Enjoying a glass of sour tonic in the garden along with WEIRD BRISTOL: TRUE CRIME - released today! One hundred true stories of Bristol’s criminal past. From pirates and fraudsters to thieves and killers, take a tour through Bristol’s darkest corners… https://t.co/O5PanaDYSe

In 2017 a long standing Bristol rumour was proven to be true. Vale Street in Totterdown was officially declared the steepest residential street in England. It has an average incline of 22 degrees. Cars have to be parked diagonally to prevent them from rolling down the hill.

That should be PREWETT Street. Apologies!

Until 1923, this unusual looking building on Prewitt St (now a restaurant) was a 60ft conical chimney which was used as a glass kiln. Bristol once had dozens of these kilns for turning the sand of the Redcliffe caves into glass. This was the last to be put out of use.

More great stuff from @WeirdBristol. We retrace Cary's Bristol beginnings in RAISING CARY GRANT: THE BRISTOL FOOTSTEPS OF ARCHIE LEACH - our fab Theatre Walk around the centre of the city. Sat 29th November at 2pm 🎟️ https://t.co/eN1xoYvrCm In association with @carycomeshome

In pre-Tudor times, the village of Shirehampton was called “Sharny Hampton” - sharny being an Old English word for dung, as the farmland was rich with fertile manure. During the Elizabethan era, the name was altered to the more palatable and picturesque Shirehampton.

For some crazy inexplicable reason the BBC didn’t post this online but it shouldn’t be lost to history, so here’s Points West legend David Garmston beatboxing live on telly the other day Please do share…

During work on the Downs in the 1880s, a very rare “bone-fissure” was discovered. Later excavations revealed evidence of prehistoric life in the area, including the remains of hyenas, bears, rhinoceroses and even mammoths. The fissure is close to where the water tower now stands.

2/2 Upon this discovery, Grant had her released. By all accounts their relationship both before and after her release was a frosty one, but he made sure to visit her frequently and that she was provided the funds and healthcare she needed.

Bristol-born Hollywood megastar Cary Grant (then Archibald Leach) left for America at 16 but returned to the city many times until his 70s. As a child he was told his mother had died, when in fact she had been sectioned in Glenside Hospital - then a mental institute. 1/2

2/2 The audacity of the burglars and the fact that the crime occurred whilst the family were inside led to homes in Clifton, Redland and beyond installing latches and locks on upstairs windows for the first time.

In 1872, Redland Court (built in 1732) was the scene of a daylight robbery when burglars used a ladder to enter an upstairs room as homeowner George O. Edwards and his family dined downstairs. The thieves took only a few items but the crime made headlines across the country. 1/2

Fun fact: The single biggest shareholder of the company that owns Cabot Circus is the Dutch national pension fund. If you're Dutch & one of 2.8 million who work for the Govt - a teacher, civil servant etc - your pension increases thanks to Bristol's biggest shopping centre.

Arnos Vale Cemetery houses these Victorian crypt vaults, built to permanently inter bodies above ground in lead coffins. At the time, cremation was assumed to be illegal so this was seen as an alternative to burial. Due to its expensive cost, only 30 bodies were ever placed here.

@WeirdBristol It is indeed fascinating, few people know of its existence. It borders someone’s back garden. A hidden historical gem.

If you want to visit this fabulous, eerie ruin, the best access is via Sheepwood Close.

This huge, beautiful ruin can be found in Sheep Wood, Henbury. Built around 1830 to serve as an atmospheric summer house & folly for a wealthy merchant, these walls were once part of the Lord Mayors Chapel on College Green and were moved when the building was redesigned in 1820.

Bristol features as many different British and Irish cities throughout the charming 2018 film “Stan & Ollie”. It is most noticeable in this scene from “Newcastle” which is actually the side door of the Hippodrome and features a glimpse of Bristol’s famous iron pavement edging.

Electric trams were introduced to Bristol in 1895 and by 1899 we were the first UK city with an electric tram network. This building in Brislington (completed in 1899) was the entrance to a tramway depot. There were seven such depots in Bristol and this one is the best preserved.

Now Mr Wolfs on St Nicholas Street, this building was formerly the Radnor Hotel, which is believed to be the first gay pub in Bristol. Its exact origins are unclear but it may have been serving a mainly LGBT+ clientele as early as the 1930s.

Fragile, beautiful and iconic. Whilst some Bristol blue glass was made in the city from the 1800s onwards, it was also produced throughout the UK. The name derives from the fact that the cobalt oxide used turn the glass blue was imported from Saxony via the port of Bristol.