This road was named after the third Duke of Richmond and Gordon, my sources advise me, a distinguished general and a member of Pitt’s government in 1783. Such a notable man, however, would unlikely to have lived in this rather small one bedroomed flat that, as a whole was half of one floor. There was not much room to swing a cat; I tried! The building as a whole, however, was in fairly good condition. It is a Grade II Listed Building that has a good roof and masses of lead on it, all of which was correctly laid - good! The walls were not too distressed, despite a bomb exploding close by in the last war. However a certain amount of damp was evident on the side wall and repairs had been made to the rear. The flat is let out and needs some "TLC" after which, well perhaps another notable man, or woman may live there, perhaps my client???   more »

Many years ago, back in the 19th century there were fields here and springs too, but over the years these have now gone to be replaced by, in this particular road brick built terraced houses. It was one such house that I saw today where, the expression “all that glitters is not gold.” Perhaps I'm being a little harsh, the original house, externally was not in bad condition, but the extension to the rear really needs finishing. The man who rendered the extension wall managed to spray render over the facia board, the gutter and the lower roof tiles. It would have been better had he finished the extension to a better standard. Internally the house is very pleasant, so I hope that my Client, will get the house and then sort out these the problems…   more »

Fredrick Augustus was, believe it or no,t the Duke of York and Albany. He was the 2nd son of George II and married a daughter of Fredrick William of Prussia. Of course he was in the army, nothing else to do, but his career there was marred by a scandal involving a certain Mary Ann Clark, AND, bribery! -nothing much to do there either! It is therefore amazing that the burghers of Bristol allowed a road to be named after him, but they did! The flat that I saw today was at the bottom end of the property and was in reasonable condition, but I suspect that my Client will be instigating a full program of renovation so that it will become an eminently enviable garden flat in a very convenient location…   more »

Owned the land on which these houses were built in the 1870’s, which is no doubt the reason why the road was named after them. Most if not all of these substantial houses have been converted into self contained flats. The flat that I saw today, actually a maisonette was at the top of the building that was very close to an exploding bomb in the last war, but there was little evidence of any structural faults. The property was clean and bright and largely in good condition, I am pleased to say, so my Clients can be happy in their purchase…   more »

This is one of a number of roads in this part of Bristol named after peers, in this case the 6th Duke of Northumberland, (1810 – 1899), who was for a time the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord Privy Seal dealt with the then monarch’s personal – privy – seal, so I don’t really suppose that he had any inkling of a road being named after him! As usual, the Luftwaffe endeavoured to destroy houses in the area, but, as usual without much success! It has been divided into two units and my Client is getting the larger property, but it is in a quiet road, apart from the ‘park and ride’ commuters and their cars, and was in reasonably good condition.   more »

Today I have seen a 1930’s shop property that my Client is hoping to purchase in the very near future. I am sure that it will be bought, because I found nothing irredeemably wrong with the structure, that a little bit of ‘tlc’, will not put right. It does have a flat roof, but I was able to clamber up to it by taking my ladders with me, level by level and the top level was in reasonable condition. The two lower roofs were also in acceptable condition, but a smaller area will need upgrading in due course. I re-attached the plastic down pipe, but it will slip again until it is properly secured. That can be completed when the internal metal down pipe is replaced, as this is split and causing internal damp problems at the rear of the shop. The walls are sound, so all my Client needs to do is renovate the interior, put up a few shelves and install a cash till and open up to the local burgers, who no doubt will welcome a greengrocers’, as there ain’t one around these ‘ere parts…   more »

The Smythe family of south Bristol, of Ashton Court fame, owned large areas, tracts of land to the south of the City and later today I inspected a very pleasant house built on such land. It was like a model development, where there were wide roads and wide pavements, large gardens, by today’s standards and reasonably good sized rooms. It had been occupied by this vendor for the past 25 years. He had kept it well improved and in good condition. He had replaced the roof and when he did so, he introduced new floor joists so that the roof space could be utilised. He had constructed a permanent staircase all in keeping with the original, so copying the balustrading and it can now be used as a bedroom. But, and here’s the BUT, it does not meet current Fire Regulations and as my Client wishes to buy and then let it, there could be problems if his tenants then use it as such. So, unfortunately, not such a model house, even though it’s in a model development…   more »

