Kingswood

Kingswood is a town on the eastern fringe of the Bristol conurbation, within the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire. Historically it grew out of the old Kingswood Forest and became important in the 18th and 19th centuries for coal mining and chapel-based religious activity - John Wesley’s work in the area is a notable part of its cultural legacy. Administratively it was in the short-lived county of Avon between 1974 and 1996 before returning to South Gloucestershire.

Today Kingswood is largely suburban, with mixed housing, local industry and retail serving a diverse community and many people commuting into central Bristol. The town has seen regeneration in recent decades, shifting from its industrial roots towards services, light industrial estates and improved leisure and green spaces, while still retaining reminders of its mining and Methodist past.