Bath is a
cityCity status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
in the
ceremonial countyThe ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of
SomersetSomerset is a county in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The ceremonial county of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west...
in the
south westSouth West England is one of the regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area, covering including Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It has a population of almost five million, and includes the area often known as...
of England. It is situated west of
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
and south-east of
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
. The
populationIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings. Individuals within a population share a factor may be reduced by statistical means, but such a generalization may be too vague to imply anything...
of the city is 83,992. It was granted
city status by
Royal CharterIn medieval Europe, royal charters were used to create cities . The date that such a charter was granted is considered to be when a city was "founded", regardless of when the locality originally began to be settled.At one time a royal charter was the only way in which an incorporated body could be...
by Queen Elizabeth I in 1590, and was made a
county boroughCounty borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. The Local Government Act 1972 abolished them in England and Wales, but they are still used in the Republic of Ireland and Northern...
in 1889 which gave it
administrativeAdministrative counties were a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974. They were created by the Local Government Act 1888 and abolished by the Local Government Act 1972...
independence from its county,
SomersetSomerset is a county in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The ceremonial county of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west...
. The city became part of
AvonAvon was, from 1974 to 1996, a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in the west of England. The county was named after the River Avon, which runs through the area. In 1996, the county was abolished and the area split between the Bath and North East Somerset, City of Bristol, North Somerset and...
when that county was created in 1974. Since 1996, when Avon was abolished, Bath has been the principal centre of the
unitary authorityA unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of
Bath and North East SomersetBath and North East Somerset is a unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the County of Avon. It is part of the Ceremonial county of Somerset....
(B&NES).
The city was first established as a spa resort with the
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
name,
Aquae SulisAquae Sulis was a small town in the Roman province of Britannia. Today it is known as Bath, located in the English county of Somerset.-Baths and temple complex:...
("the waters of Sulis") by the
RomansAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
in AD 43 although verbal tradition suggests that Bath was known before then. They built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the
River AvonThe River Avon is a river in the south west of England. Because of a number of other Rivers Avon in England, this river is often also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon...
around
hot springsThe definition of a hot spring varies , but by many of these definitions, the springs in Bath are the only hot springs in the UK. However, there is not universal agreement.There are several geothermal springs in the UK:...
, which are the only ones naturally occurring in the United Kingdom..
EdgarEdgar I the Peaceful , also called the Peaceable, was a king of England . Edgar was the younger son of Edmund I of England.-Accession:...
was crowned king of England at
Bath AbbeyThe Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...
in 973. Much later, it became popular as a spa resort during the
Georgian eraThe Georgian era is a period of British history, normally defined as including the reigns of the kings George I, George II, George III and George IV, i.e. covering the period from 1714 to 1830,...
, which led to a major expansion that left a heritage of exemplary
Georgian architectureGeorgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the...
crafted from
Bath StoneBath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
.
As
City of Bath, the city became a
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list that is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term.A World Heritage Site is a...
in 1987. The city has a variety of theatres, museums, and other cultural and sporting venues, which have helped to make it a major centre for tourism, with over one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city each year. The city has two universities and several schools and colleges. There is a large service sector, and growing information and communication technologies and creative industries, providing employment for the population of Bath and the surrounding area.
Celtic and Roman
Archaeological evidence shows that the site of the Roman Baths' main spring was treated as a shrine by the Celts,
and was dedicated to the goddess
SulisIn localised Celtic polytheism practiced in Britain, Sul or Sulis was a deity worshipped at the thermal spring of Bath...
, whom the
RomanRoman mythology, or Latin mythology, refers to the mythological beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its main city, Ancient Rome. It can be considered as having two parts; One part, largely later and literary, consists of borrowings from Greek mythology...
s identified with
MinervaMinerva was the Roman goddess whom Hellenizing Romans from the second century BC onwards equated with the Greek goddess Athena. She was the virgin goddess of warriors, poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, magic and the inventor of music...
