Broadmead regeneration

Tom
Merchants Quarter is so much better!! They named it Cabot Circus because theyre all clowns!!!

luke
dont worry about the name of the place, the design and detailing of the building is shocking!typical Bristol CC for allowing such a design.

Ben
And so polictics is driven by the vocal minority..."Merchant Quater" worked on so many levels - merchantID is still used for switch/till today."Quater" for a historical port city.It's was a great name that has been supplanted by work place for clowns...If people find "Merchant Quater" synonymous with "Slaver Quater" than "Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery - none but ourselves can free our minds"

Alison Root
im doing a school project on the new broadmead and my friends and i think that it is a really interesting thing and we really cant wait to go shopping there!

ayesha
Circus? what a pethetic name! what.. did a monkey swinging on a balence beam think of that!! No mater what they name it, it will ALWAYS be Broadmead!!!

JD, Knowle.
Excellent choice.

Matt
i think this is amazing. it is long overdue and it is such a boring wait.

Alex
Cabot Circus is too hard to say we need something with 1 syllable.omg how can merchnats quarter be affensive i wish people would get over them selves. the spend all day protesting against a name they must have no lives. i think great west would have been great then people would have called it west. which is easy to say

George Eric Mewis
'Cabot Circus' is a good name for the new shopping/recreation area, considering John Cabot in his day(equal to Brunel in his)did more for the historical enhancement of Bristol, than any native Bristolian. Yours truly, GEM

james
ew, I'm not buying clothes from a circus. baggy pants with oversize pockets, huge shoes, funny colours...or tight green lycra and sequins.See you all at Cribbs Instead.

Ben
It's crazy. Why would you rename it something like that? It something that just puts weird images in your head. There is a selection bigger than Broadmead, sorry, Cabot Circus they could have chosen for the name.

Clive Holloway, Toronto, Canada
Having reread all of the comments on the renaming of Broadmead after John Cabot, perhaps one should look at the North American First Nations point of view. Cabot opened the routes to a land already the home of the Beothuk and Mi'kmaq peoples who were then ruthlessly enslaved or exterminated. Perhaps Broadmead should be renamed Mi'kmaq Memorial Place.

Clive Holloway, Toronto, Canada
I seem to recall a taking the bus to the Horsefair and Old Market in that general area as a child. There surely must be a better choice of name than Cabot Circus. Square or Place would be better, and there must be a lot of famous Bristolians who haven't yet been dignified with a memorial.

Sarah
Cabot Circus is awful, I thought Mrchants Quarter was a much better name. If its politically incorrect then are there they going to start changing road names such as Black Boy Hill and Whiteladies Road around Bristol?

Sheila
Stupid name should have been Mariners Quarter. This would not have offended anyone - make sense with Bristol being a port!

Scott Salter
Absolutely stupid. It's a shopping Centre, not a circus! When they do call it Cabot Circus, I will still call it Broadmead or town!

mark
utterly ridiculous, stupid name. Merchant's Quarter was a brilliant choice and perfect for the city. typical of this crumby council to give this shopping centre a rubbish image before it's even been completed! utter, utter, utter rubbish.

Josh White
Drive off the M32, your first sight is a new dull plain white wall..Banksy,here is your canvas. YOU name the centre :)

elaine van-tull
I am originally from bristol, and I am appalled that through certain factions complaining about the controversial name Merchants Quarter was being dropped. i think it is stupid, and what happened all those years ago that happened a long time ago before I were born, it it is ludicrous to think that people should moan about it, when i was at school in the 50's and 60's part of our histoiry lesson was regarding Bristol its port, history and the slave trade. Ok the new name that you have given it is alright, but I cant see anything wrong with the other name that you were originally going to name the new broadmead redevelopment, mind Bristol wont be the same place as i remember it, but i suppose we all have to nowadays have some sort of modern buildings in our towns.

Andree
I have lived in Bristol since 1972 and it will always be BROADMEAD.

Carl
An incredibly ill-informed choice. I suspect that eventually it will be dropped and it will simply be known as Broadmead. Next up: Park Street rebranded Bohemia Mile...

tinaye
that is bad

Jon Martin
What a stupid name. It will always be Broadmead.

Adam
We pronounce it "CABOT" because the uneducated couldn't pronounce his name correctly...and CIRCUS = clowns. wow!! a double serving of "stupid" in one palce name. Apart from those two words, i have no objection to the name. Please remember to vote in the council elections.

