena.

Bristol and its city region have one of the most vibrant economies in the UK and is home to substantial ‘presences’ of numerous major national and international companies and corporations. Two FTSE100 companies that originated in Bristol still have their headquarters in the city - Hargreaves Lansdowne Plc and Imperial Brands Plc.

Some nerdy facts about Bristol's economy: the city is the largest manufacturer of hot air balloons in the world; the BBC's Natural History Unit based in the city for over 60 years is the largest wildlife documentary production house in the world; Wallace and Gromit were born in Bristol being creations of Aardman Animations whose film studios are situated on the Bristol Harbourside.

 

[Jerry]

Airbus certainly has a significant presence in the city region as do other aviation/aerospace companies such as Rolls Royce, GKN, BAE Systems and smaller aerospace companies. Most are concentrated in an area around Filton on the Bristol/SouthGloucestershire border as is the huge MOD Procurement Centre.

It also has an office complex at Tredegar Park just outside of Newport. I believe it's more connected with the defence side of their business.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

It also has an office complex at Tredegar Park just outside of Newport. I believe it's more connected with the defence side of their business.

I'm not familiar with the Tredegar Park site. The Abbeywood (Filton) site was opened in 1996 and brought together staff from 15 sites around the country. At one time there were 7,000 people working there. I'm not sure of the number now. It was known then as the Defence Procurement Agency but is now the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S).

It's actually a very large and quite an impressive site as can be seen from the link below (linked site is a few years old).

MOD Abbey Wood Anniversary - 20 years, 20 facts

Today marks 20 years of MOD Abbey Wood which was officially opened in 1996 by her Majesty the Queen.

medium.com

 

[TheLocalYokel]

superking

The above joined F4A in 2013 and was a regular contributor down the years, mainly to the BRS threads. He hasn't visited the site since 24 May this year. I've tried contacting him without success. He has a different user name on the Dried Plum but hasn't been in evidence there in recent months.

He is one of the older members of the forum in age. I hope he is all right even if unable to visit or post at the moment.

If anyone has any information about him that he or she is able to share I would be grateful. Many thanks.