Blaise Castle — Attraction in Bristol

Blaise hill has always been an important site and has been occupied since the iron age in one form or another. In roman times the hill was home to a hill fort, the remains of the fort were descovered by a dig in 1918, when stone foundations and roman artifacts were found. Blaise hill was formerly home to St Werburgh's chapel, which is thought to have been founded around the year 700, but could have been as late as 960, although there is no record of St Werburgh's after 1299. There are records of a St Blaise Chapel which is believed to have been located on the same site, the chapel was abandoned by the year 1577. in 1707 some excavation took place and many human remains were found in a vault by the chapel site. Blaise castle was commissioned by Thomas Farr a wealthy Bristol merchant as a summerhouse and was built in 1766 by Robert Mylne on the site of the former Blaise chapel at a cost of £3,000. The castle was built on the highest part of the estate at a height of 250 feet above sea level. It was built with carboniferous limestone, dolomite conglomerate, Lias Limestone and pennant sandstone which was mainly taken from the hill itself and the sourounding area. Bath Stone was also used for ornamental purposes and was probably shipped along the River Avon from Bath to Sea Mills where it was hauled up to the site. Originally the castle had two floors which were furnished and there was access to the roof via a staircase. One of the turrets contained a wooden staircase to reach the very top of the castle to provide an even better view. The estate was bought by Bristol City Council in 1926, in 1957 the castle underwent a significant restoration and in 1959 the building was Grade II listed. You can go inside, but the opening times aren't clear, I found this on their web- site: Every year volunteers endeavour to open up the castle to the public between March and October on selected days as well other special events and booked occasions.

Come up and visit us between 2.00pm and 4.30pm,

entry is free but donations are welcomed. This is on Friends Of...

I really want to give more stars but I can't- because there is no way for wheelchair users to even SEE the castle, let alone go near it. Now don't get me wrong, the setting is lovely. There is a paved trail on the left hand side that powerchairs can easily maneuver, so if you like nature trails it's fantastic. You can see the old boarded-up cottage (which I really do think should be restored and have windows to look through) and the castle-style house that someone is lucky enough to live in (so jealous!), and at the main entrance there's a flat grassy area with a bit of shade, perfect for a picnic.

And there's the manor house with a museum that I would've liked to explore, except we didn't have time.

However there aren't any clear directions to the old castle itself, and there's not a paved trail there - WHY ?!

My partner was able to hike to it, whilst I waited below and had to inform pretty much every other visitor that the castle was indeed up the hill, and that there wasn't a path for them to follow. There needs to be some signage at least.

I'd go back again if in the area to have a picnic and check out the museum. If you're able bodied and enjoy nature I highly recommend going. Just steer clear of the playground and all the people smoking next to it. Not very pleasant.

The toilets deserve zero stars. They are filthy. The one accessible toilet is open, they need to install a radar key lock because EVERYONE was using that one, despite there being plenty of stalls in the regular toilets. It was filthy and that's not fair to people who have no choice but to use that one. Try and use the...

I have lived in this area for a long while, I was surprised that I had never heard of this gem. Although the house itself would benefit to become a more prominent feature in the park, it served a wonderful and free purpose, staff were very friendly. People of all ages will find something to see. I came here for photography of the park as I am a nature lover, I was pleasantly surprised to find so much more . The walk around the estate is pleasant and easy under foot as there is a path through the Gorge. I found it relatively easy to walk upstream by the river on the other side too, though I do not recommend the latter walk for people with disabilities, either walk is equally enjoyable though. There is a small cafe and a children's play area and dogs are allowed . All I can say is please visit this place, I can imagine it to be wonderful at any time of the year. Hopefully the old watermill will get restored in time. It would really add yet another dimension to this place. It is wonderful for its nature and wonderful for buildings. I most certainly will visit...