; however, the name Sulis continued to be used after the Roman invasion, leading to the town's
Roman name of
Aquae Sulis (literally, "the waters of Sulis"). Messages to her scratched onto metal, known as
curse tabletA curse tablet or binding spell is a type of curse found throughout the Graeco-Roman world, in which someone would ask the gods to do harm to others. These texts were typically scratched on very thin sheets of lead in tiny letters, then often rolled, folded, or pierced with nails...
s, have been recovered from the Sacred Spring by archaeologists.
These curse tablets were written in
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
, and usually laid curses on people by whom the writer felt they had been wronged. For example, if a citizen had his clothes stolen at the baths, he would write a curse, naming the suspects, on a tablet to be read by the Goddess Sulis Minerva.
The temple was constructed in 60–70 AD and the bathing complex was gradually built up over the next 300 years.
During the
Roman occupation of BritainRoman Britain was those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and about 410. The Romans referred to their province as Britannia...
, and possibly on the instructions of Emperor Claudius,
engineers drove oak piles into the mud to provide a stable foundation and surrounded the spring with an irregular stone chamber lined with
leadLead is a main-group element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metals. Lead has a bluish-white color when freshly cut, but tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed to air...
. In the 2nd century, the spring was enclosed within a wooden
barrel-vaultedA barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
building,
which housed the calidarium (hot bath),
tepidariumThe tepidarium was the warm bathroom of the Roman baths heated by a hypocaust or underfloor heating system.The specialty of a tepidarium is the pleasant feeling of constant radiant heat which directly affects the human body from the walls and floor.There is an interesting example at Pompeii; this...
(warm bath), and
frigidariumA frigidarium is a large cold pool to drop into after enjoying a hot Roman bath. The Caldarium and the Tepidarium opened the pores of the skin. The cold water would close the pores. There would be a small pool of cold water or sometimes a large Swimming pool.An octagonal example measuring over...
(cold bath).
The city was given defensive walls, probably in the 3rd century.
After the Roman withdrawal in the first decade of the 5th century, the baths fell into disrepair and were eventually lost due to silting up.
Post-Roman and Saxon
Bath may have been the site of the
Battle of Mons BadonicusThe Battle of Mons Badonicus was a battle between a force of Britons and an Anglo-Saxon army, probably sometime between 490 and 517 AD. Though it is believed to have been a major political and military event, there is no certainty about its date or place...
(c. 500 AD), where
King ArthurKing Arthur is a legendary British leader who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defense of Britain against the Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and his historical existence is debated...
is said to have defeated the
SaxonsThe Saxons were a confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Their modern-day descendants in Lower Saxony and Westphalia and other German states are considered ethnic Germans ; those in the eastern Netherlands are considered to be ethnic Dutch; those in north...
, although this is disputed. The
Anglo-Saxon ChronicleThe Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The annals were initially created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great. Multiple manuscript copies were made and distributed to monasteries...
mentions Bath falling to the
West SaxonsThe Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest of...
in 577 after the
Battle of DeorhamThe Battle of Deorham was fought in southwestern Britain in 577, between the Saxons of Wessex and the Britons of Glevum, Corinium and Aquæ Sulis. Deorham is usually taken to refer to Dyrham in South Gloucestershire, on the Cotswold escarpment a few miles north of Bath...
. The
Anglo-SaxonsAnglo-Saxons is the term usually used to describe the invading Germanic tribes in the south and east of Great Britain from the early 5th century AD, and their creation of the English nation, to the Norman conquest of 1066...
called the town Baðum, Baðan or Baðon, meaning "at the baths," and this was the source of the present name. In 675, Osric, King of the
HwicceThe Hwicce were one of the peoples of Anglo-Saxon England. The exact boundaries of their kingdom are uncertain, though it is likely that they coincided with those of the old Diocese of Worcester, founded in 679–80, the early bishops of which bore the title Episcopus Hwicciorum...
, set up a monastic house at Bath, probably using the walled area as its precinct. The Anglo-Saxon poem known as
The RuinThe Ruin is an 8th century Old English poem from the Exeter Book by an unknown author. The Exeter Book is a large book dealing with mostly Christian verse with about one-third of the extant Old English poems written in it...
may describe the appearance of the Roman site about this time.
