Bristol is the United Kingdom's eighth most populous city (with a population
of approximately 421,000) and the most populated city in South West England,
making it a core city in England. It received a Royal Charter in 1155 and was
granted county status in 1373. From the 13th century, for half a millennium, it
ranked amongst the top three English cities after London, alongside York and
Norwich, until the rapid rise of Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester during
the Industrial Revolution in the latter part of the 18th century. Bristol
borders the counties of Somerset and Gloucestershire and is also near the
historic