I’ve had a bit of a day today! I arrived at this top floor flat and was about to enter the kitchen when I saw a notice pined to the door, saying that there was a rabbit in the kitchen – please keep it in there. It escaped, not once, not twice, not even three times, but four times I had to get the wretched thing back in the kitchen. I have never seen a rabbit a top floor flat; are the owner’s going to eat it I wondered? What with the rabbit and the rain I was getting a bit fed up, but the flat was otherwise in reasonably good condition. However, fairly severe condensation has attacked the rear roof rafters, but fortunately I found that the bathroom extractors, probably for all the flats vent into the rear roof void, which faces north, so exasperating the condensation, and not to the exterior as it should do. Villiers??? Oh, that was the family name of the Clarendon’s, surely everybody knows that…   more »

At ten o’clock, or so I am reliably told! I was down south of the City today seeing a bungalow, constructed in the early 1970’s by a builder of repute, and ther ain’t many of they about today! This property has been occupied by the original purchaser, which stands testament to the builder's workmanship. The vendor’s had also kept it well maintained and in good condition. The only ‘odd’ thing about it was that I think the builder, no names, no pack drill you understand, ran out of bricks for the chimney stack, because it is finished with ‘commons’ bricks, whereas the rest of the development were of a pleasant ‘faced’ brick! It is close to a quarry, hence the explosions, but there was not a crack of consequence caused by the mining and excavations, and I don’t think they will even be felt…   more »

Today was a day for valuations and I saw two very different, yet very ‘elegant’ properties. How often is it that I can say that houses, or in this case an old parsonage and a converted tithe barn, each with land, in the proper sense of the word, not just a large garden, I’m talking about acres, or should that in this enlightened world be hectares? Each were delightful and it was a pleasure to report positively to my Clients…   more »

Is a well known hotel close to the Vale of Evesham, named after William the 7th Earl of Beauchamp, whose family name was Lygon. He was, of course, of course? a liberal politician and Governor of New South Wales for a short period. In this area of Bishopston roads were named after earls, and this house that I saw today, was probably built in the 1890’s. It is in a popular street, where houses do not come on the market very often and when they do, they often need full modernisation, as in this case. If my Clients need somewhere to stay whilst the work in being undertaken, I do know of a pleasant hotel, not far away…   more »

Well I could be excused for thinking that I was in the swim of things as again I found myself by Henleaze Lake – you know the one where no one knows what’s at the bottom of it - deep and dark – I wouldn’t swim there, let alone dive in, you may never come out! Anyway where I have been today I found a fully charred rafter in the roof void, and a pile of charcoal at the base of the chimney stack! My ‘investigations’ revealed that during the last war the Luftwaffe dropped a bomb on the adjacent house, so causing the damage that I found in my Client’s house, which if nothing else was interesting. (I didn’t think that Henleaze Lake was of tactical importance to Germany). That aside there was little that should be off putting to my Client, but I have suggested that the drains are videoed before exchange of contracts; you don’t know what you might find down there…   more »

I’ve just been to Portishead, to see a pleasant detached house built in the 1970’s that, like many on the development had been extended at the front, where there was ample room to do so. Originally it was a four bedroomed house, with small bedrooms. A partition has been removed and it is now a three bedroomed house, but the rooms are seemingly lighter and brighter. It was all well appointed and largely in good condition, in what |I suspect will be reasonably quiet area, as all the noise is at the west end of the town, where Waitrose has one of it’s larger branches, at the head of the cul de sac, the largest in Europe, or so I am told…   more »

It actually means, according to my sources, a tongue of land between two streams!! The only two ‘streams’ that I know of in the area is the River Frome and the River Avon, so it’s a rather large tongue of land, so designated in St Werburgh’s. (St Werburgha lived in the sixth century and is the patron saint of pregnant ladies, so in case you don’t know, you do now!) The area was mined for coal in the 1800's and then bombed by the Luftwaffe in the 1940's, though I can’t imagine they actually had St Werburgh’s in their sights! The area also has poor structural soil strength, but despite all these problems, this house was reasonably straight, and it had a new roof, including rafters, thank you BCC and wasn’t in bad condition at all. Good, I hope that my Clients can proceed with their purchase…   more »

