The buzzing British city boasting the longest road of 100+ independent shops in the UK

With a mile and a half of independent shops, cafes, bars and colourful graffiti art adorning the buildings, this street is thought to be one of the longest stretches of independent businesses in the UK.

In fact, the whole area resembles an outdoor gallery, with new street art continually transforming its walls and buildings, adding to the street's quirky and bohemian atmosphere. Live music pours out into the street as one of the city's oldest and historic routes continues to evolve.

It has survived due to the concentration of middle-class housing on either side of the road, whose occupiers prefer local goods.

A local newspaper report suggested "you can buy anything you could ever need" on Gloucester Road, and that it captured the independent spirit of the local community well.

Gloucester Road is in the city of Bristol and stretches through the suburbs of St. Andrews, Bishopston, and Horfield. It is also part of the A38, a former coaching route north of Bristol to Filton and the M5 Motorway.

It was described by in a Barrett Homes report as having the longest row of independent shops in Europe. at 1.7 miles long.

With an amazing array of specialist shops, a trip to Gloucester Road sees you heading home with anything from a new bike, a saxophone, some artwork under your arm or even just an organically grown apple from the local green grocer.

There are book shops, phone shops, cafes, bars, food stores, micro-breweries, bakeries, florists, jewellers, gift shops, antiques, in fact everything you could possibly need.

The street is a focal point for local businesses, and is promoted by Bristol City Council as a centre of independent trade. The Bristol North Baths on Gloucester Road were popular for most of the 20th century, and the location was used in filming for several television shows like The Young Ones and Only Fools and Horses. Numerous shops and bars have achieved popularity in the local press for their unique contribution to Bristol.

The road is around 1.7 miles (2.7 km) long and starts at the junction with Cheltenham Road, Zetland Road and Elton Road. Cheltenham Road is spanned by a railway viaduct (known locally as "the Arches") carrying the Severn Beach line south of this junction.

Shops and traders settled on the road in the late 19th century. At the turn of the 20th century, there was a high concentration of butchers and grocers, as was typical for the time, but these were gradually replaced by pubs, cafes and charity shops. The street was home to Rooted Records, the central location of the Bristol dubstep scene until its closure in 2010.

The Grape & Grind, an off-licence at No. 101, was established in 2010, and includes an enomatic wine dispenser. Reclaimers Reclamation at No. 307, specialises in furniture recycled from other products, such as kitchen worktop made from the slate off a snooker table. Along with the craft shop Fig at No. 206, these shops were featured as part of the ten best independent shops in Bristol in a report by The Guardian.

Much older is Crawford's Newsagents, at No. 200, which has been trading since the Victorian era.

Because Gloucester Road is popular with artists, creative works are encouraged by local businesses. The Golden Lion pub permits graffiti artists to draw on their walls, provided their artwork includes a lion. In 2014, a graffiti stencil of Cary Grant, who grew up in the local area, was drawn above Room 212 on Gloucester Road.

Banksy has create artwork on Gloucester Road - the iconic "Mild Mild West" mural is located on Hamilton House, 80 Stokes Croft, which is part of Gloucester Road.

An annual street party is held every Christmas on Gloucester Road. During the event, shops are encouraged to open late, and additional food and drink stalls are available.