King OffaOffa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. He was the son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, a brother of King Penda of Mercia, who had ruled over a century before. Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald, defeating...
of
MerciaMercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
gained control of this monastery in 781 and rebuilt the church, which was dedicated to St. Peter. By the 9th century the old Roman street pattern had been lost and Bath had become a royal possession, with
King AlfredAlfred the Great , was king of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899. Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English king to be given the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to...
laying out the town afresh, leaving its south-eastern quadrant as the abbey precinct.
Edgar of EnglandEdgar I the Peaceful , also called the Peaceable, was a king of England . Edgar was the younger son of Edmund I of England.-Accession:...
was crowned king of England in Bath Abbey in 973.
Norman, Medieval and Tudor
King William Rufus granted the city to a royal physician,
John of ToursJohn of Tours was a medieval Bishop of Wells in England who moved the diocese seat to Bath. He was a native of Tours and was King William I of England's doctor before becoming a bishop...
, who became Bishop of
WellsWells is a small cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills.The name Wells derives from the three wells dedicated to Saint Andrew, one in the market place and two within the grounds of the Bishop's Palace and cathedral....
and Abbot of Bath in 1088. It was papal policy for bishops to move to more urban seats, and he translated his own from Wells to Bath. He planned and began a much larger church as his cathedral, to which was attached a priory, with the bishop's palace beside it. New baths were built around the three springs. However, later bishops returned the episcopal seat to Wells, while retaining the name of Bath in their title as the
Bishop of Bath and WellsThe Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England.The present diocese covers the vast majority of the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in...
.
By the 15th century, Bath's abbey church was badly dilapidated and in need of repairs.
Oliver KingOliver King was a Bishop of Exeter and Bishop of Bath and Wells who restored Bath Abbey after 1500.-Life:Educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge, King became a priest and was appointed Bishop of Exeter on 1 October 1492, consecrated on 3 February 1493. He was then translated to the see of...
, Bishop of Bath and Wells, decided in 1500 to rebuild it on a smaller scale. The new church was completed just a few years before Bath Priory was
dissolvedThe Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, denotes the administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, nunneries and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their income, disposed...
in 1539 by
Henry VIIIHenry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lord of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII.Henry VIII was a significant figure in the history of the English monarchy...
. The abbey church was allowed to become derelict before being restored as the city's parish church in the Elizabethan period, when the city experienced a revival as a
spaThe term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer thermal or mineral water for drinking and bathing. They also offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric...
. The baths were improved and the city began to attract the aristocracy. Bath was granted
city status by
Royal CharterIn medieval Europe, royal charters were used to create cities . The date that such a charter was granted is considered to be when a city was "founded", regardless of when the locality originally began to be settled.At one time a royal charter was the only way in which an incorporated body could be...
by Queen Elizabeth I in 1590.
Early modern
During the
English Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. The first and second civil wars pitted the supporters of King Charles I against the supporters of the Long Parliament, while the third war saw fighting between supporters of...
, the
Battle of LansdowneThe English Civil War battle of Lansdowne was fought on 5 July, 1643, near Bath, southwest England. Although the Royalists under Lord Hopton forced the Parliamentarians under Sir William Waller to retreat from their hilltop position, they suffered so many casualties themselves and were left so...
was fought on 5 July 1643 on the northern outskirts of the city.
Thomas GuidottThomas Guidott , "doctor of physik" and writer, became one of the 17th century's most prolific physical scientists using the latest techniques of the time for analysis and documentation.-Early studies:...
, who had been a student of chemistry and medicine at Wadham College
OxfordOxford is a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The city has a population of just under 165,000, with 151,000 living within the district boundary. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre...
, moved to Bath and set up practice in 1668. He became interested in the curative properties of the waters and he wrote
A discourse of Bathe, and the hot waters there. Also, Some Enquiries into the Nature of the water in 1676. This brought the health-giving properties of the hot mineral waters to the attention of the country and soon the aristocracy started to arrive to partake in them.
