Bristol
I visited Bristol on the way to Cornwall a few years ago, but have just spent a weekend there; these photos are from both visits - and consequently this is a long post! The harbour, called the Floating Harbour, was formed from a section of the River Avon by building a lock at the western end; it opened in 1809, in response to the rise of Liverpool as a port for tobacco trade. A channel, called the Cut, was built to the south to allow water from the river to bypass the dock. A further channel, the Feeder, was built to the east to do the opposite; to provide water from the river to the dock. The harbour closed to commercial traffic 1975, but there are still dock facilities at Avonmouth, six miles northwest of the city. From the western end of the harbour, you can look northwest, down the Avon Gorge, at the suspension bridge. The bridge was initially designed by Brunel, and work started in 1831, but the money - and time, as dictated by the Act of Parliament - ran out. Brunel ended up...