For those who are not familiar with Shirehampton, a discussion about the North Bristol neighbourhood often begins with the question - ‘is that in Bristol?’ Despite ‘Shire’ as the locals like to call it, being part of Bristol for over a hundred years.
The village feel is still evident today and it’s cut off from the rest of Bristol by the roads bounded around it and its proximity to the large estate of Kings Weston House. Much of Shirehampton has been designated a conservation area due to the nature, ancient geology and range of historical buildings present in the north-west Bristol suburb.
The village continues to produce its own newspaper ,‘Shire’ which was set up by the three local churches and is hand-delivered to every home in the neighbourhood. Traditions established all those years ago still remain, with obligatory church updates each month due to rules written into the constitution fifty years ago.
READ MORE: Boutique hotel opening ‘soon’ on site of formerly squatted city centre building
Edward Amplett, the paper’s current treasurer has lived in Shirehampton for 60 years and his current home was built in the 1700s. “It’s retained a lot of its village atmosphere," he said.
"I was chatting to a young parent the other day from south Bristol who recently moved to the area and she said that people will always say ‘hello’ to you even if they don’t know you. It’s one of those kinds of areas, obviously there are some tensions at times but it’s generally a friendly area."
On a Sunday afternoon, most of the high street shops have their shutters closed and although some locals complain about its lack of variety, when people move into the village, they don’t seem to want to leave. Jo Scorrer, who moved to Shirehampton from Henbury said that she doubts she would ever move out of the area.
Like other locals she likes the friendliness of the place and enjoys taking her children to The Port of Bristol Sports and Community hub (PBA) which provides free meals and children’s activities during holidays, fun days and has a large green area where children can play. She said “It’s ideal for the kids because you’ve got everything. There’s nowhere I’d feel comfortable sending the children.”
While the grade II listed public hall which was once used by the parish council has a range of activities for children on the programme, Jo admits that she is either unaware of these activities or doesn’t feel they are the right fit for her children. The PBA which has transformed in recent years from a members only club to a community hub means that more people from outside the village are coming into Shirehampton.
Get the best stories about the things you love most curated by us and delivered to your inbox every day here
The current chairman, Dan Clifton puts it down to the establishment of children’s football clubs which is how he initially discovered the place in the last few years, despite living in the area his whole life. Van Papantaniou who lives in Sea Mills started an under 11 football team around ten years ago and it has been growing ever since, with children coming right through to 18.
Van, the Port of Bristol football club founder, said: “We started at Avonmouth, it’s a great club but they haven’t got the room for growth. When I came here I was given the licence to grow football and it grow very quickly.
“From 11 kids back then to well over 450 now, it’s crazy. We’ve been lucky with the people who’ve come on board and helped.
“We’re still growing, we have three girls sections now and the aim is for them to be as big as the boy’s section. A lot of the kids are from Shire, Lawrence Weston and Henbury but we’ve got people travelling from places like Brislington now because they’ve heard of us.
“For me it’s not just about football; you’re making memories, friendships and building characters that will set you up for life. PBA has grown and now they do great things for the kids.
“The cost is just ridiculous for family days out and with the club doing free family days out it means the parents are in control of the costs. The stuff they're doing like the free kids meals, it’s pulling the community closer together, especially the local ones in Shire.”
