The name Horfield derives from the Old English horu, meaning muddy or marshy ground, a reminder of the area’s early landscape. It appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ‘Horfelle’, with the spelling evolving over time to forms such as ‘Horsfield’ and ‘Harfelle’.
For centuries Horfield was predominantly rural and agricultural. The 1841 tithe map shows a parish made up largely of fields, with a small settlement clustered around the church and the Common, much as it had been since medieval times. To the north-west, near the border with Filton, Horfield Wood once covered a substantial area. It may originally have extended to around 40 acres, but much of it was cleared during late eighteenth-century agricultural improvements.
By 1841 only around 19½ acres remained, and the woodland was gradually lost altogether. Horfield Common has long been central to parish life. Traditionally divided into North Common and South or Church Common, it provided valuable grazing land. In the eighteenth century local tenants exercised regulated grazing rights, known as ‘stints’, limiting the number of animals each farm could keep. The land was rested annually between February and May to allow the grass to recover.
Ownership of the Common passed from the Lords of the Manor to the Horfield Trust in 1852, and it was later sold to Bristol City Council on 4 October 1908 for £400, securing its future as public open space. The construction of Horfield Barracks in 1847–49, followed by Horfield Prison in 1883, reflects the changing character of the area in the nineteenth century, as institutional buildings began to surround what had once been largely agricultural land. Although parts of the Common were taken for development, including a parsonage, a school and later roads, it has remained a defining green space for the community.
Today, as Friends of Horfield Common works to improve habitats, restore ponds and support wildlife, we are continuing a long story of change and care. While the use of the land has evolved, the Common remains shaped by its natural history and by the people who look after it.
To find out much more about the history of Horfield and Horfield Common, including stories from the past, please visit historyofhorfieldcommon.weebly.com/
(This page is part of a local history project that explains how Horfield Common’s landscape, ownership and boundaries have changed over time, describing features such as lost ponds, historic grazing rights and land transfers from manor ownership to public council control.)
All information and photos are sourced from https://historyofhorfieldcommon.weebly.com/
Places of Historical Interest on the Common
Horfield Parish Church (Holy Trinity with St Edmund, Horfield)
Holy Trinity with St Edmund stands beside Horfield Common and has been central to parish life for centuries. It is notable for the beautiful trees in and around its churchyard. The site is believed to be medieval in origin, with the surviving tower dating largely from the fifteenth century. Much of the rest of the church was rebuilt or heavily restored during the nineteenth century, reflecting the Victorian expansion of Horfield from rural parish to growing suburb.
Originally dedicated to the Holy Trinity, the parish later incorporated St Edmund, reflecting changes in ecclesiastical organisation as the population increased. In earlier centuries the church served a scattered agricultural community clustered around the Common. As housing developed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the congregation expanded and the church adapted accordingly.
Architecturally, the building combines medieval stonework with Victorian restoration. Inside, features typical of nineteenth-century church renewal can be seen alongside older elements. The churchyard contains memorials that record generations of local families, offering insight into Horfield’s social history and its transformation over time.
The church’s position next to the Common reinforces the historic relationship between parish life and shared open land. Just as the Common evolved from grazing land to public green space, the church has remained a constant presence, adapting to serve a changing community.
For more information visit the church's website at www.horfieldparishchurch.org.uk/about-us
W.D. Watt Victorian Lamp & Water Fountain
Standing at the junction of Wellington Hill and Kellaway Avenue, this attractive Victorian lamp and drinking fountain was originally installed at the bottom of what was once known as Pig Sty Hill. It provided water for horses hauling heavy loads up the incline. When the road was later widened, the structure was carefully relocated to its current position so it could be preserved. Now listed, it remains a small but distinctive reminder of the area’s Victorian past and its rapid development during that period.
For an interesting article about similar features across Bristol, visit here.
Grade II listed Victorian Urinal
Tucked away near the junction of Western Road and Gloucester Road is a rare surviving Victorian public urinal. Built in the late nineteenth century, it reflects the period’s growing concern for sanitation in rapidly developing urban areas. Now Grade II listed, it is an unusual and surprisingly decorative piece of historic street furniture that has outlasted many similar structures.
For a short article about Bristol's three listed Victorian Urinals, go here.
Horfield 'Castle'
(Located on Kellaway Avenue, near the junction with Lime Trees Road)
By the early nineteenth century, larger houses were being built along the edge of the South Common. In 1851 a magistrate constructed ‘Horfield Castle’, an imposing house with turreted gates; it was demolished in the 1950s, though part of the original stone boundary wall still remains.
