Staple Hill, Gloucestershire

Staple Hill is a suburb of Bristol, located in South Gloucestershire, England. It is situated to the north-east of Bristol, east of Fishponds, south of Downend, west of Mangotsfield and north of Kingswood.

The strange name Staple Hill may derive from the old English word steap meaning steep, but it is more likely to have described a long-lost pillar, post or standing stone – known as stay pole, shortened to stapol or staple.''

Staple Hill lies on the path of the old Midland Railway line, one of the original reasons for its growth. Today Staple Hill has a thriving high street, and an attractive park in Page Park, which has been improved by volunteers from the community in recent years and celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2010.

Governance
Staple Hill is in the Staple Hill ward of South Gloucestershire.

The elections on May 5th 2011 returned two Labour Councillors, Shirley Potts and Ian Boulton

Schools

 * The Tynings School

Railway and cycle path
Staple Hill was served by its own station, on the Bristol branch of the Bristol and Gloucester Railway. However, the line was part of Dr Beeching's railway closures in the 1960s. Stopping services on the Bristol to Gloucester line ceased along with general goods traffic on 17 May 1965, and the station then closed to all goods traffic on 31 December 1965. But trains continued between Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Green Park until 7 March 1966. The signal box remained open until 12 April 1968, when most of the station buildings where demolished. The line through the station was due to close on 3 January 1970, but a landslip led to its closure a week early.

The railway line and the station site is now part of the Bristol & Bath Railway cycle route, one of the Sustrans National Cycle routes. Staple Hill tunnel is a well recognised part of this route.

Bus
First Group operate bus travel around Bristol. The following services serve Staple Hill:


 * 5: Bristol Centre - Staple Hill via Stapleton, Fishponds, Oldbury Court, Downend, Mangotsfield
 * 7: Bristol Centre - Staple Hill
 * 49: Bristol Centre - Emersons Green via Eastville, Fishponds, Staple Hill, Blackhorse
 * 318: Keynsham - Cribbs Causeway via Kingswood, Staple Hill, Downend, Parkway
 * 319: Bath - Cribbs Causeway via Bitton, Kingswood, Staple Hill, Downend, Parkway