Bristol Walk - Hampton House

Bristol Visit: The Old Homeopathic Hospital Gardens at Bristol

Now known as Hampton House, the purpose-built Homeopathic Hospital in Clifton, Bristol, was opened on the 20th of May 1925. Financially backed by Melville Wills, of the Wills tobacco firm, who was also President of the Hospital, the gardens were an integral part of its therapeutic design. At the time they proclaimed that ‘every ward has its own separate sun balcony for open-air treatment’, and the garden itself contained features such as revolving shelters, a pond and Pulhamite rockeries. Most are long gone but traces remain, and you can see the echoes of the domestic garden owned by Wills and his wife as well as other institutional settings. What remains of the gardens is now part of the University of Bristol estate, and on this visit Dr Clare Hickman, an expert in the history of hospital gardens, will talk about the particular history of the Homeopathic Hospital as well as share oral histories of other ‘open-air’ hospital treatments from other locations. This will encourage consideration of the interlinking of spaces, both internal and external, and the importance of nature as part of the therapeutic experience.

The site itself is quite small now and easily accessible by public transport. Most of it is physically accessible although some areas of the garden contain steps and not all the paths are entirely level. The visit will take around 2 hours with a little walking and a fair amount of standing, although there are benches within the garden for anyone that needs them. There are no toilet facilities on site but there are lots of cafes etc. nearby. Do wear appropriate clothing for the weather as there is very little cover on site.

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There are limited places available for this visit, and booking is essential. Tickets £25

Meet at the front of the building facing Cotham Hill near the mini roundabout.

Hampton House, St Michaels Hill, Cotham, Bristol, BS8 1PH at 10am and the walk will last about 2 hours.

Due to a recent Apple decision to charge a 30% fee for paid online events unfortunately you may no longer be able to purchase this ticket from the Eventbrite iOS app. Please use a web browser on desktop or mobile to purchase or follow the link here.

Read more about Dr Clare Hickman here.

Image: Hampton House ©Claire Hickman

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How to get to Hampton House, St Michaels Hill, Cotham, Bristol, BS8 1PH

The nearest local train station is Clifton Down (10 mins walk away).

There are regular buses which run from the City Centre to the Belgrave Road stop on Whiteladies Road (5 mins walk).

Service 72 (Temple Meads-UWE Frenchay) runs hourly at weekends from Bristol Temple Meads mainline rail station and stops on Cotham Road just around the corner.

There is limited pay and display parking in the area and this can be very busy.

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Hampton House, Hampton House, Bristol, United Kingdom