The City of Bristol
Bristol Cathedral
As well as being one of the very best universities in the UK, there are many reasons to study Physics at Bristol. 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 - read what about living here - 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 with lots of green space in and around the city. The University has a unique atmosphere - close to the centre of Bristol but with its own "local" feel and 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 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 University is located at the heart of the city - have a look at some - 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, but the old docks and wharves are now a thriving focus for leisure and the arts including the at Canon's Marsh.
The arts flourish in Bristol. Within easy walking distance of the School of Physics are the , two major arts centres and cinemas at the and the , and for theatre lovers the and the oldest working theatre in the UK, the . Concert-goers are well catered for too, with a great variety of music events at the .
The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta
The city hosts numerous festivals throughout the year: The , is held every August. Teams from all over the world bring their hot air balloons to the site and participate in mass ascents, often 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. One of the most popular attractions is the Night Glow, when balloons are inflated and glow in sequence to music after dark.
Other festivals include , and . The University is also a partner in the . Bristol has also become a world centre for wildlife filmmaking and animation - make their films in Bristol.
The city has a long association with excellence in science and engineering. Probably the most notable Bristol engineer is Isambard Kingdom Brunel, whose , SS Great Britain and Bristol Temple Meads Railway station can all be visited today. The , the world's first propeller-driven, ocean-going steamship has been refurbished and is open to visitors. It has won many museum awards including European Museum of the Year's "Micheletti Award", and the Gulbenkian Prize for UK Museum of the Year. Often moored alongside is a replica of , the boat John Cabot helmed to re-discover Newfoundland in 1497. The world's first, and to date only, commercial supersonic jet was designed and built in Bristol. 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.
@Bristol displaying Art dedicated to Paul Dirac
Bristol is also the birth place of Paul Dirac - one of 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, completed a degree in Mathematics in Bristol in 1923. It is noted in our School Archives that he also attended lectures in the then Physics Department during this period. Dirac 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, a member of the School of Physics, unveiled a sculpture dedicated to Paul Dirac, by the artist Simon Thomas, outside the @Bristol Science Centre (2001).