North Filton / Brabazon

[Annetts key]

North Filton still exists as two derelict platforms. It's just to the West of the A38 bridge.

 

[The Planner]

Though one could say its named after Bristol (the aircraft manufacturer) Brabazon (the aircraft).

Could even argue for the car maker as well, they were up off Highwood Lane and in Filton too?

 

[D6975]

It says one of five new stations in the area. What's the fifth one (assuming the other four are Henbury, Bristol Brabazon, Pill and Portishead)?

Charfield. According to NR construction is already underway.

 

[Krokodil]

If a new town is being considered then Charlton would fit both honouring the history of the area and be claimed as a new station.

"Charlton Hayes" is the name of the housing estate that was built on the first part of the airfield to be sold off for housing.

 

[contrex]

Actually it's in the area of South Gloucestershire. It comes under South Gloucestershire Council. It's not actually in the city of Bristol...

The same goes Bristol Parkway! It's also comes under South Gloucestershire Council.

Yeah yeah... ditto Keynsham, Whitchurch, Kingswood, Sadly Broke, BlackOrse etc... whatever they 'come under', they're Bristol!

 

[DelW]

See 'Magor and Undy Walkway' (walkway???) and 'Okehampton Interchange' (interchange only to personal cars)

While your general point stands, AIUI at Okehampton, the intention is that the bus routes currently serving Town station via unsuitably steep and fairly narrow residential roads, will switch to the new station. These bus routes provide onward connections towards west Devon and beyond, so Interchange will then be an appropriate name.

 

[Ian Hardy]

Yeah yeah... ditto Keynsham, Whitchurch, Kingswood, Sadly Broke, BlackOrse etc... whatever they 'come under', they're Bristol!

Part of "Greater Bristol" but not in the "City of Bristol".

 

[contrex]

Part of "Greater Bristol" but not in the "City of Bristol".

That's a very pedantic take, but then I suppose I can't talk because I still feel odd seeing my childhood haunts such such as Croydon, Bromley, and Orpington described as being in 'south London' (which, of course, they have been since 1.4.1965, four days before my 13th birthday). By the way I still feel nostalgic for the City and County of Bristol.

 

[John R]

That's a very pedantic take,

It's not pedantic as it affects who you pay your council tax to, who provides services and in what manner such as refuse, green waste, tips etc.

 

[WelshBluebird]

It's not pedantic as it affects who you pay your council tax to, who provides services and in what manner such as refuse, green waste, tips etc.

But we arent talking about that here. We are talking about where a train station is for the purposes of passenger information. For what purpose which council area it is in is somewhat redundant information. And as someone else has said Bristol Parkway is already in South Gloucestershire anyway.

For all intents and purposes, when it comes to pasenger information and where people think a place is, Filton, Cribbs, and the new arena and development (including the station) in between are Bristol.

That isnt to say the council isnt important. As you say that has very real impacts on services people use (someone living in one part of Filton can use SG's tip near Patchway, but someone else living in another part of Filton would have to go out to Avonmouth or St Phillips). But maybe more importantly it can have a large impact on what stations get funded and built. Thankfully WECA tries to direct things here (indeed having the different councils like they are is exactly what we have WECA now and Avon beforehand). But i do also think maybe the boundaries need to be looked at as having the boundary in such an urban area like Filton is somewhat mad - terraced houses where your neighbour is in a different council!

 

[The exile]

But we arent talking about that here. We are talking about where a train station is for the purposes of passenger information. For what purpose which council area it is in is somewhat redundant information. And as someone else has said Bristol Parkway is already in South Gloucestershire anyway.

For all intents and purposes, when it comes to pasenger information and where people think a place is, Filton, Cribbs, and the new arena and development (including the station) in between are Bristol.

That isnt to say the council isnt important. As you say that has very real impacts on services people use (someone living in one part of Filton can use SG's tip near Patchway, but someone else living in another part of Filton would have to go out to Avonmouth or St Phillips). But maybe more importantly it can have a large impact on what stations get funded and built. Thankfully WECA tries to direct things here (indeed having the different councils like they are is exactly what we have WECA now and Avon beforehand). But i do also think maybe the boundaries need to be looked at as having the boundary in such an urban area like Filton is somewhat mad - terraced houses where your neighbour is in a different council!

