Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0An older town: 44% of Bristol’s homes predate 1961
Bristol’s share is 2.5 times the typical 18%. 81 places on the heritage registers lie within 50 km of Bristol, the nearest Gillies Grove and House, 8.9 km away. For the highest designations, the closest town is Arnprior, 10 km off. Wikidata gives July 1, 1855 for the municipality, whether that is when it was founded, incorporated or merged.
Within 50 km of Bristol, the oldest record dates from 1824
No place near Bristol is close: these lie up to 50 km away, each by its first recorded construction date.
First by date comes Maison Joseph-Lebel in Lac-Deschênes, from 1824. 79 dated places within 50 km make up the record. 32 are older than 1867.
Bristol’s surroundings: 81 historic places within 50 km
They are spread over 13 towns, including Des Explorateurs, Les Golfs and Chelsea. Closest of all is Gillies Grove and House, in McNab/Braeside, 8.9 km off. The oldest, Maison Joseph-Lebel, dates from 1824, 47 km away.
The 12 nearest, within 50 km
| Gillies Grove and HouseNational Historic Site · 1937–1938 · 8.9 km away, in McNab/Braeside |
| D.A. Gillies BuildingNational Historic Site · 1896–1899 · 10 km away, in Arnprior |
| Diefenbunker / Central Emergency Government HeadquartersNational Historic Site · 1959–1962 · 34 km away, in Carp |
| Rosamond Woollen MillNational Historic Site · 1866–1901 · 36 km away, in Almonte |
| Former Almonte Post OfficeNational Historic Site · 1889–1892 · 36 km away, in Almonte |
| Herridge ChaletRecognized Federal Heritage Building · 1880–1881 · 37 km away, in Pontiac |
| Prime Minister's CottageRecognized Federal Heritage Building · 1925–1926 · 37 km away, in Pontiac |
| Maclaren HouseRecognized Federal Heritage Building · 1861–1872 · 39 km away, in La Pêche |
| Grist MillRecognized Federal Heritage Building · 1838–1839 · 39 km away, in La Pêche |
| Fairbairn HouseMunicipal citation (Québec) · 1860 · 41 km away, in La Pêche |
| Main HouseClassified Federal Heritage Building · 1907–1908 · 42 km away, in Chelsea |
| Garage and Caretaker's QuartersClassified Federal Heritage Building · 1907–1908 · 42 km away, in Chelsea |
New homes are rare in Bristol: 2.8% from 2016–21, against a usual 4.1%
Count back from today and half of Bristol’s homes are older than 1981. Few of Bristol’s homes date from 1981 to 2000: 16%, the norm 23%. Bristol built little from 2001 to 2015: 10% of its homes, where most towns have 15%.
2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.
Bristol and its neighbours
| Town | People | Places | Highest | Oldest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | 1,151 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Arnprior | 11,459 | 1 | 1 | 1896 |
| Shawville | 1,729 | 0 | 0 | — |
| McNab/Braeside | 8,340 | 1 | 1 | 1937 |
| Horton | 3,550 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Clarendon | 1,442 | 0 | 0 | — |
Bristol in brief
Counted by age, 44% of Bristol’s homes predate 1961, against 18% in the typical town.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The tiers. The highest designations are National Historic Sites, Classified Federal Heritage Buildings and Québec’s classements; then come the other federal designations; then provincial and local listings.
- The federal register. Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations lists every National Historic Site, federal heritage building, heritage railway station and lighthouse; the Canadian Register of Historic Places adds their statements in English and French.
- Québec’s register. Québec is the one province whose register is open: classements, declarations and municipal citations, described by the ministry in French.
- The grade. This page gives no grade; history doesn’t count toward a Canadian town’s letter.
- People and events. The open directory puts its national historic persons nowhere, so a town shows one only on firm ground: a birth there, matched by name and life years, or a historic place there named for the person whose record says so. Events are left out.
- Protection. A place classified or cited under Québec’s law is protected; National Historic Site status alone protects only what the federal government owns.
Questions about Bristol’s history
How many historic places does Bristol have on the registers?
Not within Bristol. Its nearest is a top designation: Gillies Grove and House, 8.9 km away in McNab/Braeside.
When did Bristol become a municipality?
By Wikidata, Bristol dates from July 1, 1855; the record doesn’t say whether that is a founding, an incorporation or a merger.
How old are the homes in Bristol?
The 2021 Census dates 44% of its homes before 1961 (18% in the typical town).
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).
Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).