#Bristol - #the skyline speared #by the University's Wills Memorial Building. #Many of the other buildings of the University Precinct are equally impressive: #the Victorian houses which are now the Arts department and #the 18th century Royal Fort House to name but two. #The eminently bomb-able Union building, however, lets the side down. #Bristol is effectively the capital of the south-west. #There's no use thinking this is a small time small town, #although its not as cosmopolitan as the big boys like London, Brum or Manchester. #Back in the 17th century, it used to be, but the maritime industry has gone and the docks have been redeveloped with offices for yapping yuppies. #Elsewhere the night life leaves walls permanently dripping with metaphorical red paint #from clubs to culture and back again. #The feel of the University is competitively academic - the library's a biggy. #This is one of the so-called green welly universities, #popular with Sloanes and Oxbridge rejects. #The students are serious and busy, #but during the evenings, the Union Buildings Epi bar or #club nights in the Avon Gorge Studio become the bulls-eye of the social darts board. #Its almost dead in the mornings, #though - after the evenings before, that's understandable. #It is claimed that Bristol has more restaurants per head than any other English city, #but its not all posh nosh. #There's an unheavenly host of fast food fall-outs and the Union feeds the masses in its choice of chomperies. #The Unions building is one of the largest and best equipped in the country. #The Union itself is slickly run and has a significant say in the University, #but despite all this, it still doesn't manage to attract anything like universal interest from students #who cant even be bothered to be politically apathetic. #They do, however, take part in a lot of clubs, #from the sublime student community action group to the ridiculous Society for Putting Things on Top of Other Things. #Student journalism is strong, as is drama. There are 4 university theatres. #As for sport, pull on your boots and flex those pecs. #The University's a home for limber limbs, #winning many a trophy in all sorts of sports especially riding, rowing, fencing, rugby and sailing. #The emphasis is on sports for the sporty, but couch potatoes are gently persuaded to uproot. #2 out of every 5 students live in university accommodation, #but basically they're all first years. #About half the places are self-catering and although the cost is fairly average, #1 in 5 has to share. #The choices are in three areas, #the largest being at Stoke Bishop nearly 2 miles from the University precinct. #Most of the rest are only two thirds of a mile away in the 3 halls near the gorgeous gorge at Clifton. #There are a few around the Precinct itself. #After the first year, finding suitable housing in Bristol is almost as easy as finding a haystack on a needle. #Early birds catch the best nests in Bishopston, Cotham, #Clifton and Redland. #Later foragers can find themselves in fairly rough 'n' tough areas, although local relations are generally good. #Wherever students lay their hat, its hard to park their car. #Although local rents aren't too outrageous, the cost of living is quite high, #but since many students aren't the kind that qualify for a full grant, #overdrafts don't tend to put the Brazilian national debt in the shade.
