Bower Ashton - History

History

Bower Ashton was historically a hamlet in the parish of Long Ashton in Somerset. In medieval times the area was owned by St Augustine's Abbey, but following the Dissolution the Smyth estate was established by John Smyth, a merchant from Small Street in the city, in the 16th century. In the 19th century Sir John Henry Greville Smyth rebuilt Ashton Court Mansion along with a now demolished Dower house on the present site of the School of Creative Arts. Maps of that era show a rope walk, Frayne's Colliery and Ashton Vale Iron works, scene of many tragic accidents, adjacent to the Portishead railway line. It appears from Bristol City Council documents that an Iron Foundry was in operation in the area until the 1940s.

From ancient times the Rownham Ferry linked Bower Ashton with Hotwells. It medieval times it was owned by the monks of St Augustine's Abbey and brought them considerable income. There was also a ford downstream but due to the great tidal range this was dangerous. The ferry remained in operation until it closed in the 1930s, after the opening of the Ashton Swing Bridge at Ashton Gate. Legend has it that King Charles I crossed the Avon from Hotwells via the ferry on his way to Leigh Court in 1651.

In 1951 the area was transferred from Long Ashton parish to Bristol.