Clifton campus
See how our campus is integrated into the city with our virtual tour.
Characterised by an eclectic mix of architecture, buildings on the Clifton campus range from the Victorian villas of tree-lined Priory Road, to the ultra-modern £56m Life Sciences Building. The historic parts of the campus include the HH Wills Memorial Building, which has overlooked the city from its vantage point at the top of Park Street since 1925, and the Grade I listed Royal Fort Gardens, formerly part of the large 18th-century estate of the Tyndall family.
The recently refurbished Senate House, completed in 2021, has been transformed into a student hub at the centre of campus. New and upgraded spaces include the SU Loft, the Global Lounge, the leafy atrium Marketplace, multi-faith prayer space and SU Living Room, bringing together support services, social space and the Students’ Union.
We continue to develop our campus through the reinvigoration of rich heritage sites, such as the renovated Fry Building, and integrating existing Grade II buildings with state-of-the-art extensions, as seen in the new School of Humanities building, opened in 2020.
The Clifton campus features beautiful gardens and green spaces including Royal Fort Gardens, Priory Road and Woodland Road Gardens for staff and students to enjoy and explore.
The Richmond Building, home to the Bristol Students’ Union, is a short walk from the main campus, minutes from the bustle of the Triangle at the top of Park Street.
Facilities
The campus is populated with eight of our nine libraries, as well as six study space centres, to provide 3,400 study spaces for both collaborative co-working and silent study. IT facilities and expert support can also be accessed in academic departments, with Wi-Fi available across the campus.
Our nine source cafes offer a wide range of places to eat on campus, as well as spots to meet and socialise. The SU-led Balloon Bar and Beckford also serve drinks and hold a variety of social events, from pub quizzes to karaoke nights.
The University’s sporting facilities are excellent. The Clifton campus houses an indoor sports centre, health and fitness suite and sports medicine clinic, which underwent a £180,000refurbishment in 2023. The University’s 38-acre outdoor sports complex at Coombe Dingle in Stoke Bishop is a 30-minute walk or a short bus ride from the campus.
The Richmond Building offers state-of-the-art facilities, including two theatres, a 33-metre swimming pool, café-bars, dance studios and the Anson Rooms, one of the city’s largest gig venues.
What’s nearby?
The University is ideally located for exploring Bristol’s many cultural attractions, shops and green spaces on foot, by cycle or on public transport.
A short walk down Park Street brings you to the city’s cultural and festival hub at the Harbourside and the central shopping district, which includes Broadmead and Cabot Circus shopping centres and renowned foodie desitination St Nicholas Market.
Transport
Bristol has excellent transport links and the campus’s central location makes it easy to reach by road (M4 and M5), rail (Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads) or from Bristol Airport.
Clifton campus is well served by bus routes; buses 8 and 9 run from Bristol Temple Meads station every 6 minutes during peak times and stop in several locations around the University campus. The campus is a 30 minute walk from the city’s coach station or rail station at Bristol Temple Meads.
Buses connect the Clifton campus to the student residence at Stoke Bishop (U2 university bus service) and Langford Campus.
For more directions to the campus and maps of the campus and surrounding area, see how to get here.