Kirstie
What bunch of clowns thought up a name like Cabot Circus??

Chris
Circus? oh dear..... I thought Merchants Quarter was perfect myself, Offensive? please, its an area full of shops!!!

Anthony Parry
The truth is that no matter what the new development is called, every single bristolian person will still call it 'down town' or Broadmead! They should have just saved the presumably thousands of pounds spent on meetings and marketing experts to come up with the name and just stuck with Broadmead!

Mark
Circus? Circus is latin for circle, as in a roman arena, something round. Is there anything in the new development to justify the name or is it simply a misnomer and has been chosen "coz it sounds good"? Very strange behaviour if you ask me. Plaza wouldn't be so bad but why adopt a foreign name and a foreign suffix? Gets me. Saying that it's not a broad mead any longer but at least is has some revelance to the area.

Michael Fletcher
Personally I would like to see it be called 'Merchant's Quarter', but I think its far too far in the game to go back to that. I like -mead since its fairly unique to Bristol. -circus makes it too wanabe London (oxford circus). Steve: in response to your animal rights argument, I believe the context of circus is more in reference to the fact that it is a circle/area rather than a place where you would expect to see clowns!

Josh
I think the name 'Cabot' is terrible when everyone who lives in bristol will just call it 'town' or 'broadmead'. There is no point in giving it a dfferent name. if they were going to call it something they should of called is 'Merchant's Quarter' or nothing at all

joan weir
Perfectly O.K. to have Cabot Circus,although Merchants' Quarter is far better.

Babs
Where is the circus then? Shouldn't a circus be at least round? And anyway - what was wrong with Broadmead? We were not given that particular choice. I am convinced everyone will still be going to 'Broadmead' , no matter what the new name.

Carly - From Bristol, but in Norwich
I've only just heard about this - I honestly thought that the person who told me was joking! It is horrendous!!! I personally never liked Broadmead as it reminded me of chavs, but this takes the Biscuit! – Return to Merchants Quarter Please - much more classy and appropriate.

RUPERT BARE
being bristol born and bred and being proud of it why not give it a good bristol name like broadmead bristol then we van still go on calling it broadmead

DEW
english white bristol born and bred and proud of it so why dont we give it a good english name like Broadmead Bristol

Ian M
And stop blaming the council for the name. They may need to be criticised for a lot of things, but they didn't choose the name - the Bristol Alliance did.

Ian M
If Drake Circus is good enough for the new shopping centre in Plymouth, then Cabot Circus is fine for Bristol. Broadmead will still be there - Cabot Circus will be part of it, in the same way as the Galleries are. Why don't people stop whinging, and be thankful we are about to get an exciting modern development? There are far more important things going on in the world!

Ian Thompson
The dictionary defines a 'Circus' as being; anything resembling the Roman circus, or arena, as a natural amphitheater or a circular range of houses. Along with the predictable; a troupe of performers, esp. a traveling troupe, that presents such entertainments, together with officials, other employees, and the company's performing animals, traveling wagons, tents, cages, and equipment. Now, I may be a bit stupid, but what on earth has that got to do with a shopping centre??? It's not even bloody round!!!!!!

Tom presently in Bolivia
Well, after working in the centre for 2 years "circus" seems quite appropriate. But for the wrong reasons. Maybe a tiger or two on the waterfront would make it a safer place on the weekends for those of us NOT looking for a fight. I think something paying homage to one of Bristol´s finest is good but the name is a bit stupid. Everyone will call it broadmead anyway.

steve, london
i can see why they called it Cabot Circus,sounds pretty catchy.

Sara Holbrook
Not keen,Cabot Circus sounds dated. The name should be simpler to reflect the contemporary style of the development. I think Bristolians will still call it Broadmead,purely out of habit

Ben
Unless it looks anything like Piccadilly Circus once finished, i suppose it might sound pretty cool like the Bristol equivalent 'Cabbot Circus' i just dont understand why they changed the name in the first place, i'll still call it Broadmead or 'town'

Phil
If it's going to be anything like Broadmead, they could just be honest and call it "Chav Central" :)

Christian - Clifton
Awful, just awful. I hear that Jerry Cottle has re-named his circus after a shopping Centre! Why was only the first part of the name put to a public vote. Typical Bristol, 15 years behind the times...Like the concert venue and a decent stadium for Bristol Rovers.

Jennifer
I think that Cabot Circus is a stupid name and should be changed, I shall still call it Broadmead, I reckon it will give Bristol a bad name.

