How people moved both themselves and their goods has left many traces, and has shaped where and how we live and the environments we live in. The Roman military occupation brought paved roads, not least the fosseway. They were not much improved on until the turnpikes of the 18th century, by which time canals had arrived, followed by railways, and later by motorways. Meanwhile huge quantities of goods were shifted by ship, and Bristol became an international port. Coal gave rise to mineral tramways, including the dramway linking south Gloucestershire’s coalfield with the Avon. Some railways were very local and specialised, eg at Clifton. In the 19th century when the population grew, the victorians had to work out how to cope with congestion, and reshaped our cities.

Speakers lined up represent different modes of transport and different parts of our area. They include Bev Knott on Roman roads, military and non-military, in Avon, especially north Somerset; Dr Jonathan Harlow on traffic through the port of Bristol in the later 17th century; David Hardwick on the dramway; Professor Peter Malpass on getting around in victorian Bristol and the knock-on effects of their solutions; and Maggie Shapland on the Clifton Rocks Railway.