Is a name with which to conjure? He was in fact a celebrated mineralogist, of his day, an M.P. for Cricklade (1880 – 1992), and of course it goes without saying that he was Lord of the Manor of Horfield! So, I suppose that it also goes without saying that he had some roads in the area named after him, but what was he doing in Cricklade, one has to ask oneself? What were his expenses, as an M.P., one wonders? Why Cricklade and not Bristol? Did his wife know? Did he even have a wife? Random thoughts of a surveyor, who has just seen a pleasant mid terraced property, largely in good condition, but with a (small) leaky roof, although with a roof large enough to convert into additional accommodation in due course. The house is close to the County Cricket ground, so for the next few months at least parking should not be too difficult. Just as well the road had only one name, Bristol City Council would have difficulty in keeping the road sign otherwise – a bit like ‘There and Back Again Lane’, which I occasionally see in some apartment or othe!!!   more »

Today I have been to ‘Bris’, actually to an area of Brislington, so named after St Brice, but that’s another matter, into the 'Sands’ area, possibly so named because of the quality of the soil, where most road names have a second ‘syllable after sand, here, holm, which means a small island, or a patch of dry land, which maybe why I found most, but not all the walls dry. It was an interesting house where little had been done to change or alter it and it was well maintained and modernised in all the right places. The roof had been felted, I guess about fifty or so years ago but it was still in good condition. The walls have not moved much at all, which is great considering that a bomb exploded right out side the house in 1941 – the sands must have taken up the ‘shock’! It still retains some of the original features, so all in all, I hope that my Client is pleased with their house…   more »

On 20 September a battle was fought on, or perhaps, more correctly near to the River Alma, and was one of the more successful campaigns of the war. When it was decided to build on what was originally a deer park, these roads were so named in commemoration of it, which is where I have been today, Alma River! The house that my Client has found, probably, to use a modern colloquialism, ticks all his boxes, and one more, because I found a drainage pipe in the cellar that he can utilise without having to use a pump! A couple of the chimneys need attention, but the roofs are in ok condition for the time being, but a valley gutter needs a bit of ‘flashband’. Main gutters also need a bit of attention. Some movement is evident. Most of it is historic, but even so I am advising a video of the drains to check that all is well in that department. (Such videos are really the most boring that you can ever watch!) It does need a great deal of ‘tlc’, which my Client will be lavishing on it, no doubt by the sack full. Then let’s hope that house will last another 150 years…   more »

That would be, now let me think.. Ah, yes! Robert Cecil, the third Marquis of Salisbury, so of course he deserved to have a road name after him. Truth be known, he probably had many roads named after him in different parts of the country, but I am only dealing with Bristol, today! I think that the Third M would have been quite pleased with the way this house has been maintained, as it was largely in good condition. The original roof would have been of Welsh slate, but that probably disappeared in the 1930’s, just a guess, to be replaced with clay tiles that are of course heavier. The result is that the roof has done its natural ‘thing’, and is slightly distorted, but this is hardly visible externally. Why the roofer’s who next stripped and felted the roof, probably, and I’m guessing again, in the 1990’s did not give it any strengthening then, of course I do not know. A bit of strengthening now would not go amiss…   more »

That I don’t mind, but the wretched A39 from Bridgwater to Minehead needs scrapping and making into a dual carriage way, all the way – it’s entire length. Do it the Spanish way – just say that’s what’s going to happen, then make it happen! For nearly two whole hours I spent travelling from Bristol to this quaint little village just outside Dunster – it was worth the time, because it was just a lovely day and Somerset was really looking at her best. The cottage that I saw didn’t look too bad either, but there will be plenty to do when my Clients get there, at the week-ends for their retreat, as it has a large garden, and I’ve noticed, over the years, that things in gardens, when left to their own devices seem to have nothing other better to do than to grow! The cottage was of slightly indeterminate age, but the remaining roof timbers, nicely eaten away by death watch beetle, suggest the 1700’s and that it was an ‘end of terraced’ cottage, maybe even semi-detached many, many years ago, when Somerset was even greener…   more »