Given the fact that over the Channel international frontiers run diagonally across urban crossroads, for example (and that's without going into the "delights" of Baarle-Hertog / Baarle-Nassau!); neighbours having to go to different tips is hardly the end of the world. Even having a pub with different licensing hours depending on which end of the bar you're standing is manageable!

 

[-Colly405-]

That's a very pedantic take, but then I suppose I can't talk because I still feel odd seeing my childhood haunts such such as Croydon, Bromley, and Orpington described as being in 'south London' (which, of course, they have been since 1.4.1965, four days before my 13th birthday). By the way I still feel nostalgic for the City and County of Bristol.

Living a stones throw from Bristol Parkway I am very certain (and make sure everyone knows too lol) that I live in South Gloucestershire, part of the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, and (for example) under the Lord Lieutenancy of Gloucestershire and not of Bristol. It isn't and never has been part of Bristol...

 

[contrex]

It's not pedantic as it affects who you pay your council tax to, who provides services and in what manner such as refuse, green waste, tips etc.

Living a stones throw from Bristol Parkway I am very certain (and make sure everyone knows too lol) that I live in South Gloucestershire, part of the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, and (for example) under the Lord Lieutenancy of Gloucestershire and not of Bristol. It isn't and never has been part of Bristol...

I do know where you are coming from, but I am sadly aware that ordinary folk just say 'Keynsham? Yate? Whitchurch? Bristol!' and if one insists on stuff like that, one is seen as the type of fellow who wears sleeveless jumpers with diamond patterns who everyone moves away from at parties. I always thought that the station was named because of the M32 (junction nearby) named the Bristol Parkway which was the official name for that highway.

 

[Krokodil]

Given the fact that over the Channel international frontiers run diagonally across urban crossroads, for example (and that's without going into the "delights" of Baarle-Hertog / Baarle-Nassau!); neighbours having to go to different tips is hardly the end of the world. Even having a pub with different licensing hours depending on which end of the bar you're standing is manageable!

These divisions have affected Bristol's ability to get some decent public transport. Bickering between different local authorities was why Bristol never got the planned SuperTram. Other cities now have bodies covering the entire urban responsible for public transport.

 

[contrex]

These divisions have affected Bristol's ability to get some decent public transport. Bickering between different local authorities was why Bristol never got the planned SuperTram. Other cities now have bodies covering the entire urban responsible for public transport.

Don't we have WECA now? They say they have a 'transport vision' which seems, maybe, to include green trams. I'm 74 next month, in reasonable health, and I wonder if I'll live to see any.

 

[-Colly405-]

I do know where you are coming from, but I am sadly aware that ordinary folk just say 'Keynsham? Yate? Whitchurch? Bristol!' and if one insists on stuff like that, one is seen as the type of fellow who wears sleeveless jumpers with diamond patterns who everyone moves away from at parties. I always thought that the station was named because of the M32 (junction nearby) named the Bristol Parkway which was the official name for that highway.

Yes, the Parkway is (was?) the name of the M32. I genuinely don't know anyone who calls it that though. Anyone in the Bristol area talking about "Parkway" is referring to the station.

 

[Annetts key]

I do know where you are coming from, but I am sadly aware that ordinary folk just say 'Keynsham? Yate? Whitchurch? Bristol!' and if one insists on stuff like that, one is seen as the type of fellow who wears sleeveless jumpers with diamond patterns who everyone moves away from at parties.

Keynsham and Yate, have countryside between them and Bristol, so suggesting that they are part of, or associated with Bristol is incorrect. Yes, they are near to Bristol, but then so is Bath...

Don't we have WECA now? They say they have a 'transport vision' which seems, maybe, to include green trams. I'm 74 next month, in reasonable health, and I wonder if I'll live to see any.

Not a chance. The real holdup is that there is no money. Unless central government provides most of the massive amount of money needed, there will be no comprehensive metro or tram system. You will get more trains on the existing railway lines. May get more railway stations. May eventually even get some new (fairly short) metro lines and at some point may get some metro trains that run on the railway lines. They may even convert the guided bus way to a metro line.

