Totterdown, Bristol
Plain, sourced guides to the hillside neighbourhood above Temple Meads: its steep streets and coloured houses, its history, what's on, and what's changing.
Residents' parking: the council's survey on a Totterdown scheme closes on 5 November 2026. See what's proposedGuides
What is Totterdown?
Totterdown is a neighbourhood in south Bristol, on the steep hill above the River Avon and Temple Meads station, in the city's Windmill Hill ward. In short:
- It was built in late Victorian times to house railway workers, and many of its terraces are now painted in bright colours. History
- Vale Street, with an average gradient of about 21.8%, was named England's steepest residential street by Ordnance Survey in 2019, and was briefly home to Banksy's "Aachoo!!" mural. Vale Street
- More than 500 homes and businesses were demolished from about 1968 for a ring road that was never built. The lost road
- Homes sold for an average of £374,399 in the year to early 2026. House prices
- The Totterdown Arts Trail, held since 2001, returns on 14 and 15 November 2026. Arts trail
Each figure is sourced on the linked guide. This site is about Totterdown in Bristol; Totterdown Fields in Tooting, London, is a different place.