Bristol was once known as Brigstow - "place of a bridge" - in Anglo-Saxon times, but its history dates back to the Stone Age. Trading goods between the residents was big, and by the 14th century Bristol became a major import/export town. Its proximity to the sea enabled the development of sea-faring that it was from here that a ship was sent to discover the American continent. Bristol became a boom port in the 18th century as a result of the lucrative slave trade and later the coal industry that helped propel the brass and glass industry. Bristol also gave the world the first iron, propeller-driven ship, the SS Great Britain which accomplished numerous journeys across the Atlantic. As slavery was abolished, the city's wealth also began to subside and it lost the title as a number one port to Liverpool. Its aerial industry induced air raid during WWII, but Bristol managed to recover. Today, the city has matured into a thriving city that looks toward the future with a laid-back attitude.

Bristol is situated in the southwest of England, across the Bristol Channel from Wales, 193 km west of London and 21 km northwest of Bath. Its location next to the sea makes a climate moderate albeit changeable. Rainfall is high in winter which run from November to March, but in summer the breezes from the sea help provide a relief to the heat in the city.