History

• Burwalls, Burgh Walls or Bower Walls Iron Age Fort
• St. Johns Chapel
• Wellington Cottage
• Christy Brothers
• Family History Society: Long Ashton Parish

Burwalls, Burgh Walls or Bower Walls Iron Age Fort

Burwalls Wood lies between the Police Station on Clanage Road and Leigh Woods, with Burwalls House (below left) very close to the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

Burgh Walls (which may also have been known as Bower Walls) was a 3 hectare (4-5 acre) iron age fort (dated about 150 BC) on the hilltop.

Its one of two on the gorges west side the second just a little further down the gorge is Stoke Leigh. The name Burgh Walls (I assume) has come down to us as Burwalls.

Burgh Walls or Bower Walls were mentioned in the 1996 Wessex Archaeology report for the UWE, sorry but this report is no longer on line.

• Mentions of a second mansion at Lower Court (by the UWE) and roman remains near the Police station (Burwalls) in National Gazetteer (1868) - Long Ashton.
• 'Circumvallations' (fortifications) around a military site in Walks and Rides in North Somerset up the hill from Rownham Ferry.
• Bristol Council: Bristol in the Iron Age and the iron age tribe who lived here the Dobunni.

The orchard mentioned in the second (Long Ashton) link above, is still there. With a public footpath running through it. Its the quickest way to get to Leigh Woods, it also avoids crossing the A369 (twice) on Rownham Hill.

Walk along Clanage Road, go right after passing the Police Station. then immediately left into the woodland, this quickly takes you through the wild orchard.

If you continue upwards you reach Leigh Woods through the National Trust Burwalls Wood. Its a reasonable if steep woodland path with steps and the odd view.

St. Johns Chapel

The Victorian map shows the site of St. Johns Chapel in the pasture opposite the Smthye Arms (now the Dovecote). On more recent maps it shows as St. James Chapel.

The Wessex Archaelogy 1996 report (sadly no longer online) estimated that the chapel and the likely village of Bower Ashton it supported was deserted at sometime in the 13th or 14th Century.

My added assumption is that this was caused by the Black Death that reached England in the Mid 13th Century.

Wellington Cottage.

• Wellington Cottage 5 Photo's of Wellington Cottage, a little upstream from Rownham Ferry.

Christy Brothers

Bower Ashton was the head office of the North Somerset Electric Supply Company before WW2. With a 33kV generator at nearby Kennel Farm (see 19th C Map top right).

• Christy Brothers in the South West.

Bristol and 'Near Bristol' Family History Society

Sorry I can't bring myself to give further publicity to the undead name that the unmissed region 'Near Bristol' refers to. I think the civil transfer of Bower Ashton to Bristol from Somerset was in the 1930's by the way but I could be wrong.

The New Inn on the River Avon as a laundry fits in with my Fathers recollections of a Chinese laundry there as well.

• Long Ashton Parish

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