Cribbs Causeway

Cribbs Causeway is a road in South Gloucestershire, England, just north of Bristol, which has given its name to the surrounding area, a large out-of-town shopping centre, including retail parks and an enclosed shopping centre known as The Mall. Cribbs Causeway road is situated west of Patchway, although in the civil parish of Almondsbury.

The road runs from the northern edge of Bristol at Henbury to a point just beyond the M5 junction 17. It now forms parts of the A4018 and B4055. The primary access routes to the shopping centre are the A4018 from Bristol, the M5 motorway and Hayes Way link to the A38.

The Hazel Brook rises at Cribbs Causeway, flowing southwards through Blaise Castle estate, before joining the River Trym.

History

The name of the road is often said to owe its name to Tom Cribb, a famous bare-knuckle boxer from the Bristol area. However, this was proved wrong in the 1960s by the discovery of a map showing the current name dated to four years prior to his 1781 birth. The book's author goes on to speculate that the true origin of the name may be from Crybe's dwelling (Crybe being a personal name), or from crib – a manger or hovel. But all that we can truly glean from this is that the causeway - i.e. the Roman road - was named for a family with the surname Cribb (which may or may not have been closely related to the boxer's family: he was from Hanham on the opposite side of Bristol). This local family was probably also commemorated in the smallholding called Crybescroft which existed in Henbury in 1281.

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Latest News for: cribbs

More shade delivered to Cribb Park dog off-leash area (Ipswich City Council)

Public Technologies 24 Apr 2025
) More shade delivered to Cribb Park dog off-leash area ... Visitors to the Cribb Park dog off-leash area can now enjoy more shade after Ipswich City Council adjusted fencing to cater for this community request.

Peter Lovesey, novelist who pioneered the historical whodunnit with his Victorian detective Cribb

AOL 11 Apr 2025
​Peter Lovesey, the crime novelist, who has died aged 88, was a pioneer of the period whodunnit, as the creator of the Victorian sleuth Sergeant Cribb.

Peter Lovesey, novelist who pioneered the period whodunnit with Victorian copper Cribb – obituary

The Daily Telegraph 11 Apr 2025
Peter Lovesey, the crime novelist, who has died aged 88, was a pioneer of the period whodunnit, as the creator of the Victorian sleuth Sergeant Cribb ... Each of the ​Cribb novels focused on some facet of late Victorian life.
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