Paula
Everyone knows it as broadmead, Myself and others belive it should stay the same.

joe public
public vote ? never heard that one why did you not put it to a competition and offer a prize ? you may have got a really good name !

Mark O
How about the 'Acker Bilk Plaza' ?

david martyn
I don't understand why "Circus". it isn't even vauguely circular. It seems to be it is just a fancy word added as a suffix and someone had no idea what it meant.

david martyn
I don't understand why "Circus". it isn't even vauguely circular. It seems to be it is just a fancy word added as a suffix and someone had no idea what it meant.

mike Jackson
I'm sure most people prefer Merchants Quarter. Imagine getting on the bus and asking for the Circus!!! You could well finish up on Durham Down.

Steve
They should have stuck with Merchant's Quarter, far more appropriate to a shopping centre. You'll probably get the Animal Rights people now complaining about possible links to the cruel treatment of animals in circuses....as someone said most shoppers will call it Broadmead anyway !!

Lord D
Cabot circus? Who came up with this marvellous name? I think dear old Johnny would be most gratified to know that so much effort and time, not to mention resource has been thrown at the quest for such a fitting name for this flagship of the west. Well I say three cheers for Cabot's Quarter and hooray for Isambards Circus. I for one will be only too happy to aim a bottle of shampers at the prow of this great and noble vessel that we know and love despite the unkindness heaped upon her by the toadying wretches of Ms Janke's administration! Must go. I think I can hear Avon calling. Hoorah!

Elz
I think the name is horrible, I makes Bristol seem like a joke and it should just stay broadmead there was nothing wrong with that.

Neil, Netherlands (ex Bristol)
My mother still lives in Bristol and often complains about modern life in Blair's England...but this is beyond a joke - your clown Council has gone mad...

Andy L
I'm sorry that name seems so odd that it reminds me of that other famous circus. Monty Pythons Flying one to be precise!

Jim
Out of all the names... Why circus? I have no problem with the Cabot bit but why not something like Cabot Center.

Jane Groome
What a dreadful name. To me it will always be Broadmead or " I'm Going into town " !

Darren
What a load of..... well lets say rubbish. Pandering to the PC crowd. Well what about Circus! I protest, exploitation of animals and freaks in times gone by. I can see an E-Petition being created on the gov website.

Amy Atkinson
Whatever the name is I shall still call it Broadmead!

Yvonne
What a ridiculous names thought up by the clowns. as a descendent of slaves i'm finding the entire naming issues a right farce. Merchants quarter was fine and so thinks every other black person I know.

victoria lane
this is not a name that represents what this development has proposed it would be, harvey nicks in a circus!! it spound ridiculus should we not have had more say in the final decision?????

Russ
Dislike the name. Although it won't make much of a difference to me, as I shall always call is Broadmead.

Nestor Makhno
Why use the Anglicised form of his name. Surely, 'Giovanni Caboto Plaza' would be more appropriate if we are to observe historical niceties.

Jon Watkins, Redfield
Cabots's Circus does sound daft - doesn't quite work as you actually say it. Cabots Quarter would have been better - uses the local Cabot connection, and 'Quarter' is a better word for a shopping district then 'circus'. Bristol isn't the London West End.

Paul
Cabot's Yard would be a great name but Circus makes it sound like a horrible place!

Alan from Clifton
If we are to be politically correct shouldn't it be called Caboto Circus?

Jo Jo
Cabot Circus, is this a joke. Merchants Quater was fine, who said it had anything to cdo with Slavery. Why not call it Cabot Concourse?

Amazed
What a stupid name! I really do think that the Council should give it the name that the majority voted for...Merchants Quarter and should stop giving in to the ultra pc elements in Bristol. Slave heritage - get over it!

Dave
`I hope someone from the council looks at this web page so they can actually see the overwhelming opinions of "the people" 88% of people against! that is a land slide

Nicola Ash
Ridiculous. It's makes Bristol look like a joke. There was nothing wrong with Merchants Quarter. It sounded upmarket and like a true city shopping area. Nothing to do with slavery. Just merchants trading in one quarter or the city. Cabot Quarter would be marginally better. Anything but 'Circus'

Leyton Rhodes
Be fair the clowns running our City need somewhere other than College Green to meet. I can't think of anything better than calling it a circus, at least this White Elephant will have a suitable name to perform in.

