Bristol County Ground on Nevil Road is the home of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, hosting county championship matches through the summer and the occasional international. There's no parking at the ground itself, so plan to arrive by train, bus or bike rather than car.
Where it is
The ground is on Nevil Road in Ashley Down, north Bristol, and has been Gloucestershire's home since the club bought the site in 1889. You may see it referred to under a sponsor's name on tickets or signage, since English cricket grounds regularly change their commercial name; the location and the club playing there don't change even when that does.
Getting there without a car
This is the single most useful thing to know before a visit: the ground sits in a densely residential area with no dedicated spectator car park, and the club actively discourages driving. Public transport options are:
- Ashley Down railway station, about 0.3 miles from the ground, is the closest option since it opened in September 2024.
- Montpelier station, on the Severn Beach line, is under a mile away.
- Bristol Temple Meads, the main line station, is around 2.5 miles away.
- Bristol Parkway is about 3.8 miles away.
Several bus routes run along nearby Gloucester Road within a short walk of the ground. If you do need to drive, expect to look for residential street parking some distance away and walk in, and check the club's own site for any advice on the day, since this changes for bigger fixtures. Our getting around Bristol guide covers the wider public transport picture if you're coming from outside the city.
What to expect on a matchday
The ground has a permanent capacity of around 8,000, which can be expanded to roughly 17,500 for international fixtures using temporary seating, a scale it's reached for one-day internationals and T20 internationals in the past. Ticket prices vary a great deal depending on the fixture, from a county championship day to an international, so check Gloucestershire Cricket's own site for current prices and the fixture list before you book, rather than relying on a figure from elsewhere.
How it compares to watching sport elsewhere in Bristol
| Venue | Sport | Getting there | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol County Ground, Nevil Road | Cricket | Train to Ashley Down or Montpelier; no ground parking | About 8,000, up to 17,500 for internationals |
| Ashton Gate | Football and rugby | Bus or a walk from the city centre; matchday parking is limited | Around 27,000 |
| The Memorial Stadium | Rugby | Bus from the centre | Around 12,000 |
For more on watching sport in the city generally, see our live sport in Bristol guide.
A bit of history
The ground began life as the Ashley Down Ground before being bought by W. G. Grace in 1889. It was later sold to the confectionery firm J. S. Fry & Sons and renamed Fry's Ground, before the club bought it back in 1933. It changed hands and names again in 1976, spending years as the Phoenix County Ground and then the Royal & Sun Alliance County Ground before the club reacquired it and returned it to its current identity. A major redevelopment starting in 2012 added a new pavilion, which opened in August 2013, along with conference facilities and permanent floodlights, which arrived in time for the 2016 season and helped the ground keep hosting international matches, including fixtures at the 2019 Cricket World Cup. You'll still find a bust of W. G. Grace outside the Bristol Pavilion, a reminder of the ground's founder.
Visiting outside of matchdays
The redevelopment gave the ground a modern media centre and conference facilities alongside the new Bristol Pavilion, so it's used for functions and events beyond just cricket. For anything outside a normal matchday, from hospitality bookings to general enquiries, go through Gloucestershire Cricket's own website rather than turning up unannounced, since access away from fixture days isn't guaranteed. If you're simply passing through Ashley Down, the ground is easy to spot from the road even without a match on, with the modern pavilion and stands visible from Nevil Road.