Bristol curiosities - Julian Lea-Jones

Perhaps because Bristol's seven hills once occupied the debatable border land between Mercia and Wessex, Bristolians have always taken an energetic and innovative approach to life. Home of the second largest Norman castle in the kingdom, Bristol was also a West Country holding of the Crusader Knights and a gateway to the New World. Over more than 700 years of endeavour, Bristol has been home to world-famous explorers, artists, inventors, entrepreneurs, pirates, merchants, politicians, divines, patriots and generals. "Bristol Curiosities" is a voyage of discovery that explores the curious events and even more curious people who made Bristol the successful city it has become over the millennia. From the immigrants whose activities enabled Bristol to claim the name 'Cradle of America', to the 'left-handed giant', city sledges, hidden bridges, strange trades, early recycling efforts and the storing of hundreds of thousands of smoking pipes, Bristol is a city that astounds and delights with its eclectic and surprising history.