Ancient Bath is awash in history

Published Nov 6, 2014

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Bath - Bath, a World Heritage City since 1987, is the only area in the UK where an entire city has been declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. It’s also the only place in the world where it is possible to bathe in original Roman style baths filled with naturally heated water bubbling from deep geo-thermal springs below the city and walk to and from the baths on the original stone pavements.

These unique and well-preserved vintage Roman Baths built in AD 60 are magnificent temples as well as bathing complexes and they still have their original foundations and pillar bases about 2m below the present street level – though the stonework above is more recent.

They are also the source of the city’s spa waters as they are rich in 42 minerals which visitors can sample followed by relaxation treatments and massage in the ancient Pump Room.

Though Bath has become a spa town over the centuries, there are many other Roman archaeological sites in the heart of this golden city with its heritage of Georgian architecture (1720 to 1820) and other great tourist attractions.

There are about 5 000 listed buildings in Bath with facades that have remained unchanged for hundreds of years and all completely made from local golden Bath stone, the most famous being the Lower Assembly Rooms together with the Pump Room which were both built between 1767 and 1774.

The usage of these buildings has, however, changed. The Pump Room is now one of the smartest places to eat in the city and the original Theatre Royal at 12 Orchard St, once a Catholic chapel where Bishops were ordained, became a Masonic Lodge in 1865.

Bath has more museums per square mile than most other cities in the world – there are 17 are in the city centre. All have events programmes that run throughout the year and all contain an array of artefacts from the Roman period, which includes more than 12 000 Roman coins

Apart from this unique Roman legacy, Bath has many well-preserved Regency and Georgian areas dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, though the dominant architecture is Georgian. There are long curved crescents of houses and shopping arcades, all with the honey coloured classical facades of Bath stone, all with their pillar bases 6m below the present street level and all remaining untouched.

Royal Crescent, a sweeping row of 30 terraced houses (1767 to 1774) and Landsdown Crescent (1789 to 1793) with 20 houses built on four levels, are unique examples of the domestic architecture of the time and are both considered among the greatest and most spectacular examples of Georgian buildings in UK.

Bath also has a number of art galleries, many antique shops and antiquities. The Postal Museum in Broad Street is on the site of Bath’s original main Post Office (1822 to 1864) which recorded the first posting of a Penny Black Stamp on May 2, 1840. It also depicts the history of the post office from the original one in 1852 to the present day. There is also a fashion museum in the Assembly rooms, which receives 130 000 visitors a year.

Bath Abbey, dating from 1499 and now an active parish church, is built from the same golden stone as the rest of the city and is made even more spectacular by its fine stained-glass windows and fan vaulting. Unfortunately the thousands of bodies buried beneath it have created a honeycomb which is threatening the building’s stability.

 

As well as being a Word Heritage Site, this city was once the home of novelist Jane Austen, who made it the central focus of several of her books. A centre dedicated to her memory, has year-round events celebrating her life and works.

Bath is situated on the edge of the southern Cotswolds on a range of limestone hills that are designated as “ancient bath”.

 

There are many walking tours offered by Bath Tourism and the Bath Visitor Information Centre next to Bath Abbey. Apart from these, there are two other popular ways of viewing the city’s ancient architecture – either by hiring a boat on the River Avon or from the air in a hot-air balloon. As both are extremely popular, it’s advised to e-mail [email protected] and make a booking.

Sunday Tribune

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