Portishead
Portishead photos (16 available)
Portishead maps (2 available)
Map of Avon
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
Personalised maps
Create an historic map centred directly on any postcode!
Portishead books (4 available)
- 3 photos on Portishead appear in 1 Frith books - View photos of Portishead
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Portishead and Avon
Portishead memories
Read and share memories of Portishead and Avon inspired by Frith photos
Portishead - our first house
My wife and I bought our first house at Portishead, South Road, it was £2,200, we could only borrow, so the monthly payment was the same as a week's wages, no overtime or my wife's wages taken into consideration. We had three children and some happy times. I worked on the coal boats and then Albright and Wilson phos factory.
John Burge.
Contributed by First name Last name
Margaret and Wallflowers
Margaret and wallflowers
The year was 1950. I was thirteen years 'old' and walking along this beach with Margaret, her brother John and my brother, Peter. When we arrived at the spot where the man is sitting in the photograph, I looked up and saw wallflowers growing on the cliff face.
I decided to climb up and pick some for Margaret. When I became level with the flowers, about fourteen feet above the beach, (it seemed much higher), I held on with my left hand and picked a few with my right.
As locals will know the rock here is very loose and crumbly, and the piece I was holding onto came away in my hand. I remember ...read more here
Contributed by Tony Warren
St Peters Church
My father was Rector here from 1947 - 1964
Contributed by Charles Coombes
where I was born in 1951
This photo shows Woodhill Road, the houses at the top of the picture, the road I was
born in 1951. How the scene has changed over the years.
Long gone are the power station chimneys and the old boating shed where my Grandpa used to work. As a child I rode my pony around the lake grounds through
the village and then to the top of Naish Hill where I kept her.
Contributed by margaret langford
Extracts From Portishead & Avon books
The opening of the railway put Portishead at less than one hour’s travelling time from the centre of Bristol. As a result, the little resort became an attractive proposition for Bristol’s professional and business people wanting a villa by the sea.
An extract from from"Down the Severn Photographic Memories".
Portishead was connected to Bristol by rail in 1867. The following year the pier was commissioned; it was soon extended so that vessels could use it at low water. From here there was an all-year-round steamer service to Cardiff and Newport and summer excursions.
An extract from from"Down the Severn Photographic Memories".
This was a popular place for trippers, with train services from Temple Meads beginning at 7.00am. On Saturdays the rush to the seaside was catered for at Temple Meads with additional trains at 12.00 noon and 12.57pm, and an extra one from Bedminster at 2.04pm. As no-one was supposed to enjoy their Sundays off, the first train for Portishead did not run until 10.15am; the last one back to Bristol was at 9.48pm.
An extract from from"Down the Severn Photographic Memories".
This is the main road
through the village looking
towards Hutton Hill. The
white cottage on the left
used to be the Post Office,
before it was moved to the
other side of the road in
the 1930s.
An extract from from"Weston-super-Mare Photographic Memories".
This view looks west along Main Road. In the distance a lorry is being loaded with
milk churns from Old Post Office Farm. In 1900 there were twelve farms in the
village, all with dairy herds. Now just three are left.
An extract from from"Weston-super-Mare Photographic Memories".