Horfield Barracks
(Located next to the Crafty Cow on the edge of Horfield Common)
Horfield Barracks were built between 1847 and 1849 on Gloucester Road, directly opposite Horfield Common. Bartholomew Square now occupies what was once the interior of the barracks site. Although never part of the Common, their position along its eastern edge made them a prominent feature of the landscape for more than 160 years.
When the barracks opened in 1847, their arrival prompted local concern. Records show that measures were introduced to prevent officers from riding across the Common on horseback, confirming that the land remained public and separate from the military estate, even as soldiers interacted with it.
The barracks reflected Horfield’s transition from rural parish to developing suburb. Troops stationed opposite open common land would have given the area a very different character from today, when the Common is valued primarily for recreation and wildlife.
The site remained in military use until 2012. Most of the Victorian buildings were later demolished, though parts of the former entrance block and sections of the boundary wall on Gloucester Road survive. These remnants offer a visible link to the Common’s nineteenth-century surroundings and the layered history of the area.
Horfield Parish Church (Holy Trinity with St Edmund, Horfield)
Holy Trinity with St Edmund stands beside Horfield Common and has been central to parish life for centuries. It is notable for the beautiful trees in and around its churchyard. The site is believed to be medieval in origin, with the surviving tower dating largely from the fifteenth century. Much of the rest of the church was rebuilt or heavily restored during the nineteenth century, reflecting the Victorian expansion of Horfield from rural parish to growing suburb.
Originally dedicated to the Holy Trinity, the parish later incorporated St Edmund, reflecting changes in ecclesiastical organisation as the population increased. In earlier centuries the church served a scattered agricultural community clustered around the Common. As housing developed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the congregation expanded and the church adapted accordingly.
Architecturally, the building combines medieval stonework with Victorian restoration. Inside, features typical of nineteenth-century church renewal can be seen alongside older elements. The churchyard contains memorials that record generations of local families, offering insight into Horfield’s social history and its transformation over time.
The church’s position next to the Common reinforces the historic relationship between parish life and shared open land. Just as the Common evolved from grazing land to public green space, the church has remained a constant presence, adapting to serve a changing community.
For more information visit the church's website at www.horfieldparishchurch.org.uk/about-us
W.D. Watt Victorian Lamp & Water Fountain
Standing at the junction of Wellington Hill and Kellaway Avenue, this attractive Victorian lamp and drinking fountain was originally installed at the bottom of what was once known as Pig Sty Hill. It provided water for horses hauling heavy loads up the incline. When the road was later widened, the structure was carefully relocated to its current position so it could be preserved. Now listed, it remains a small but distinctive reminder of the area’s Victorian past and its rapid development during that period.
For an interesting article about similar features across Bristol, visit here.
Grade II listed Victorian Urinal
Tucked away near the junction of Western Road and Gloucester Road is a rare surviving Victorian public urinal. Built in the late nineteenth century, it reflects the period’s growing concern for sanitation in rapidly developing urban areas. Now Grade II listed, it is an unusual and surprisingly decorative piece of historic street furniture that has outlasted many similar structures.
For a short article about Bristol's three listed Victorian Urinals, go here.
Horfield 'Castle'
(Located on Kellaway Avenue, near the junction with Lime Trees Road)
By the early nineteenth century, larger houses were being built along the edge of the South Common. In 1851 a magistrate constructed ‘Horfield Castle’, an imposing house with turreted gates; it was demolished in the 1950s, though part of the original stone boundary wall still remains.
Horfield Barracks
(Located next to the Crafty Cow on the edge of Horfield Common)
Horfield Barracks were built between 1847 and 1849 on Gloucester Road, directly opposite Horfield Common. Bartholomew Square now occupies what was once the interior of the barracks site. Although never part of the Common, their position along its eastern edge made them a prominent feature of the landscape for more than 160 years.
When the barracks opened in 1847, their arrival prompted local concern. Records show that measures were introduced to prevent officers from riding across the Common on horseback, confirming that the land remained public and separate from the military estate, even as soldiers interacted with it.
The barracks reflected Horfield’s transition from rural parish to developing suburb. Troops stationed opposite open common land would have given the area a very different character from today, when the Common is valued primarily for recreation and wildlife.
The site remained in military use until 2012. Most of the Victorian buildings were later demolished, though parts of the former entrance block and sections of the boundary wall on Gloucester Road survive. These remnants offer a visible link to the Common’s nineteenth-century surroundings and the layered history of the area.
Accessibility
Please get in touch at [email protected] if you have any further questions.
|
General information
|
Things to be aware of
|
|
If you'd like to be involved regularly with FoHC and its events, please
join the FoHC. For updates on the Friends of Horfield Common, please find links to our Facebook and email below. |
|
|
