Are you wondering what there is to do around Paintworks? Everyone knows Bristol as a landmark city for attractions and places to visit, but what about this particular corner? Here we breakdown what the best places are to explore in this hidden gem of a neighbourhood.
Wake the Tiger
Wake The Tiger is an out-of-this-world, mind bending and immersive artistic experience for all ages! It is centred around a self-guided, walk-through labyrinth of exploration which begins in an abandoned paint factory before journeying into the 'Dream Factory', and finally transcending to the 'OUTERverse'.
Inspired by the potential for climatic and societal breakdown, it encourages visitors to discover and interact with incredible art across 40 different spaces, ultimately enabling a deeper connection and dive into the story behind this unbelievably, challenged alternate world.
Sandy Park Road
Sandy Park Road is growing as a popular place to visit, and in recent years has become a thriving artery of the Brislington area.
With a butcher, greengrocers, fish and chip shop, numerous hairdressers and beauty salons, delicatessen, bakery and post office, Sandy Park Road offers a busy, well-supported local shopping area. The sight of a high street doing well is welcome to many of us!
The locals say the road has a detectable community spirit, and you can be sure you’re pumping money back into the local community by paying it a visit.
Read more about it here - We visited Sandy Park Road - Bristol’s new property hotspot - Bristol Live (bristolpost.co.uk)
Sandy Park Deli
This popular Brislingtonian deli sells a mix of Italian and local products, due to its ownership by a couple, one of whom has Italian heritage. It has become the go-to food shop in the area, and is particularly popular with locals as a coffee and catch up spot.
Their deli counter offers a mouth-watering selection of cheeses, meats, anti-pasti as well as in-house salads, quiches, arancini, vegan rolls and sausage rolls, all sourced from independent producers.
Tarr’s Ice Cream
Anyone settling to work and live around Brislington, Bristol is lucky enough to have the iconic Tarr’s ice cream shop on their doorstep. A historical brand, now one of the largest wholesalers to the South West, is based just around the corner from Sandy Park Road.
This ice cream shop started in the 1920s when Bristol Born Alfred Tarr learnt the traditional way of making ice cream from an Italian family. He really was at the intersection of Mediterranean culture with our own. Nowadays the brand has won several awards, and the family spirit of their business has been kept very much alive.
Hart’s Bakery
And if you’re in the mood for more treats, remember that Hart’s bakery is just around the corner too. Bristol Temple Meads is a 15 minute walk away, with Hart’s bakery near its entrance offering artisan sourdough, handmade pastries and seasonal savouries easily to those commuting in by train. Too bad the walk into work won’t be long enough to burn much of it off!
Sparke Evans park
Another hidden and little known gem - Sparke Evans park was termed by local newspaper BristolWorld, ‘the forgotten Bristol park’.
Nestled in just opposite the paintworks site, there could be no site more tranquil for rest, repose, and exercise to support employee wellbeing throughout the day.
View Bristol World’s photos of this Edenic looking site - with its charming yellow bridge - here 8 photos of the ‘forgotten’ Bristol park that even locals still don’t know about (bristolworld.com), and pay it a visit if you’re in the area.
Arnos Vale Cemetery
It might sound a bit morbid, but Arnos Vale is actually a beautiful area of local nature, as well as home to all kinds of local community events. It’s perfect for walking, coffee, and catching the odd ad hoc performance. You can see its full list of events here - Events - Arnos Vale.
Arnos Court park, just adjacent, also has a play area perfect for little ones.
Bristol Blue Glass
For a change of scene, there’s this renowned historical workshop and shop just around the corner from Paintworks. Here you can see the handmade, bespoke process of crafting beautiful, local pieces of glass, an intriguing way to learn a bit more about the history of this wonderful city where you find yourself working today.
Transport:
An Ethical Property tenant described the Paintworks area as having ‘probably the best access anywhere in Bristol into town’. Buses 1, X39, 349, 178, 522 all go past here into the centre, taking little time at all. Bus number 1 will even take you all the way up to the shopping centre at Cribbs Causeway.
The site also has a riverside path all the way to Temple Meads, and is well connected by the National Cycle Network.
Find out more about our serviced office spaces available in Paintworks here.