Avon was named after the
River Avon, which runs throughout the former county. Although the name Avon
is still used to identify the region it is no longer officially a county. The
Banham Commission recommended that it be replaced with four unitary
authorities and this came to pass in the 1996. The four authorities that
replaced Avon are: The City and County
of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, and Bath
and North East Somerset.
Avon
in home to Bristol and Bath,
with Bristol
being the major cultural and industrial centre. One of Bristol’s
most famous landmarks in the Clifton
Suspension Bridge,
designed by Isambard Kindom Brunel.
A
popular way to see Avon is by walking the
River Avon Trail. The trail runs from Pill in North Somerset to Pulteney Bridge
in Bath.
The Forest of Avon is
a community forest covering part of the area
of the four local authorities.
Avon
County Council helped establish Sustrans'
first cycleway, the Bristol & Bath Railway Path.
Famous
present and former residents of Avon include J
K Rowling, Carol Vorderman, John Cleese and Cary Grant. Also notable is Edward
Mckeever (born in Bath),
a kayaker who won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics