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Made in Bristol

Bristol has a global reputation for innovation, with Concorde, the Clifton Suspension Bridge and Harvey's Bristol Cream all developed here. But did you know that Bristol is also the home of Ribena and the plimsoll line?!

Wallace and Gromit - Aardman Animations, created the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit films, Creature Comforts, Chicken Run and Morph in Bristol.

Plimsoll Line - Samuel Plimsoll was born in Bristol in 1824 at 9 Colston Parade. He fought for a compulsory load line on ships which is known as the Plimsoll line.

Lead Shot - Redcliffe plumber, William Watts, invented the manufacture of lead shot by dropping molten lead from a height into water. He built a shot tower on Redcliffe Hill.

Tarmac - John Loudon McAdam was a Scot appointed to the position of General Surveyor of Bristol Roads. He instructed that stones should be graded and laid in three levels, with the smallest stones crushed and laid as a top surface. These roads were said to be 'macadamised'. Later, tar was laid over the top of the crushed stones, giving an even more durable surface known as tarmacadam, subsequently abbreviated to tarmac. McAdam lived at 23 Berkeley Square from 1805 to 1808. He also live at 6 Sion Hill from 1815.

Concorde - The world's first commercial supersonic jet was designed and built in Filton.

Airbus A380 - The wings of the world's largest double-decker passenger plane are made at Airbus in Bristol.

Bristol Cars - Luxury car manuafacturer that began in Bristol in 1910, famous worldwide for outstanding quality. Now the only luxury car manufacturers still under British ownership.

Motorcycle and Deatchable Sidecar - P.J. Kerswell was the inventor of the motorcycle (1901) and detachable sidecar (1904). In 1887 he began his riding school in Cheltenham Road making cycles to special orders.

Bollom Dry Cleaning The Bollom brothers of Philip Street, Bedminster and Long Ashton, were the founders of the Bollom dry cleaning empire.

Ribena - the much-loved blackcurrant drink was invented in Bristol at the National Fruit and Cider Institute as a vitamin C supplement when scientists turned blackcurrants into a concentrated syrup which could easily be mixed up into a healthy drink. Ribena was then produced in Bristol for many years.

Harvey's Bristol Cream - this world famous sherry was created by John Harvey and Sons in Bristol in 1796.

Fry's Chocolate - Joseph Fry opened a sweet shop in Small Street, Bristol in 1756. The business was so successful that chocolate factories were built in Broadmead (now the city's main shopping centre) and the company eventually moved to Keynsham. The factory is now owned by Cadbury's, but Fry's chocolates live on.

Schweppes -Jacob Schweppe set up shop in Dowry Square selling his discovery soda water in 1812.

Also see Famous Bristolians and Wallace and Gromit

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