The constituency contained the northern and eastern parts of the North Somerset unitary authority (formerly the Woodspring district of the County of Avon, and roughly the same area as the ancient Hundred of Portbury).

The constituency extended between two rivers with the Avon running along the north-east edge and the Congresbury Yeo to the south.

It included the three main towns of Clevedon on the west coast, Nailsea to the south, and Portishead to the north, along with smaller surrounding villages like Backwell, Easton-in-Gordano, and Long Ashton.

[2] On its creation in 1983, Woodspring was won by the Conservative Sir Paul Dean, who had held the old seat of Somerset North since 1964.

Sir Paul was a Deputy Speaker of the House to George Thomas and latterly Bernard Weatherill from 1982 to 1992; he served longer than anyone else since the post was created in 1902.