Henleaze guidebook

Henleaze, along with Westbury-on-Trym and Stoke Bishop, is the epitome of suburbia in Bristol: tree-lined streets, spacious houses with leafy gardens and people happily going about their business.

A couple of miles north of the city centre, Henleaze straddles the B4056, one of the main arterial routes out of the centre that continues through Southmead.

Henleaze is especially popular with young families, largely due to its three primary schools receiving good Ofsted ratings.

It is also home to two of the city’s well known private girls’ schools, St Ursula’s and Red Maids, while the excellent Badminton School for Girls is just across Westbury Road.

Henleaze is pretty self-contained, and has a fine selection of local shops, a branch of Waitrose, a public library, churches, a small cinema and two petrol stations.

It even has its own popular swimming lake, Henleaze Lake, a 400 metre-long former quarry which is also a cracking spot for a bit of angling.

Next to the lake is Badocks Wood, an enchanting woodland valley which the River Trym flows through on its way to Westbury.

Henleaze is one of the more highly regarded residential wards and its residents have the greatest life expectancy of all wards in Bristol.

Property in Henleaze

Henleaze is an area of mostly semi-detached three- and four-bed family homes, usually with sizeable gardens, mainly dating from the Victorian period through to the 1930s.

Post-war development has primarily been limited to in-filling, such as the purpose-built flats in Holmes Grove. 

And although semis are predominant, you'll also find a varied range of properties including bungalows, maisonettes, terraced cottages and substantial period homes, and a number of purpose-built retirement flats such as those in Fallodon Way, Ferndale Grange, Lakewood Road and Henleaze Road.

The population of Henleaze tends to be extremely stable, with a large proportion of families and older residents, which means that there often seems to be fewer homes on the market than in most parts of the city.

Prices here vary considerably and depend on exact location as well as the usual criteria such as property type, size and condition.

Generally, though, house prices in Henleaze are higher than in Southmead to the north or Horfield to the east, slightly lower than neighbouring Redland or Westbury Park, and considerably lower than in Sneyd Park.

You can also expect to pay a lot more for a property the closer you get to Durdham Down - a top floor one-bed flat in the Downs part of Henleaze will usually cost you about the same as a two-bedroom house in many parts of Bristol.

At the top end of the scale in Henleaze, however, is Grange Park, an exclusive tree-lined road of large detached 1930s properties with extensive gardens.

Rental demand isn't particularly strong in the Henleaze suburb, with the majority of properties being owner-occupied.

Living in Henleaze

Transport:

Road: Henleaze is clustered around the B4056 Henleaze Road, which has good access onto the A38 which joins the M5 at Junction 16.

Bus: Henleaze is served by the 20, 21, 54 and 54A buses into the city centre; Westbury-on-Trym, Southmead, Horfield, Clifton and Redland are all within easy reach.

Train: Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Parkway stations are 10 and 15 minutes drive north respectively, while Bristol’s main Temple Meads station is 20 minutes south.

Air: Bristol International Airport is 30 minutes drive south west of Henleaze, along the A370 or the A38.
 
Shopping:
 
The main shopping area is on Henleaze Road where there is a Waitrose supermarket, Tesco Express, Boots, a post office, two petrol stations and estate agents.

Just south of Henleaze is North View, where there are a number of independent shops and boutiques.

Entertainment:

Pubs in Henleaze include The Eastfield and the recently refurbished Westbury Park Tavern.

The pick of Henleaze’s restaurants would be the Fleur de Lys, which offers fabulous British food.

The Orpheus Cinema is a three-screen independent cinema on Northumbria Drive that has been showing films for the last 70 years.

Sport and leisure:

The Golden Hill Sports Ground is on the outskirts of Henleaze, on Kellaway Avenue.  It is home to the YMCA Cricket Club, where Wally Hammond used to play, and there is also an all-weather hockey and football pitch.

Horfield Leisure Centre is nearby and has a refurbished 25-metre swimming pool and a learner pool; various swimming classes and activities are available.

Its multi-purpose sports hall offers 5-a-side football, basketball, badminton, volleyball and fitness classes, and there are four squash courts, a crèche and a cafeteria.

Henleaze Bowling Club is a long-running club on Grange Court Road which is open to new members and offers coaching.

There are several local clubs and organisations in Henleaze, such as a Flower Club, Concert Society, Camera Club and Townswomen's Guild.

Parks and open spaces:

Henleaze Lake is a very scenic site with a 400-metre lake that is used for fresh water swimming – it has been home to the Henleaze Swimming Club since 1919 – and angling.

The lake is surrounded by lawns and trees, and truly is a haven from city life. 

Badocks Wood is absolutely lovely for a walk or a picnic.  It is accessed from Lakewood Road or Doncaster Road in Southmead.

The Downs are within walking distance from the south of Henleaze.