Krusty The Clown
No comment.... Actually i think the name is a load of pap! Shame on the person who thought if it. You might as well of called it Krustyville and built the buildings out of dougnuts and had Umpa Lumpa's guarding the streets of Bristol.

sue
typical of this council rubbish! iexpect the pc brigade will find something wrong with this! lets have lots more meetings to discuss it and waste yet more of our exorbitant council tax

Natasha Leschinski
The public were asked for the first part of the name and we chose Cabot. Why don't we have a pole to choose the second part?

Debbie Pearce
It is truly dreadful .... but what should we expect from a one-star council??

Sue
Merchants Quarter was much more appropriate than Cabot Cirus. Who would think of shopping at a circus?

Dave M
A waste of time and money... Fred Carnos Circus springs to mind!

Niki
All of this just goes to show how far removed from the public the council really are. It seems like they're just trying to make Bristol into any other city with ideas like "well, Oxford Circus is a successful shopping destination so let's be a wannabe London." Let's have Bristol show it's own unique identity, it's a brilliant, vibrant city, despite all the congestion issues and Merchants Quarter or Broadmead would be perfectly fine. A lot of us love Bristol because it's NOT like London or any other metropolis!

John Carter
Who was the clown who thought this up? It will always be BROADMEAD or better still MERCHANTS QUARTER

Pete Hill
How about renaming the council - Bristol City Circus Council - much more appropriate.

Luke
I don't like the name at all; but it doesn't matter. No one is going to stop calling it 'town' or 'broadmead' anyway.

Shocked
What a ridiculous name. It is such a let down and disappointment to have a beautiful new shopping centre and then call it a circus - it doesnt give the impression of a new, vastly expensive and high class shopping centre at all. Who will know what this place is if you dont live in Bristol? Stupid. Get it changed.

v parfitt
Cabot Circus is rubbish!! Merchant's Quarter more appropriate but really it will always be BROADMEAD!

Mike
From Oxford Dictionary: "merchant • noun 1 a wholesale trader. 2 N. Amer. & Scottish a retail trader. 3 informal, chiefly derogatory a person fond of a particular activity: a speed merchant. • adjective (of ships, sailors, or shipping activity) involved with commerce." Sounds like a perfectly good name to be associated with a shopping center.

mr sickofitall
Its a great reflection of our whole contry.. wrecked by idiots.

Grumpy
I really do not care AT ALL what the shopping centre is called.

daz
The Encarta dictionary says circus means 'a round or roundish open space where several streets meet'. As far as I can see, this new development has a square but nothing round. So why not Cabot Square? No one seems to care about the meaning of words anymore.

Adam, Weston
Ridiculous! Cabot I like, but Circus? No! Square or Place would have been much better. I actually did like the name Merchants Quarter as it does describe what the place is about, though I undertsand the reason why people opposed it. Can we also get our facts right people - Broadmead will still be Broadmead! Cabot is the name for the new shopping centre i.e. like the The Galleries is the name for Broadmeads covered shopping centre!

Colin Pett
I agree with those who prefer to stay with 'Broadmead'. What's in a name anyway........but I'm sure that the free parking at the Mall and other out-of-town centres, and the proposed congestion charge together with insufficient and expensive parking in town will still make the area suffer from lack of support from traders AND customers.

Pat, Australia (Ex-Bristol)
Never heard anything so daft in my life! Who are these twits who are making these decisions? Broadmead is still the best choice>

Nick
Stupid, stupid stupid...which idiots voted for Cabot in the first place!

Jason
Circus - Sounds silly and comic. What about "Cabot Place" - its nice and bland. Or "Cabot Centre" for a retro feel. Merchant's Quarter fitted better and dumping it felt like a knee jerk reaction. Many big cities around the world have a merchants quarter without stigma, eg. Venice, San Francisco. You can just imagine a travel brochure describing "Bristol's famous Merchant Quarter" - It wouldn't need any description.

Gee
Bring back Merchants Quarter... dont liste to the hippies complaining about that name... Merchants Quarter is the best name...

Adam
Whilst I disagree with scrapping the original choice of "Merchants Quarter", it is good that Cabot has now got his name up in lights in the city. I seem to recall that Perots bridge by the Arnofini was going to carry Cabots name, and that the Second Severn Crossing (what kind of name is that!) failed despite a newspaper campaign to name it the Cabot Bridge. At the end of the day, what's in a name though? All of Bristol will always go shopping to Broadmead, and not the Circus.

