College Green

General Information

College Green, Bristol BS1

Introduction

College Green is an ancient and peaceful city centre green space within sight of the Centre Promenade. Surrounded by Bristol Cathedral, the Council House, Bristol Central Library and Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel, College Green lies at the foot of Park Street - a popular and lively shopping area close to important University of Bristol sites including the Wills Building, home to the City Museum and Art Gallery. Just to the south of the green lies the redeveloped Harbourside area and Bristol Harbour, with the @Bristol attraction and the Watershed multi media centre and cinema.

Access

College Green is bounded by the Cathedral, Council House and the southern end of Park Street. The site is easily accessible from all sides and there are no restrictions on times to visit. There are numerous wheelchair accessible pathways across the space connecting with pavements and a cycle lane runs across the main length of the site.

Plan your visit to College Green with Journey Planner, City Map Viewer and Regional Map.

Click here to view a GIS map of College Green.

Architecture

Many of the buildings on and around College Green are noteworthy, including the Cathedral, Council House, Abbey Gatehouse, Central Library, and the Lord Mayor’s Chapel (originally St Marks). Several 19th and 20th century buildings at the southern end of Park Street are also noted for their decoration. When it was established in 1542, some of the buildings of the Bristol Cathedral School were carved out of parts of St Augustine’s Abbey and the Chapel of St Jordan (see below).

Art

The marble statue of Queen Victoria at the south east corner commemorates her golden jubilee. Between the old abbey gatehouse and the Council House is a statue of Raja Rammohun Roy, the Indian reformer who was buried in 1843 at Arnos Vale cemetery.

Events

With its impressive backdrop of the Council House and Bristol Cathedral, College Green is a popular site for those events and promotions which have a lower impact and lighter footprint, particularly those involving media launches, press calls and prestige photography. Exhibitions, charity fundraisers and product launches take place here including:

• Reebok Bristol Half Marathon Press Launch

• Welcome Event for the European Union Ministerial Conference

• Annual Young People's Services Playday

• Tethered balloon promotions

If you are interested in holding an event on College Green, please visit the City Centre Spaces website Due to the sensitive nature of the site, any proposal to hold an event on College Green will need to be agreed by the landowners, Bristol Cathedral, as well as by the city council. The contacts below will arrange this on behalf of event promoters.

Management and maintenance

College Green is owned by Bristol Cathedral and managed by Bristol City Council’s City Centre Spaces Manager. Maintenance is carried out by the external contractors, Continental Landscapes, SITA and Mark Babbage & Sons. For further details see Contacts section below.

Plants and wildlife

Limes, Norway Maples and Sugar Maples fringe College Green. In summer the planters and hanging baskets are full of annuals in front of the Council House providing a stunning splash of colour around the green. To find out more about Bristol's wildlife, click here.

Recreation

The central setting of College Green makes it a popular venue and meeting place for visitors and city workers. The site is also a popular venue for a variety of smaller events, but is primarily a peaceful city centre space for relaxation, socialising and having a picnic. For a listing of events on College Green visit Whats On.

[back to top]