Westbury Googlied in Southmead Confusion

For those of us who live here in Westbury-on-Trym, confusion between where we live and neighbouring Southmead is unlikely.  Indeed, were a stranger to enter a Westbury pub asking whether he was in Southmead, the likely reaction from the locals would be to scoff.  However, as reported here, those clever clogs at Google have made precisely the same mistake.

If you care to look for Westbury-on-Trym on Google Maps you will be taken to the area we all know as central Southmead.  The label for Southmead has been placed nearby where the hospital is located.  This might not seem too problematic for those of us who know the area, but for the uninitiated this might well lead to bewilderment, as people arrive in Southmead hoping to find the dazzling delights of Westbury.

But how could this confusion be made, given the stark differences between the two places?  Westbury is the envy of all: a cosy, homely, lovely place to live, boasting shops, restaurants and other attractions that place it at the peak of Bristol locations.  Southmead, on the other hand, boasts more redbrick buildings than an unimaginative child’s Lego village and, though it has its own appeal, it is a quite different place altogether.

The answer is an uninteresting technical one, and it will be of little consolation to those of us who take pride in our home and would hate to be accused in living in Southmead.  But for a while at least, the people of Southmead will have the honour of living in Westbury-on-Trym.  My message to them is this: enjoy it while it lasts!