Bob
I wish people would do the research properly. The Cabbot family ran two of the largest plantations in the West Indies. The arguments will start all over again. Whats wrong with calling it Broadmead?

Kathy Grew
This is a hideous name and I do believe that the developers can say that it was in consultation with the public. We were given a choice of 3 poor suggestions.

Pat
Merchants Quarter was fine, Cabot Circus is ridiculous and just another example of what a weak politically correct council Bristol has, Its about time they took some pratical decissions that would actually benefit ALL of the city!

The Other Ian
Once again money wasted, as a minority i object to the name can i start a campain to get it changed.

Rusty
highly offensive. It has upset me due to the fact that it is a name. How did this man Cabot treat his crew on sailing journeys of exploration. What did he do with waste and rubbish on board(did he recycle on the way to foreign lands?did he just dump things into the sea?) All I can see he was an early pioneer of global warming. shame on the people of Bristol for allowing this man to be so prominent.

Mags
Very suitable name considering the whole issue has been a bit of a performance! Prefered the Merchants Quarter or New Market.

Mr. Reasonable
Sounds like a perfect name for an area famous for a plethora of street scroungers with their scruffy performing dogs on tatty bits of string. long live the namby pamby luvvies with nothing better to do than squander our taxes on pointless, unproductive meetings and "fact finding" working parties.

MJF
I've just been to the circus, very entertaining, didn't see any shops though! Do you still go to school for an education or have they renamed that to?

Rik
Absolutely pathetic! Merchants Quarter had a strong, apt feel to it..all circus brings to mind is a bunch of clowns - hopefully the city council will move their offices there to feel right at home

Tony Gillespie
No matter what they name it,its always gonna be Broadmead to me,and i think a lot of proper local people will feel the same.Cabot Circus chosen by Clowns i guess.

Alex
Well,I am not really sure if the name makes any difference. I find it quite disgusting tha t so much emphasis is put on a shopping area. How important ist that! Shopping! Great. I thought there are more important things in life. But it seems as if a "great shopping destination" defines a greag city nowadays. That is quite sad and people should wake up from there sheep-like state of shopping addiction. There are better things to life.

ian
absolute joke of a name the only reason they chose it was for the rubbish publicity stunt of the circus performers they should get there act together

James Smith
I think New Broadmead sounds better than anything to do with anything to do with Cabot.I will always refer to it as this unless someone gives it a better name.

Adam
I'm pretty sure the folks who moaned about MQ were never slaves themselves, and I'm certain the contemporary people of Bristol don’t "own" any slaves and never would. Why therefore should our be city turned into one big apology to someone who was never wronged, for something we never did? Folks, call it what you want, but if you want directions, ask for Broadmead or Town. It’s what we the people of Bristol call it. Naming it in a "Piccadilly Circus" style just makes the city look like a parochial London wannabe.

Ian
Why not just call it the Arndale Centre, then everybody can just get on with it, shop, dine and hang out there and enjoy the fact that Bristol is about to become the retail centre of the South West. Cribbs Causeway (strange name) watch out!!!

Johnny Cass
what was wrong with the name Broadmead?... afterall, the building illustrations in the evening post look just like...now let me think...are yes...Broadmead...dull 1950's buildings! no change there then!

Giovanni Caboto
NO! its so stupid!

Jon
Ridiculus...It never should have been changed from Merchants Quarter, but lets face it, us locals will always call it Broadmead.

Andrew
Maybe the council thinks that the spending power of the pc brigade the shopping centre's clearly aimed at will make it profitable. I'll stick to Cribbs Causeway where I can park for free, and where there won't be any congestion charging

Andy
I know it would be impossible for the council to do a U-Turn and rename it Merchants Quarter but that name was perfect. If only they could all go in to work tomorrow and say "actually, we wont be bullied by the minority and we will call it what we originally wanted to". If only. I have no idea what the word Circus has to do with a shopping area and it is almost laughable to think that after spending hundreds of millions on what is essentially an extension to Broadmead, it will be given a stupid name that will NEVER catch on!

sue
I really like the name Cabot Circus, it gives me a sense of a day out in Broeadmead will be well worth the effort, I also really like the way the name has been changed, I'm white, but live in a mixed area, and felt so hurt when the M Q name was put forward. Very much looking forward to Cabot Circus's grand opening

norm
the name circus doesn't conjure up an upmarket shopping centre it's sooo trashy

Paul from yate
What a load of rubbish. Why is Bristol blackened by the anti slave pc brigade all the time anyway. What gets forgotten is that in many cases the slaves were sold into slavery by their own people. Merchants quarter was much more descriptive and appropriate. You could read something offensive into most words in the english language. Why do we keep giving in. Oh by the way, weren't circus's of old rumoured to kidnap children to perform and mistreat animals??? Not PC - change the name, it's offensive!!!