I normally associate snowdrops with early spring, but not today! Today I was in a seemingly far flung area, well that’s where my ‘sat nav’ took me, a few miles out of Bristol, down wooded,twisting narrow undulating country lanes, ready at any moment to meet a horse, or tractor or a delivery van just sitting in the lane – as he was - but at least I got there. The original cottage was possibly built in the 1800’s, or maybe even the late 1700’s, but there was precious little of it left, that it was impossible to say. It had been extended this way and that and then upwards, but at least it was all under a similar coloured tiled roof, which if nothing else, makes a change! It was all in reasonably good condition and if one likes snow drops in spring, and who doesn’t then this in a delightful cottage that my Clients have found. Now, where are the daffodil bulbs…   more »

The ancient grounds of the priory would have stretched as far as Clifton, which is where I have been today, looking at a reasonably good sized two bedroomed garden flat. It had a spacious living room, but a disappointingly small kitchen, though, perhaps to compensate a cloakroom as well as a ‘full’ bathroom. It had a parking space and large garden in which were growing two very large trees, a magnificent copper birch and a rather ordinary sycamore. They were planted well after the Prior had departed this life, but possibly shortly after this house was built. The result is rather severe cracking, probably caused by the copper tree’s roots leaching moisture from the soil, or, conversely growing below the foundations and causing some ‘heave’, but, I think this is unlikely. What is very likely is that my Client must, must ensure that the management company are aware of the problem and that they have it in hand before they proceed. Could the Prior sort this out, please???   more »

The Anglo Saxon for ‘a heap of stones is ‘ceastel’, according to one authority and to another a collapsed building, which is where the name of this street is derived. The vendor who has just renovated this mid terrace house that I saw today, built in the 1880’s or thereabouts, wouldn’t be too happy with that explanation, neither would , I guess, my Client. But, my Client needn’t worry, because the builder was doing quite a good job. It has a new roof and rain water goods, some new windows, but all are replacements and no real damage to the main walls. Good insulation, but it needs a bit of levelling, new kitchen and sanitary ware, but the old boiler still remains, a pity really. Still better than sitting round a camp fire enclose by old stones…   more »

Well, I must say there seem to be a lot of egotistical blokes around Bristol, because I was in another Street today, named after the builder! It was probably built in the 1860’s, but the Luftwaffe tried to blow these houses up in the 1940’s, though fortunately they didn’t manage to hit No.29. It had been renovated, but I couldn’t see the roof because it was all hidden by a parapet wall. However, with ladders on a single storey extension sloping roof I was able just to peer over the top. I won’t say it was a pretty site, but the long and the short of it is that in reality the roof really needs to be renewed – in its entirety. This should not put off my Client from buying the house, but they must buy it with their eyes fully open and take this into account. Otherwise it was a delightful home that was largely in good condition…   more »

I suppose that someone knows how deep is the lake in Henleaze, but who knows what is lurking down in the depths! A friend of mine goes diving in there regularly and there are others who regularly swim there, but not me! I’m better on dry land looking at houses as I did today, a 1930’s end of terraced house renovated in 2007, but the market had peaked by then and property prices had dived into the lake! Silly man did a good job internally, but he forgot that surveyor's tend to look at roofs and such like, which he forgot to remedy, so this will need to be taken into account when negotiating the sale, otherwise I can see this drowning…   more »

Well you have to be, to name a road after your self, even if you built the row of houses! Today I saw a pleasant end of terraced house that had been extended into the roof space, so making it a bit larger than William first planned. Nevertheless, the extension was well constructed and largely in good condition. It had two, probably, massive steel beams to support this extension, to please Building Regulations and it has been crossed off by Building Control to boot, so William would also have been pleased! It also had a very pleasant garden and was close to good local amenities, but I doubt William planned these…   more »

is the name of the house that I saw today. Again I can tell you that, because only my Client knows its whereabouts! It is an ‘architect designed’ house, but to an extent, most houses are ‘architect designed in the beginning, but this house was actually designed by an architect who then lived in it for some years before moving elsewhere. It was an interesting property built on three floors, a lower ground floor, mainly the garage and entrance leading up to the principal floor with two bedrooms above that, five in all. It was all in fairly good condition, but there were a couple of ‘niggles’, although I’m sure that won’t put my Clients off. Why the said architect left a solid wall where a wall of glass and another pair of patio doors would, in my opinion, been much better I don’t know. I hope that my Clients remove it – the wall and introduce the glass to open up and enliven the house, almost ‘bringing’ the garden into the house, if you see what I mean…   more »