Two sorts of vets?

Image: © Neil Owen Taken: 1 May 2020

This area on the A4 in Brislington is home to a P.D.S.A. branch but also young military types. The Army Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps both have a base here too. Originally this was the site of Kensington House, a large and opulent mansion built around 1810. It featured some top class kitchen facilities of the time and a very large garden. With Arnos Vale as next door neighbour, the grounds were extensively cultivated with unusual species. It became the home of a Richard Jenkins Poole-King, a wealthy Bristol merchant who was later voted as Lord Mayor in 1844. The mansion changed hands a few times until a builder, George Lewis Poole, took over in 1902. He helped to develop the surrounding area as the gardens were reduced to feed the demand. By 1935, the house was used by St Christopher's church and then in 1937 a tank regiment of the Territorial Army occupied it. The military connections have survived to this day, and they occupy the coach house and stables we see overlooking the road. The house itself was eventually demolished in 1973.

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