Katherine
Firstly they choose a name with no thought or regard for history and now they choose a name which diminishes a great explorer Cabot. Someone definately sent in the clowns!

Renate Weiss
In my opinion Circus is not a fitting name, Cabot is fine, but connecting Circus and Cabot simply doesn't match.

JimP
Should be kept simple.It is next to Old Market so why not New Market?

Dave Williams
If anyone is daft enough to think anyone will actually call it 'Cabot Circus' they need their head examined! It is called Broadmead.

Mythily
Great West square will be appropriate

Xander Halliwell
It's a stupid name now. Merchants Quarter was great, now people are just going to laugh at my 'circus' shopping habits!

Alice Street
This is the worst name I think I've ever heard, it's quite literally a joke. They should have stuck with Merchant's Quarter and at the very least Cabot's Quarter. It's completely outrageous and stupid.

Arch
Whats wrong with Broadmead? Merchants Quarter was an ok name until the loud ultra minority got it changed. Just call what you want, everyone will just call it "town"

Mary
Broadmead is Broadmead. No need for a change as it only costs money. Broadmead's biggest problem is the ease of parking and THE COST to do so, as well as the threat of congestion charges which will completely kill this shopping area regardless of name. Keep Broadmead - the ancient name of the land it stands upon.

Kunnagh Scott
Rubbish. Unless we go back to the Roman ideal, and someone can throw the idiots that thought of this to the lions. Incidentally, given the level of Christian martyrdom that took place in circuses of the past, how is this better than the original, entirely sensible name? Bring back Merchant's Quarter!

Neil Byrom
I am very interested to find out exactly how much of tax payers money was spent on endless pointless meetings deciding this new name, when the majority of Bristolians didn't want it changed in the 1st place.

mr s.szur
The name chosen was supposed to represent the future of Bristol. Cabot is part of the citys past. Most people will still call the area Broadmead.

Tess
I like it. It makes it sound lively and fun and as though it has lots to offer

Matt
Whether you like the new name or not........the redevelopment of the city centre is long overdue. I personally can't wait to shop in a centre which reflects Bristol's postion as capital of the South West of England.The name is a minor detail which has become a negative fixation for many. Bristol is a great city...come on guys let's look to the future!

Terry
What a waste of time. I wonder how many managers etc it took to come up with that little gem. What was wrong with Broadmead. As a Bristolian I will still call it Broadmead and so I imagine will most of us. Fed up Bristol Resident

petefergie
What planet is Mr Bob Graham on... he says the new name is (among other things) "exciting", what a sad life this man must lead.It will always be Broadmead to us mere mortals...

Kev
the people who thought this up ought be paraded through there circus having tomatoes thrown at them

Jack Miller
Haha! I thought this name was a joke when i first saw it. There was nothing wrong with the name Broadmead. It will just cause confusion. Also, why is everything in Bristol called Cabot now?

Malcolm Coles
Yes I like it

Matt
Oh dear oh dear. This awful choice of name and other recent planning fiascos in the city leads me to think that the council is run by a bunch of clowns.

Rob
well i think broadmead will stick with it for a long time 2 come i no i was brought up being tought that and im sure the kids of today have been brought up calling it that, and in turn they will refer to it as broadmead to there kids! long live broadmead!!

Nigel Gainard
Who chose the Circus part of the name ?

Emma
Who cares - no one will go anyway once they introduce the congestion charging next year!!

Voice of reason
It is unacceptable in this day and age for a city to be named after a degrading and derogatory term for a lady's chest area. Bristol City Council should be spending a large amount of council tax payers' money looking into this issue.

Xander
I agree with Nick Moore - I always thought that 'trade' encompassed more than just slavery - Yes Bristol had a part in this but that's not all we've done! PC gone mad - Merchants Quarter is soo much better or at least Cabot Quarter! Why circus??? People will laugh at my shopping habits now!

Andy
That great because Bristol history is based around the 'Circus' NOT, How ridiculous, quite frankly it just outrages me more as the Merchant Quater was actually sailing related. PC gone wrong yet again.