Several areas of the city underwent development during the
StuartThe House of Stuart, also known as the House of Stewart, is an important European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century. Their direct ancestors had held the title High Steward of Scotland since the...
period, and this increased during
GeorgianThe Georgian era is a period of British history, normally defined as including the reigns of the kings George I, George II, George III and George IV, i.e. covering the period from 1714 to 1830,...
times in response to the increasing number of visitors to the spa and resort town who required accommodation. The architects
John Wood the elderJohn Wood, the Elder, , was an English architect. Born in Yorkshire, Northern England, he worked principally in the city of Bath, South West England...
and his son
John Wood the youngerJohn Wood, the Younger was an English architect, working principally in the city of Bath, Somerset. He began his work as an assistant for his father, the architect John Wood, the Elder...
laid out the new quarters in streets and squares, the identical façades of which gave an impression of palatial scale and classical decorum. Much of the creamy gold
Bath stoneBath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
which was used for construction throughout the city, was obtained from the
limestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geologic record...
Combe Down and Bathampton Down MinesCombe Down and Bathampton Down Mines is a 6.22 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest in Bath and North East Somerset, notified in 1991, because of the Greater and Lesser Horseshoe bat population....
, which were owned by
Ralph AllenRalph Allen was an entrepreneur and philanthropist, and was notable for his reforms to the UK postal system. He was baptised at St Columb Major, Cornwall on 24 July 1693. As a teenager he worked at the Post Office. He moved in 1710 to Bath, where he became a post office clerk, and at the age of...
(1694–1764). Allen, in order to advertise the quality of his quarried limestone, commissioned the elder John Wood to build him a country house on his Prior Park estate between the city and the mines. He was also responsible for improving and expanding the postal service in western England, for which he held the contract for over forty years. Though not fond of politics, Allen was a civic-minded man, and served as a member of the Bath Corporation for many years. He was elected Mayor of the city for a single term, in 1742, at age 50.
The early 18th century saw Bath acquire its first purpose-built theatre, the
Theatre RoyalThe Theatre Royal in Bath, England, is over 200 years old. It is one of the more important theatres in the United Kingdom outside London, with capacity for an audience of around 900....
, along with the
Grand Pump RoomThe Grand Pump Room in the Abbey Church Yard, Bath, Somerset, England is a historic building. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
attached to the Roman Baths and
assembly roomsThe Bath Assembly Rooms, designed by John Wood the Younger in 1769, are a set of elegant assembly rooms located in the heart of the World Heritage City of Bath in England which are now open to the public as a visitor attraction...
.
Master of CeremoniesA master of ceremonies, microphone controller or MC , sometimes called a compère or an MJ for "microphone jockey," is the host of an official public or private staged event or other performance. The MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving...
Beau NashBeau Nash , born Richard Nash, was a celebrated dandy and leader of fashion in 18th-century Britain. He is best remembered as the Master of Ceremonies at the spa town of Bath.- Biography :...
, who presided over the city's social life from 1705 until his death in 1761, drew up a code of behaviour for public entertainments.
Late modern
The population of the city had reached 40,020 by the time of the 1801 census, making it one of the largest cities in Britain.
William Thomas BeckfordWilliam Thomas Beckford , usually known as William Beckford, was an English novelist, a profligate and consummately knowledgable art collector and patron of works of decorative art, a critic, travel writer and sometime politician, reputed to be the richest commoner in England...
bought a house in Lansdown Crescent in 1822, eventually buying a further two houses in the crescent to form his residence. Having acquired all the land between his home and the top of Lansdown Hill, he created a garden over half a mile in length and built
Beckford's TowerBeckford's Tower, originally known as Lansdown Tower, is an architectural folly built in neo-classical style on Lansdown Hill, just outside Bath, Somerset, England....
at the top.
Emperor Haile Selassie I of
EthiopiaEthiopia , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, Somalia to the east and Djibouti to the northeast. Its size is 1,100,000 km² with an...
spent the four years of his exile, from 1936 to 1940, at
Fairfield HouseFairfield House, in Newbridge, Bath, England, was the residence of Emperor Haile Selassie I during the five years he spent in exile . Following his return to Ethiopia, he donated it to the city of Bath as a residence for the aged, and it remains so to this day...
in Bath. During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, between the evening of 25 April and the early morning of 27 April 1942, Bath suffered three air raids in reprisal for
RAFThe Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
raids on the German cities of
LübeckThe Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage is on UNESCO's list of World...
and
RostockRostock is the largest city in the north German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Rostock is located on the Warnow river; the quarter of Warnemünde 12 km north of the city centre lies directly on the coast of the Baltic Sea.-Geography:Rostock is located nearly centrally on...
