ABSTRACT
In the course of the second half of the nineteenth century Bristol’s town council, along with other similar local government bodies in all substantial towns, found itself providing amenities for citizens which were not primarily utilitarian in the strictest sense of the word. These developments took time to become established, yet the large towns set the pattern which stimulated and encouraged others to follow. The history of the provision of municipal facilities for leisure and pleasure in Bristol were thus most directly influenced by what was happening elsewhere. This chapter will therefore seek to place their development on a comparative basis with other large cities, as well as to explore the growth of these facilities in their local context. 1