Lee Tucker
Bristol is full of History and the name "Merchants Quarter" was a way of bringing the history of Bristol to the 20th Century. I thought it was a good name!! Cabots Circus does not justify the nature of Bristolians and evaluates the scene incorrectly. I tend to agree with Nick Moore (see his comments further down). His summary is amazing and I would like to meet him one day to disucss his points of view. He appears to know his stuff. I would call the "new" Bristol city Centre "Reborn Broadmead" if i had my way!

Matthew Pink
Simply terrible. Shocking choice of name, Merchants Quarter was always a great choice, but most will still refer to it as Broadmead.

David
Well judging by the traffic down there most days; i think circus is a pretty good description of it

Mary
Circus is not the appropriate description for a shopping complex. Please leave the name as Broadmead.

karl traynor
anyone living in Bristol will always call it Broadmead, though Merchants Quarter was much better. Cabot Circus is just ninsense.

Pete
Cabot Circus?!? What idiot thought up that name? Go back to Merchants Quarter!

Paul Noble
If only they had come to me. I wanted it to be 'TOWN' in big red neon letters.

Kirsty
I think the point made by Nick Moore further down the page is a valid point. A lot of surrounding towns were named by the Romans, perhaps we should change those as well as way of an apology for their behaviour, or rename Manchester Peoplechester? Where will it end!

sham
Carefulmind - Im sure some concerned ciztizen could find a link between John Cabot and salvery- he userd boats and discovered lands - surely thats a precurosr to enslaving the occupents

Steve
Why not call it "Down Town" as anyone who intended to go to Broadmead always gave this as their actual destination.

Andy Short
i hate the name and think it should have been a simpler name like cabbot square

sol
terrible name. what clowns came up with that? everyone's just going to call it broadmead anyway.

Brian
I love it! Perfect name for what should soon become one of the great tourist attractions of this wonderful region. Well done City Council folk!!!

Duncan
How much time and money was spent on this? Didn't John Cabot claim a country in the name of England which resulted in the subsequent slaughter of it's original residents? - but Cabot Circus was still deemed more PC than Merchants quarter? What a joke. Get on with some real work.

chris
sums up the whole name fiasco really don't it

Patricia
Nothing wrong with Merchants Quarter, Merchant means trader nothing to do with slavery. Cabot Circus sounds hideous, but it will still be called Broadmead by the majority so what a waste of time and money

Tone
Cabot Circus, Apt name with the clowns in charge of naming that

Charlie Goodland
I'm with Nick Moore on this one. We have been a trading centre for years before the era in question; changing the name was a pc act and does not respect the entire issue or all the people of Bristol. I guess we will get used to the new name but it is not as good or relevant (Cabot was Italian after all) as the original one...Broadmead will still get used anyway.

Ash
Im with those who said Merchants Quarter was the best choice...it was a good name..Circus is not!! Perhaps the new name just describes the whole process of finding a name as being "handled like a ........"!

Ben Davison
CABOT CIRCUS! Who thought of that. When I think of Circus I think Clowns and...ah, I see!

Chris
As my great great great great grandfather was a circus performer i find the name Circus offensive....There does that sound as ridiculous as objecting to the name of Merchant. I await the vitriolic response!

Jim
Naff, patronising and arrogant. It's Broadmead, and besides everyone will still shop at Cribbs anyway.

Tim
Rubbish, they should have stuck with Merchants Quarter. Its PC gone mad.

Sue
So what did Cabot actually do? Nomadic people from the Subarctic were well settled in Labrador and Newfoundland when Europeans first began their exploration. In 986 AD a Scandinavian, Bjarni Herjólsson, sailed along the shores of Labrador and Newfoundland. Subsequently, the Vikings founded a settlement on Newfoundland's northeastern coast. Icelandic explorer Leif Ericson sailed to Newfoundland in the 10th century. Towards the end of the 15th century, European nations began their quest for a northwest route to Asia, and expeditions repeatedly touched on Newfoundland. In 1472 Joăo Vaz Corte Real, from Portugal sailed to Newfoundland with two Scandinavians, Dietrich Pining and Hans Pothorst. and then came Cabot

Myk
It's Broadmead to many, but 'town' to most. The real Circus is over on College Green.

Steve
What a load of rubbish!! Merchants Quarter was much better.

