Westbury on Trym guidebook

So much so, that people from surrounding areas have been known to claim that they live there to gain a certain prestige.

Similarly, the Westbury address and post code is worth a tidy sum when a property is up for sale.

Westbury on Trym, which is about five miles north of the city centre, is centred around Westbury Village - one of the few within Bristol that has the feel of a genuine 'village' - and has the River Trym running through its centre.

Records of Westbury date back to the 8th century, when King Offa of Mercia granted land there to his minister Aethelmund. Parts of the present church also date back to the 12th century.

Village Vibe

Today it is a bustling area, with village life centred around Westbury’s three main shopping roads and its banks, craft shops, florists and Somerfield supermarket.

There is a smattering of independent traders, among them a fantastic jewellery and trinket shop, Vivica’s, and WH Mogford and Sons, an ironmongers and hardware shop that has reputedly been in Westbury since 1850.

Local retailers have often complained that Westbury is becoming a "service" village, with too many estate agents and charity shops, but it is always a busy place.

It’s also good for a relaxed evening out. Westbury has Indian, British and Thai restaurants, several cafes and eight pubs.

Westbury Village is also home to two churches and a primary school, and a new doctors’ surgery is being built there.

Beyond The Village

Outside the village, "greater" Westbury has plenty to recommend it.

To the west is Canford Park, a lovely open space with tennis courts, a playground, football pitches and a large pond, and beyond this is Canford Crematorium and Bristol University’s playing fields at Coombe Dingle.

On the road out to Henbury is a golf course, and adjacent to this is the Blaise Castle Estate, one of Bristol’s great park and woodlands, covering 650 acres and stretching all the way to Kingsweston House and Penpole Wood in Shirehampton.

Just east of Westbury is the enchanting Badocks Wood and Henleaze Lake, while to the north is Filton Golf course and Southmead Community Sports’ playing fields on Pen Park Road.

Head south along Falcondale Road and Westbury Road and you will get to the Downs.

There are also some excellent schools in the area, including Badminton School, The Red Maids’ School and St Ursula’s School.

Property in Westbury and Surrounding Areas

One hundred years ago, Westbury on Trym and its neighbours, Stoke Bishop, Sneyd Park and Sea Mills, were rural areas consisting of some extremely impressive manor houses, big country estates and farms.

It may have grown into one of Bristol's most desirable suburbs, but it has retained a lot of its country charm and, indeed, some of those big country houses.

But it would be completely wrong to give the impression that this area is only for the extremely wealthy, because it actually has a wide spectrum of different types of housing spread right across the whole price range.

There are, for instance, bungalows, terraced, semi-detached and detached two, three and four bedroom family homes in both Westbury and Sea Mills with prices that compare favourably with similar properties in less sought-after areas.

And head out towards Henbury and Shirehampton, and the choice widens to include ex-local authority housing and modern flats.

Westbury and its neighbours have also seen considerable house building going on in recent years, such as the new three-bedroom terraced homes in Kelston Road, although it has been predominantly in-filling rather than developments.

In addition, a significant number of the large period homes throughout the area, in particular in Stoke Bishop, have been turned into luxury one- and two-bedroom apartments.

Conversion on a particularly grand scale can be found at Repton Hall, a stunning Grade II Listed Georgian manor house set in parkland that was redeveloped a few years ago to a very high standard in keeping with the quality of the building.

In terms of new-build, an interesting mixed development is the very recent Wellesley Mews on the borders of Westbury and Henleaze which comprises two four-bedroom semi-detached houses and seven three-bedroom mews style houses spread over three floors, as well as 14 apartments.

Westacre Close is another new development in a quiet cul-de-sac in Westbury which consists of lovely two-bed purpose-built apartments surrounded by nicely kept communal gardens.

Other purpose-built apartment developments can be found at Coombe Rocke, in West Rocke Avenue in Stoke Bishop, and Strathearn Drive in Westbury.

Here's a brief breakdown of each area:

Westbury on Trym

Westbury, sometimes described as "an urban village", is especially highly desirable with families and professionals because of its mix of housing, its shops, its country town atmosphere and its excellent facilities.

Within it, the little cottages around the church, Chock Lane, Waters Lane and Stoke Lane are particularly sought-after and this is reflected in their price.

