Bristol Aerospace Museum

With the air show over we had nothing definitely planned for today, so I suggested that we head to Bristol, a city that James and I have never visited. It’s only an hour from Bibury so off we went, and started with the Bristol Aerospace Museum which is on the outskirts of Bristol, in Finton. This museum had been recommended to James by our aircraft enthusiast chums at the air show, and it didn’t disappoint. We arrived just as it opened at 10 a.m. and had breakfast in its nice wee café before James went for an escorted tour of the shed where aeroplanes were being restored. I opted out of this and read my book happily until he returned and we went around the museum together. It really was very interesting and well laid out, with lots of interactive exhibits. Then we went across to see the Concorde, which had its own hangar. It was amazing. We have been to see the Concorde at East Fortune several times with the boys, but not for a while, and I was again struck by Concorde’s elegant beauty. The museum was quiet on this term-time Tuesday morning so when we went inside the plane we had it to ourselves. We realised that it was now past two o’clock so we had a quick lunch in the café before driving into the centre of Bristol, where James navigated us to a car park close to the harbour. We were very close to the M Shed which is a converted warehouse full of artefacts representing the social history of the people of Bristol. It’s a bit of a jumble but it has a good and honest section on slavery, interesting insights on the impact on the city of the Second World War, and from its roof top terrace there are lovely views over the harbour towards the cathedral and the old town. We then walked along to Brunel’s SS Great Britain and also saw a Banksy stencil on a nearby wall; Girl with a Pierced Eardrum. It was amazing to see a Banksy in situ; we have been Banksy fans for a long time and recently went to his exhibition in Glasgow MOMA. It was a bit weathered and faded but still great to see. In order to cross back across the harbour we took a wee ferry which cost £1 each and was very convenient. We walked along the harbour side which was full of bars and restaurants, and stopped for a drink in one of them. Then onwards to the old town and the cathedral, where we saw lots of young university graduate posing for photos with their Mums and Dads, a sight which never fails to move me. Today was the graduation day of our nephew Josh in Loughborough, he has a degree in Sports Engineering and I’m very proud of him. We also sought out two more Banksies; one was the very simple “You don’t need planning permission to build castles in the sky” and the other was the very well known “Well Hung Lover” which has been vandalised quite a bit and is also looking a bit weatherbeaten. I suppose that is the ultimate fate of street art. 

After dinner back at the harbour we got a notion to drive up to Clifton to see the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. When we got there it was getting dark, but it was still worth it because the bridge was all lit up with lights. The Avon Gorge is very deep and the bridge is very impressive, especially at more than 150 years old. We walked across the bridge and back again, looking into the deep gorge and down towards the centre of Bristol.