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Why are there so many colourful houses in Bristol?

secretbristol.com

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Re: Why are there so many colourful houses in Bristol?

#21

Post by tomxor »

grumblepeet wrote: post #5

Some of these photos are just around the corner from my house. Weird to see them in Hacker News. Some of the people who own houses in my area have started hacking off the painted cement and brought the houses back to plain brick. Even some of the ones who had murals painted on them for Upfest (mentioned in the article), it seems a more conservative feel has started taking over. I think it’s sad to see the colours dis…

Don't worry, Banksy is always waiting to strike just around the corner to spice up the place. Although then there is the risk of someone removing the wall and selling it. Also I noticed his latest thing got immediately scribbled over..

Honestly though the bright colours are mostly on the highly visible houses on hillsides, as soon as you get into the thick of the houses, even up in fancy Clifton it all turns a lot less colourful for 99%. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I think people just like having their house as part of the view, and contribute their little bit, just so they can say "I'm the pink one on the end" - I would :D

Re: Why are there so many colourful houses in Bristol?

#22

Post by aylmao »

chriskelley wrote: post #18

Reminds me of La Boca in Buenos Aires: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=la+boca+buenos+aires&t=osx&iax=ima... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Boca

I found the article interesting as someone born and raised in Latin America. It's not uncommon to see colorful houses here and street art. It leads me to wonder if areas with houses painted in bright colors are noteworthy at a global scale.

Re: Why are there so many colourful houses in Bristol?

#23

Post by gerdesj »

rjh29 wrote: post #13
steviedotboston wrote: post #2

I visited Devon on my trip to the UK and was really surprised to see palm trees around the coast.

Where I grew up. I always wince at the name "English Riviera" though.

Where did you grow up? Côte d'Azur?

Right, let's dig into the authoritative source of all knowledge ... Wikipedia! According to that:

"Riviera is an Italian word that originates from the ancient Ligurian territory of Italy"

So the French region that Torbay riffs on is also itself riffing on an Italian region.

and: "The Côte d'Azur (coast of azure) is a nickname given by France to the County of Nice after its annexation in 1860, because the climate was similar to that of the north of Italy,"

When you look at it like that: English/Devon/Torbay Riviera is simply following a proud European tradition. Riviera is simply a generic term (originates from Italian) for a region with a specific climate. If you read further through the WP article it seems that Brits were involved in the original use of the term and that explains why we would designate a similarly named region here.

No need to cringe.

Re: Why are there so many colourful houses in Bristol?

#24

Post by dkasper »

DoreenMichele wrote: post #7

In San Francisco, there's Painted Ladies. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Painted_ladies I have this vague, hand-wavy impression it's somewhat common in coastal communities. I spent some time looking for a term for a particular house style and can't seem to find it. There's a particular style of small house with big windows and shutters typically found in beach vacation towns and they tend to be colorful.

There are tons of pastel colored houses in SF and some of the surrounding towns. It’s nice to have some variety.

Re: Why are there so many colourful houses in Bristol?

#25

Post by rpickering »

wly_cdgr wrote: post #14

Only thing keeping the residents from killing themselves on account of living in Bristol

I'd really have to disagree with you there! I've lived in Bristol for 4 years, having previously spent 8 years in London - people are I know are happy here and find it difficult to leave. I've never lived in such an uplifting, diverse, creative place as I do now (Easton, BS5).

Also worth mentioning (response to a comment above) that there's a lot of colourful houses and murals all over the city, not just on the bits you see on postcards...!

Re: Why are there so many colourful houses in Bristol?

#26

Post by fredthedeadhead »

A couple of other peculiar colourful facts about Bristol:

* Ex-mayor George Ferguson (mentioned in the article) always wears red trousers, except when Bristol won the European Green Capital 2015 he wore green trousers in celebration.

* All licensed taxis in Bristol are blue, specifically Bristol Blue https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_blue_glass

Re: Why are there so many colourful houses in Bristol?

#27

Post by DonHopkins »

wly_cdgr wrote: post #14

Only thing keeping the residents from killing themselves on account of living in Bristol

But it's world renowned for its famous seven level Bristol Stool Scale!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_stool_scale

https://www.continence.org.au/bristol-stool-chart

They should open up an amusement park with themed rides and attractions to rival the Hundeprutterutchebane.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundeprutterutchebane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL8az1fV1Tw

Re: Why are there so many colourful houses in Bristol?

#28

Post by flakes »

lib-dev wrote: post #9

In St. John's NFLD, many houses around the downtown are painted like that as well. I love the look. Apparently, they would use boat paint because: A) they had a lot of it and B) it holds up well to the elements.

Newfie here. Newfoundland dropped the NLFD abbreviation for just NL about 20 years or so ago.

I’ve always heard that we painted the houses with whatever paint was on hand because the wind is strong that it strips away every couple of years. And we’re not a rich group of people, so whatever paint you have is the right paint!

My grandfather used to remark on the houses “they were crap when the went up, but somehow lasted 50 years, so I guess they’re heritage now”.

But, they do look pretty in the summer!

Re: Why are there so many colourful houses in Bristol?

#29

Post by Nursie »

grumblepeet wrote: post #5

Some of these photos are just around the corner from my house. Weird to see them in Hacker News. Some of the people who own houses in my area have started hacking off the painted cement and brought the houses back to plain brick. Even some of the ones who had murals painted on them for Upfest (mentioned in the article), it seems a more conservative feel has started taking over. I think it’s sad to see the colours dis…

Is this due to the stage Bristol has reached in the gentrification cycle?

It's been a vibrant alternative town, but from what I understand, this made it desirable to more and more people moved in, especially as London (and I guess Brighton) became completely out of reach for most people on normal incomes. What follows is probably a more conservative, less colourful mindset...

Re: Why are there so many colourful houses in Bristol?

#30

Post by glompers »

fredthedeadhead wrote: post #26

A couple of other peculiar colourful facts about Bristol: * Ex-mayor George Ferguson (mentioned in the article) always wears red trousers, except when Bristol won the European Green Capital 2015 he wore green trousers in celebration. * All licensed taxis in Bristol are blue, specifically Bristol Blue https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_blue_glass

What about the Vicious Chicken Of Bristol??? Any truth to that?

"Narrator: Sir Bedevere the Wise was the first to become one of King Arthur's Knights. But other illustrious names were soon to follow: Sir Lancelot the Brave, Sir Gallahad the Pure, Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir-Lancelot — who had nearly fought the Dragon of Angnor, who had nearly stood up to the Vicious Chicken of Bristol, and who had personally wet himself at the Battle of Badon Hill — and the aptly named Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film. Together they formed a band whose names and deeds were to be retold throughout the centuries: the Knights of the Round Table."

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