Avonmouth

Avonmouth
Avonmouth  Avonmouth shown within Bristol
Population	12,485 (2011.Ward)
OS grid reference	ST516785
– London	124.4 miles (200.2 km)
Unitary authority	Bristol
Ceremonial county	Bristol
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BRISTOL
Postcode district	BS11
Dialling code	0117
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Avon
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Bristol North West
List of places UK England Bristol

Avonmouth is a port and outer suburb of Bristol, England, located on the Severn Estuary, at the mouth of the River Avon. The council ward of Avonmouth also includes Shirehampton and the western end of Lawrence Weston.

Geography

Avonmouth station.

Historically in Gloucestershire, Avonmouth is located at the mouth of the River Avon, on its north bank and on the Severn Estuary. It is the location of a large port, Avonmouth Docks. The Royal Portbury Dock, under the same management, is on the other side of the Avon. Avonmouth is home to several large chemical manufacturing plants and the gas-fired Seabank Power Station. There are several light industrial and wharehouse companies including Nisbets. There is also a significant residential area in Avonmouth between the industrialised zone and the M5 motorway. The M5 motorway runs through Avonmouth, and crosses the Avon by the Avonmouth Bridge. The M49 motorway runs between the M5 near Avonmouth and the M4 motorway at the Second Severn Crossing. The old Severn Bridge and the M48 motorway are linked to Avonmouth by the A403. The Welsh cities of Newport and Cardiff are both clearly visible from Avonmouth's coastline.

The Portway, part of the A4, connects Avonmouth to the centre of Bristol. Avonmouth is also is served by a usually hourly train service to central Bristol from Avonmouth railway station on the Severn Beach Line.

A new deepsea container terminal is planned in Avonmouth.

Avonmouth Sewage Works Nature Reserve

A 10-hectare (25-acre) area of Avonmouth Sewage Treatment Works is managed as a nature reserve by Wessex Water. The man-made lagoons and a pool provide a feeding and resting area for many birds including ducks such as pochard, tufted duck, teal and shoveller. The rough grassland provides a refuge for voles, Northern crested newt and other small mammals, which are preyed upon by kestrels and barn owls.

Governance

Avonmouth is part of the Bristol North West parliamentary constituency, which elects a member of parliament.

As a ward of Bristol, Avonmouth sends two councillors to Bristol City Council, one of which is Doug Naysmith a former Labour MP for the area, and the other Siobhán Kennedy-Hall a Conservative.

Apart from Avonmouth itself, the ward includes Shirehampton and part of Lawrence Weston. Shirehampton is a district of Bristol which originated as a separate village. It retains something of its village feel, having an identifiable High Street, and is still thought of as a village by many of its 6,867 inhabitants. Shirehampton railway station provides travel to the city centre. The western end of the Lawrence Weston area crosses the boundary into the Avonmouth ward, however the majority of the area falls within the Kingsweston ward. The entire area is separated from the rest of Bristol by a small amount of greenbelt.

External links

• map of Avonmouth circa 1900

The River Avon with Avonmouth and the M5 bridge