Spacious Queen Square has become a popular venue for outdoor events. It was the first residential square outside London. Bristol Corporation planned it as an elegant enclave for the wealthy. The houses were to be solidly built of brick and stone. Commercial tenants and workers’ cottages were not allowed. Queen Anne visited Bristol in 1702, when the square was being built, so it was named after her. Another royal touch was added in 1736 - the superb equestrian statue of William III by Michael Rysbrack.