Instead what you will get is more battery electric buses.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Mar 2026 ==

Yes, the Parkway is (was?) the name of the M32. I genuinely don't know anyone who calls it that though. Anyone in the Bristol area talking about "Parkway" is referring to the station.

The M32 is called a car park car far more often than Parkway...

And the area around Bristol Parkway during rush hour is a road traffic nightmare.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Mar 2026 ==

Anyway, one of the problems with including Bristol as part of the name of stations that are not actually in Bristol is that it may cause confusion for passengers. More than once, passengers for Bristol Parkway or Bristol Temple Meads have found themselves on the wrong train or have ended up at the wrong station. Adding another station with Bristol as part of the name may also cause confusion if passengers think it's in Bristol, or on the same line as one or both of the other two Bristol named stations.

And no one calls any of the other stations in or near Bristol, "Bristol".

 

[contrex]

Yes, the Parkway is (was?) the name of the M32. I genuinely don't know anyone who calls it that though. Anyone in the Bristol area talking about "Parkway" is referring to the station.

I've lived in Bristol since 1971, and for most of that time less than a mile from the M32, and I've never heard anyone call it the Parkway. I live now round the corner from Parkway Methodist Church, founded 1970, though.

 

[Snow1964]

Brabazon is one of the 7 new towns in today's Government announcement

The locations of seven new towns have been named for consideration as part of the most ambitious housebuilding programme in more than half a century.

Built for the future from the ground up, the next generation of new towns will create well-connected new communities with homes, jobs, schools, green space and transport links planned from the start.

Each proposed location is expected to deliver at least 10,000 homes, with several delivering 40,000 or more in the decades to come.

The proposed locations are:

• Tempsford, Bedfordshire — up to 40,000 homes built around a new East West Rail station, linking residents to Cambridge, Oxford, London and Milton Keynes
• Crews Hill and Chase Park, Enfield — up to 21,000 homes helping to meet London’s acute housing need
• Leeds South Bank, West Yorkshire — up to 20,000 homes capitalising on the city’s economic momentum and the government’s £2.1 billion local transport investment
• Manchester Victoria North, Greater Manchester — at least 15,000 homes regenerating the heart of Greater Manchester, with a new Metrolink stop connecting residents to jobs across the city
• Thamesmead, Greenwich — up to 15,000 homes unlocking inaccessible riverside land in London, enabled by the planned Docklands Light Railway extension
• Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc, South Gloucestershire — up to 40,000 homes at the heart of a world-class research and advanced engineering economy
• Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire — building on its history as one of the original new towns, to take forward the ‘renewed town’ vision to expand the city by around 40,000 homes and reinvigorate the centre with a new local transport system, boosting connectivity in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor

Furthermore, as part of the government’s drive to instil pride in our communities, these towns will be designed for modern, everyday life – with neighbourhoods that people can easily get around without a car, shared green spaces and vibrant high streets.

Seven new towns proposed to kickstart housebuilding push

Seven locations proposed as new towns with each location delivering at least 10,000 homes with several delivering up to 40,000.

www.gov.uk

 

[The exile]

I've lived in Bristol since 1971, and for most of that time less than a mile from the M32, and I've never heard anyone call it the Parkway. I live now round the corner from Parkway Methodist Church, founded 1970, though.

AFAIK it was the early term for the M32 (probably before it was built) to make it sound “nice” (taking its inspiration from the Portway- a name which has stuck). Naming the station after it ironically provably killed off any remaining use of the name for the road.

 

[contrex]

AFAIK it was the early term for the M32 (probably before it was built) to make it sound “nice” (taking its inspiration from the Portway- a name which has stuck). Naming the station after it ironically provably killed off any remaining use of the name for the road.

When I worked for the Ordnance Survey from 1971 to 1974 I heard people calling the first part built the 'Hambrook Spur'; they also called the M50 the 'Ross Spur'.

 

[Gloster]

When I worked for the Ordnance Survey from 1971 to 1974 I heard people calling the first part built the 'Hambrook Spur'; they also called the M50 the 'Ross Spur'.

My father, who was one of the civil engineers on the project, always referred to it as the Ross Spur.

