Bristol

How did a small Saxon settlement become one of England's greatest ports?

Why did John Cabot sail from Bristol in search of a route across the Atlantic?

How did the slave trade transform the city's fortunes?

And how did Brunel, the Blitz, Concorde, Banksy and the fall of Edward Colston's statue shape the Bristol we know today?

30 Minute Cities: Bristol tells the remarkable story of a city that has repeatedly reinvented itself.

Beginning with the settlement of Brycgstow beside the River Avon, discover how Bristol became one of medieval England's richest trading centres before its merchants began looking west across the Atlantic. Follow John Cabot aboard the Matthew, explore Bristol's controversial role in the transatlantic slave trade, and see how Georgian wealth transformed the city.

Then enter the extraordinary age of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, when the Great Western Railway, SS Great Britain and Clifton Suspension Bridge helped make Bristol a showcase for Victorian engineering.

Experience the destruction of the Bristol Blitz, the rise of the aerospace industry at Filton, the development of Concorde, the decline and rebirth of the historic docks, and the cultural explosion that produced Massive Attack, Portishead and Banksy.

Finally, discover how the toppling of Edward Colston's statue in 2020 forced Bristol-and Britain-to confront difficult questions about slavery, memory and the people commemorated in public spaces.

Inside you'll discover:

• How Bristol grew from a Saxon bridge settlement into a major medieval port

• Why John Cabot sailed from Bristol to North America in 1497

• How Bristol became deeply involved in the Atlantic slave trade

• How the Floating Harbour transformed the docks

• Why Brunel chose Bristol for some of his greatest engineering projects

• How German bombing devastated the city during the Second World War

• Why Filton became one of Britain's great centres of aviation

• How Bristol's abandoned docks became one of Britain's most successful regenerated waterfronts

• The stories behind Concorde, the Bristol Sound, Banksy and the Colston statue

• A Walking Through Bristol chapter connecting the city's history to the places you can still visit today

Concise, engaging and designed to be read in around half an hour, 30 Minute Cities: Bristol is the perfect introduction for visitors, history lovers and anyone who wants to understand the extraordinary story behind one of Britain's most distinctive cities.

One city. A thousand years of history. Thirty minutes.