Bristol Cathedral
The City of Bristol
There are many reasons why you would want to study Physics at Bristol. As well as being one of the very best universities in the UK, Bristol is a vibrant and exciting city, the major city in the South West of England and the economic powerhouse of the region. The nightlife is rich and varied, and NME rated Bristol students as having the best social life in the country. As well as lots to do, Bristol is also a great place to chill out - lots of green space and the University has a unique atmosphere - close to the centre of Bristol but with its own "local" feel with everything within walking distance - "The University merges into the centre, its famous Gothic tower dominating the skyline from the junction of two of the main shopping streets. Departments dot the hillside close to the picturesque harbour area."
The University is located at the heart of the City of Bristol - do have a look at some panoramic photos from the BBC. Bristol is a modern, thriving city, with a long history that can be traced back over a thousand years or more. Indeed, it was the most important city in England outside London until the early 19th century, largely due to its flourishing port (from where John Cabot sailed to Newfoundland in 1497). The current port lies to the north at Avonmouth, and the old docks and wharves are now a thriving focus for leisure and the arts including the @Bristol complex at Canon's Marsh.
The city hosts numerous festivals throughout the year: The Bristol International Ballooning Fiesta, The Bristol Animation Festival, and The International Wildlife and Environmental Film Festival are just some of the world events taking place here. Bristol has become a world centre for wildlife filmmaking and animation - Aardman Animations make their films in Bristol. The University is also a partner in the Bristol Festival of Nature.
Within easy walking distance of the Physics Department are the Bristol City Museum (and tea room), two major arts centres and cinemas at the Watershed Media Centre and the Arnolfini, and the oldest working theatre in the UK, the Bristol Old Vic.
The city is famous for its engineers, most notably Isambard Kingdom Brunel whose Clifton Suspension Bridge, the recently restored SS Great Britain and Bristol Temple Meads Railway station can all be visited today.
The SS Great Britain, the world's first propeller-driven, ocean-going steamship has been recently refurbished and is open for visitors. It has won many museum awards in the last 2 years including European Museum of the Year's "Micheletti Award", and the Gulbenkian Prize for UK Museum of the Year. Often moored alongside is The Matthew, a replica of the boat John Cabot helmed to discover Newfoundland in 1497.
The world's first, and to date only, commercial supersonic jet was designed at and built in Bristol. Concorde made its last flight returning to its birthplace in Bristol, and one of the planes is now a museum at the historic Filton airfield. More recently, the new Airbus A380 has had some of its design work done in Bristol.
at Bristol displaying Art dedicated to Paul Dirac
Bristol is also the birth place of Paul Dirac - one the twentieth century's greatest, yet least known, physicists. He completed a degree in electrical engineering at Bristol in 1921 and then, inspired by Einstein's theory of relativity, he completed a degree in Mathematics in Bristol in 1923. It is noted in our Departmental Archives that he also attended lectures in the Physics Department during this period. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1933, largely for his work on the relativistic theory of quantum mechanics from which he was able to explain the origin of 'spin' in quantum systems and to predict the existence of anti-matter before it was discovered.
Professor Sir Michael Berry of our department unveiled a sculpture dedicated to Paul Dirac, by the artist Simon Thomas, outside the @Bristol Science Centre (2001).
The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
The city is surrounded by some of the most attractive countryside in Britain, from the Cotswolds to the North-East, the mountains of South Wales to the North-West, and the hills of Dorset and Somerset to the South.
The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is held every August when teams from all over the UK and other parts of the world bring their hot air balloons to the site and participate in mass ascents where as many as 100 balloons may launch at a time.
The event is one of the largest in Europe and it is common to have crowds of over 100,000 on each of the four days of the festival. It takes place in Ashton Court, a large country estate, which is just across the Clifton Suspension Bridge, 30 minutes walk from the Department. Balloon launches are attempted twice a day, at 6am and 6pm, subject to weather conditions. One popular attraction is the Night Glow, when balloons are inflated and glow to music after dark.