The Polygon

The Polygon


The Polygon is a Georgian terrace of 12 colourfully painted houses situated on the slope between Clifton and Hotwells. There is no road to the front of the terrace so it feels secluded even though it is close to the city centre. Each house has its own small front garden and beyond the footpath there is a larger communal garden (with a particularly fine tulip tree).


For many years this communal space was neglected, over-run with bindweed and bramble. In recent years, residents have started to re-shape and cultivate the garden, creating sitting areas, a pond, a compost area, a couple of wild patches, and a large south-facing bed planted with perennials and bulbs. We have also planted a number of fruit trees: apple, greengage, pear and crab apple. The large ornamental cherry was replaced with a more elegant frosted thorn tree that bears blossom in spring and berries in the autumn. We also have a mulberry tree and grow raspberry canes. The aim is to provide a place of beauty and tranquillity that welcomes people and wildlife. We have many resident birds including goldfinches, tawny owls and long tailed tits. Buzzards fly overhead, mobbed by gulls and crows. We are trying to entice swifts to nest here, so far without success. We host frogs, dragonflies, foxes (of course) and recently discovered - with the aid of a motion activated camera- that a badger from Cornwallis Crescent is a regular nocturnal visitor, digging for worms. In order to support urban pollinators, we try to establish plants that will flower across the seasons. We aren’t too tidy, leaving seed-heads over the winter to help the birds. It’s a work in progress.