History of the River Avon (Bristol)

The Bristol Avon meets the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth. It has a large tidal range that early ship owners quickly learned to use to their advantage. At low tide it dries almost completely to mud.

The Avon has changed its course dramatically through history and a map of 1693 shows a promentary on the Somerset side which by the mid-19th Century had been cut off and reformed on the Gloucester side. In Bristol it diverts from an earlier course; the original is held at a constant level by the gates of the Floating Harbour. This was constructed to alleviate strain on ships stranded in the mud for long periods and the phrase 'shipshape and Bristol fashion' is said to have described a ship that was of sufficient quality to withstand the rigours of using the port.

The Port of Bristol has been busy for centuries depite being 6 miles from open water. It was from here that Cabot sailed in his vessel Matthew to land in Novia Scotia and later, with his son Sebastian, Newfoundland. The prosperity of Bristol was founded in the development of the port as a focus of maritime trade. It was a major transit port for the slave trade of the 17th century. Later, it handled diverse cargoes from all over the world. A regular visitor was the notoriously eccentric Captain William Teach, nicknamed Bluebeard on account of his facial hair. Today, the port of Bristol is a base for pleasure boats and commercial shipping is concentrated downstream at Avonmouth. At Clifton the river passes through a deep gorge spanned by Brunel's astonishing Clifton Suspension Bridge.