Graffiti, Slave Trading and Combine Harvester

Bristol. The European Green capital, home to a number of Banksy’s most famous pieces and the best city to live in Britain according to The Sunday Times. Oh and also home to one of the most influential ports during the slave trade, infamously insufferable traffic and don’t even get me started on our public transport. But every city has its faults right?   

I love my city, I really do. But having lived here for all 16 years of my life I can’t help but question some of its reputations and pick apart some of its myths. For example, let’s get this out of the way. We are not all farmers, even if the majority of us sound like it. We don’t go around singing Combine Harvester all day long, I can promise you that.  

I do count myself fortunate to live in a city like Bristol, as much as I tend to complain about it. As a lover of literature and the arts I couldn't really have scored a better place to be born, well excluding London of course. Bristol is the birth place of author J K Rowling, well she was born just outside but we sure as hell are going to claim her, and artist Banksy, well a lot of his artwork lives here so he must be a local boy right? I remember walking around the streets in the centre of town as a little kid mesmerized at all the graffiti decorating, or some say littering, our walls. It really is a beautiful place. A hipster’s paradise many say. Everywhere you turn you seem to be hit by a political message sprawled across anywhere spray paintable. If you want to enjoy some deep thinking and learning to hate the world you live in I can promise you that Bristol’s art scene is the place for you.   

We are more than just the artsy place we have become though; we have a darker past that tries to stay hidden behind our artwork. During the late 1300’s to the mid-18^th century the city’s main source of income was seaborne trading. Nearly every family during that period took part in trading slaves to different parts of the world. The Bristolian’s of the time seemingly weren't really bothered about the involvement of slavery in their businesses if it meant large sums of money would be theirs. We have never really lost our links to the city’s shameful past either. Bristol’s most famous venue Colston Hall is named after Edward Colston, one of the big names in slave trading. While he’s given a great deal of money to the city, the way he gained that money was in no way ethical. In fact, our whole city was built on a less than ethical foundation. Strange how no one shouts about that as they do about Banksy.

All in all though, I’m happy I come from Bristol. As much as I do want to move away from the place, I know that I could never leave for too long. It’s where I've spent my whole life. I’ll always be a sucker for the artsy atmosphere and childhood memories that only Bristol can offer me.