Bill
After only 3 months of deliberations, we now have Circus. Genius. Lets not forget that we only got Cabot by default be cause the other 2 options were so appalling.

Kate
It's not a circus...it's a shopping centre. What are they thinking?

Mike from Yate
One dictionary describes Circus as, "A frenetic disorganized (and often comic) disturbance suggestive of a large public entertainment" another definition comes to mind - Fred Carno as in Circus. Just leave it at Merchants Quarter because no Bristolian considers it offensive, but a tribute to those poor slaves.

SHAUN
It's Broadmead and always will be

Marc
I am sure that we will all get used to it and its not so bad... However, in my opinion, good to see drab Broadmead fade away.

Keith Rodgerson
It'll still be Broadmead to most.

Mike Matthews
What a dreadful name! As other people have said, what was wrong with Broadmead? Let's face it, most Bristolians will keep saying "I'm popping down to Broadmead this afternoon". Can you imagine saying "I'm popping down to Cabot Circus"?? If the name had to be changed then Merchants Quarter was perfectly acceptable. Next they'll be trying to ban sugar because of its connection with the slave trade. Oh, and boats as well, because they used a lot of those.

Michelle
I quite like it. Am not really all that bothered - it will still be "Town" for most Bristolians anyway, surely!?

Rob
Since when have merchants become synonymous with slavery? Merchants quarter was by far the best name. Lets hope Cabot 'Circus' will be far more attractive than Plymouth's recently opened carbuncle - Drake's 'Circus'.

Andrea
If it has to be "Cabot Circus" (which I do not like) - then the City should put the merry-go-round in its place again, at least then we'd have animals in the circus.

Mrs. Jan Hade
I thought that there was nothing wrong with the name Merchants' Quarters but I like the name "Cabot". However, the suffix "Circus" sounds undignified and silly so I would prefer to have a different suffix that isn't embarassing to Bristolians.

Dave Fear
It's a joke! Why are we naming our flagship shopping centre after an Italian - Cabot only lived in England for four years and half the time he was alla t sea! Merchant's Quarter was just perfect.

Andrew Panes
Dont like the new name the original name 'Merchants Quarter' was better.

Peter Westbury
Couldn't care less what name they have come up with. It will forever be "Broadmead".

Verity
If we're being so PC why do we still have Whiteladies Road and Blackboy Hill plus many other buildings starting with Merchant? Bring back Merchants Quarter! Cabot Circus sounds ridiculous.

john morse
circus, now thats a good represnetation of the city councils policies, most fitting. not sure the ALF will approve, isn't the circus where all those poor animals being expoited ??

Nancy
London has Oxford Circus.... so why is Cabot Circus so bad? I think it will be ok once people get used to it.

Sue
What is wrong with Broadmead? How much of our money was spent on dreaming up the new name? Oh dear....

Simon Newton
The term "Circus" is wholly inappropriate in view of such institutions' systematic abuse of vertically challenged men with oversized feet via instruments such as squirty flowers and custard pies.

John
Merchants Quarter: Smart sounding, practical name. How this is a reference to the slave trade I don't know. Cabot Circus: Ridiculous!

Jeph
It would have been better to say one name than 2 words. I would have suggest 'Brunel' shopping centre.

Nick Moore
Pathetic! Merchants quarter had a good ring to it and it reflected Bristol's fine history as a capital of trade, not only slavery but all aspects of trade over the centuries, to allow some PC idiots to bully the city council into changing the name to this is lunacy! These people who still demand appologies for Bristols involvement in the slave trade should remember what century we are in and forget the past! You dont hear people demanding appologies from the Italians for the Romans involvement in some of the earliest cases of slavery!

Paul Cockrell
I have lived in Bristol for almost 6 years now and the name Merchants quarter was by far the best name which came up. With regards to the one dreamed up today, pathetic springs to mind!!

Tina
They should have left it as Merchants Quarter or just stuck with Cabots

Phil
They chose 'Circus' to honour the clowns who run our city!

Shawn.
They really haven't got a clue, have they? Was this preferred over 'Southwestminster' or something?

Mark Rich
What was so wrong with the orignal name? There's nothing controversial in that name as far as I can see.

Jacob
They should have given it a classier sounding name by calling it 'Giovanni Caboto Circo (Circus)'.. John Cabots Italian name, as he was a citizen of Venice for a while. Its good to see Bristol's maritime history is still thought about.

Mike Harris
What a joke. Just about sums up the whole debate. Is this really the best they could come up with?