Lost Tramways: Bristol

The city of Bristol once possessed an extensive electric tramway network with routes radiating out from the centre to places like Westbury-on-Trym, Brislington, Hanham and Bedminster Downs. With a history that stretched almost to the dawn of the tramway age and with one of the earliest electric tramways in the country, Bristol was at the forefront of the development of this type of transport. However, when the final trams operated in 1941, the tramway was largely unmodernised, a victim of the very legislation that had permitted its development in the first place. Now, little remains to remind people of this once important form of transport other than historic photographs.

The Lost Tramways of England series documents the tram networks which were at the heart of many of Britain’s growing towns and cities from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. Transport expert Peter Waller, author of numerous works on the regional tram systems of the UK, guides you along the route of the network and discusses its key features stop by stop.

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