Sea Mills

Sea Mills grew considerably at the end of the First World War, farmland around the village becoming a garden suburb to solve some of Bristol's worst housing problems.

Groups of a wide range of property types were built in crescents and cul-de-sacs with lots of green spaces and, it is said, each house had to have an apple tree in the rear garden.

There are also some surviving terraces of highly desirable and very quaint three-bedroom country cottages backing onto the River Trym that hark back to Sea Mills' rural past. 

Sea Mills is another area that is very popular with families, especially as there is a railway station nearby.

Sneyd Park

Sneyd Park could be called the Hampstead of Bristol, commanding some of the highest property prices to be found anywhere in the West Country.

It has many large five- and six-bedroom Victorian and Edwardian individually designed detached houses with huge gardens and outbuildings, and prices are predictably steep.

Stoke Bishop

Nearby Stoke Bishop is also an area of predominantly large Victorian family properties, many of which have been converted into flats, and there has been a considerable amount of modern executive-style homes built here, such as the Queensgate development.

Stoke Bishop also has a large student population thanks to the extensive University of Bristol Halls of Residence which is located here.

It's a very desirable area with above average prices for this part of the country due to the size of the houses and the large amount of green spaces.

Living in Westbury

Transport

Road: Westbury is well-served by public transport, with a journey into Bristol cutting through the Clifton and Durdham Downs.

Transport routes include the A4018, which runs from the city centre to Cribbs Causeway and The Mall shopping complex.

Westbury is served by bus routes 1, 20, 21, 517, 518, 584, 585, 624, N8 and a bus service (X14) also connects Westbury with Chepstow and Newport, South Wales.

Train: Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Parkway stations are about 15 minutes away, while Bristol’s main Temple Meads train station is about 25 minutes away.

Air: Bristol International Airport is about 30 minutes drive to the south west, along the A370 or the A38.
 
Shopping and entertainment
 
Westbury is a lovely place for a spot of shopping, and what it lacks in major high street names it makes up for with its mix of independent traders, charity shops, cafes and friendly atmosphere.

There are also a few shops on nearby Stoke Lane. Cribbs Causeway, with The Mall and dozens of hypermarkets and superstores, is within easy reach of Westbury along the A4018.

Westbury is great for beer drinkers, with a high concentration of good pubs within easy walking distance of each other.

Locals often embark on the "Westbury Eight" to take them all in, but the pick of the pubs has to be The Victoria on Chock Lane, which serves great beer and food, the Post Office Tavern on Westbury Hill, the White Lion in the heart of the village, and the Prince of Wales and the Black Swan (or Dirty Duck) on Stoke Lane.

Westbury and its surrounds are also great for dining out. In the village, Casamia - an Italian restaurant with French and English influences - is one of the best restaurants in Bristol.

It was voted into The Times top 10 Italian restaurants in the UK, and has been featured in the Michelin Red Guide and the Which UK Good Food Guide.

If you don’t want to stretch this far, The Villager offers great English food, Thai Basil is fantastic, and the British Raj is the best of the Indian restaurants in the village.

At Cribbs Causeway, 15 minutes away, there is the 12-screen Vue cinema, while not far away in Henleaze is the three-screen Orpheus, Bristol’s oldest cinema.
 
Sport and leisure
 
Westbury and the surrounding area have plenty of sports facilities. At Canford Park on Canford Lane there are newly-refurbished tennis courts, a playground, an open park that is used for football on Saturdays and a large pond.

At Coombe Dingle there are the playing fields of Bristol University, but they are also open to the public and local sports clubs. The highly successful Westbury Hockey Club uses it as a base, there are tennis courts and rugby, football, cricket and lacrosse pitches.

Henbury Golf Course is just outside Westbury on Henbury Hill, and beyond that is Blaise Castle Estate, where there is a fantastic adventure playground, a museum, castle, and a huge open area and woods, ideal for a day out.

The excellent Next Generation health and fitness club is just outside Westbury on Greystoke Avenue.

Just north of Westbury on Pen Park Road is the new Southmead Community Sports. Facilities include a new pavilion with a bar and changing rooms, and football and cricket pitches.

On Falcondale Road, just outside Westbury Village, is Westbury library.

Filton Golf course is about 10 minutes drive north of Westbury.