 

[The exile]

When I worked for the Ordnance Survey from 1971 to 1974 I heard people calling the first part built the 'Hambrook Spur'; they also called the M50 the 'Ross Spur'.

That’s the “insider terminology” though, rather than the one for the general public. There was definitely an attempt to call it “The Parkway”, which does sound much more pleasant than “urban motorway spur”!

 

[-Colly405-]

I've lived in Bristol since 1971, and for most of that time less than a mile from the M32, and I've never heard anyone call it the Parkway. I live now round the corner from Parkway Methodist Church, founded 1970, though.

When I moved to Bristol South Gloucestershire in '92 I had links with the Methodist Church in the area and could never understand why Parkway church was named the same as a station miles away

When I worked for the Ordnance Survey from 1971 to 1974 I heard people calling the first part built the 'Hambrook Spur'; they also called the M50 the 'Ross Spur'.

I still call it the Ross Spur. Am I odd?

Anyway, one of the problems with including Bristol as part of the name of stations that are not actually in Bristol is that it may cause confusion for passengers. More than once, passengers for Bristol Parkway or Bristol Temple Meads have found themselves on the wrong train or have ended up at the wrong station. Adding another station with Bristol as part of the name may also cause confusion if passengers think it's in Bristol, or on the same line as one or both of the other two Bristol named stations.

Our office is on Harbourside. A colleague from Yorkshire was coming on the train to Bristol, and got off at Parkway as it was the first thing she saw that said Bristol. To this day, she still has to check which station to get off at...

 

[contrex]

Our office is on Harbourside. A colleague from Yorkshire was coming on the train to Bristol, and got off at Parkway as it was the first thing she saw that said Bristol. To this day, she still has to check which station to get off at...

I still call it the Ross Spur. Maybe I'm unusual (and my wife too) but if we're going somewhere new, we prepare ourselves using, in the old days road atlases, maps, and timetables, and nowadays Google Maps and Rail Enquiries.

Parkway Lighting is on Fishponds Road, practically in sight of Junction 2 of the, er, Parkway. Parkway Mercedes is a bit further up the same road. Parkway Automobile Engineering is nearby in Parnall Road.

 

[John R]

Another one that still calls it the Ross Spur…

 

[SerialComplain]

By the way I still feel nostalgic for the City and County of Bristol.

The City and County of Bristol was, you'll be pleased to hear, reinstated following the abolishment of Avon in the 1990s, with its own Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff

 

[jazzy]

BBC news: New train stations could connect city's outskirts
If I understand this article correctly, I think it means a potential direct Portishead to Brabazon service. I'd be very happy if this also resulted in an increase on the 1 tph service that Ashley Down currently has...

 

[contrex]

The arena will be inside the hangar built specifically to build the Brabazon so the connection is pretty strong. Once you've exhausted "Concorde", "Charlton" [the village demolished to extend the runway] "Pegasus", "Merlin" and "Olympus" how many possible names are left? "Concorde" branding in particular has been used to death in South Gloucestershire.

The Brabazon itself might have been a failure but it laid the groundwork for more successful airliners like the Britannia.

I nipped up to the mall at Cribbs Causeway using the m4 bus which has been re-routed via the Brabazon area, and my God! it looks like the a*se-end of Hell. Block after grim-faced block of flats that would not have been out of place in East Germany, and dozens of rows of dreary little 'houses' all built at once. Ring-road life is not for me! Oh yes, and I spotted a Bolingbroke Way so there's an aviation link. And Belvedere Close is another.

 

[Benjwri]

I nipped up to the mall at Cribbs Causeway using the m4 bus which has been re-routed via the Brabazon area, and my God! it looks like the a*se-end of Hell. Block after grim-faced block of flats that would not have been out of place in East Germany, and dozens of rows of dreary little 'houses' all built at once. Ring-road life is not for me! Oh yes, and I spotted a Bolingbroke Way so there's an aviation link. And Belvedere Close is another.

I was up there last week and thought they weren’t too bad. Not the prettiest but I’ve certainly seen a lot worse. A pleasing amount of greenery. Certainly a lot more than thought and effort has gone in than some sites I’ve visited.

It’s high density, but if we insist that only brownfield sites can be used that’s what we will be left with.