, part of the
LuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1933 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956.Schweizer Luftwaffe is also the name of the Swiss Air...
campaign popularly known as the
Baedeker BlitzThe Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of Vergeltungsangriffe by the German air force on English cities in response to the bombing of the erstwhile Hanseatic League city of Lübeck during the night from 28 to 29 March, 1942 during World War II.-Background:Lübeck was bombed on the night...
. Over 400 people were killed, and more than 19,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Houses in the
Royal CrescentThe Royal Crescent is a residential road of 30 houses, laid out in a crescent, in the city of Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a grade I...
,
CircusThe Circus is an example of Georgian architecture in the city of Bath, Somerset, England, begun in 1754 and completed in 1768. The name comes from the Latin 'circus', which means a ring, oval or circle. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
and
ParagonA paragon is an ideal: a model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal; a perfect embodiment of a concept. In modern fantasy, it is typically a synonym of paladin or templar; a holy defender of justice and of divine nature....
were burnt out along with the Assembly Rooms, while part of the south side of
Queen SquareQueen Square is a square of Georgian houses in the city of Bath, England.Queen Square was the first speculative development by the architect John Wood, the Elder. Wood lived in a house on the square. Numbers 21-27 make up the north side...
was destroyed.
A postwar review of inadequate housing led to the clearance and redevelopment of large areas of the city in a postwar style, often at variance with the Georgian style of the city. In the 1950s the nearby villages of
Combe DownCombe Down is a village suburb of Bath, England in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Somerset. In the 1950s Combe Down was incorporated into Bath to enable the development of the new postwar housing...
,
TwertonTwerton is a suburb of the city of Bath, Somerset, England, situated to the west of the city, and home to the city's football club, Bath City....
and Weston were incorporated into Bath to enable the development of further housing, much of it council housing. In the 1970s and 1980s it was recognised that conservation of historic buildings was inadequate, leading to more care and reuse of buildings and open spaces. In 1987 the city was selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognising its international cultural significance.
Since 2000, developments have included the
Bath SpaThermae Bath Spa is a modern spa in the city of Bath, England, opened in 2006. It is owned by the local Bath and North East Somerset council, and operated by the Thermae Development Company....
,
SouthGateSouthGate in Bath, Somerset, England is a new shopping centre area under development in the centre of the city, close to the railway station.SouthGate will include a Debenhams department store on Manvers Street and over 58 shops, 724 parking spaces and Georgian-style architecture with a Bath stone...
and the Bath Western Riverside project.
Governance
HistoricallyThe historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires. They were used for various functions for several hundred years and continue to form, albeit with considerably...
part of the county of
SomersetSomerset is a county in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The ceremonial county of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west...
, Bath was made a
county boroughCounty borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. The Local Government Act 1972 abolished them in England and Wales, but they are still used in the Republic of Ireland and Northern...
in 1889 and hence independent of the newly created
administrativeAdministrative counties were a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974. They were created by the Local Government Act 1888 and abolished by the Local Government Act 1972...
Somerset
county councilA county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
. Bath became part of
AvonAvon was, from 1974 to 1996, a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in the west of England. The county was named after the River Avon, which runs through the area. In 1996, the county was abolished and the area split between the Bath and North East Somerset, City of Bristol, North Somerset and...
when that non-metropolitan county was created in 1974. Since the abolition of Avon in 1996, Bath has been the main centre of the
unitary authorityA unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of
Bath and North East SomersetBath and North East Somerset is a unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the County of Avon. It is part of the Ceremonial county of Somerset....
(B&NES). Bath remains, however, in the ceremonial county of Somerset, though not within the administrative non-metropolitan county of Somerset.
The City of Bath's ceremonial functions, including the mayoralty – which can be traced back to 1230 – and control of the
coat of armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
, are now maintained by the
Charter TrusteesIn England and Wales, charter trustees are set up to maintain the continuity of a town charter or city charter after a district with the status of a borough or city has been abolished, until such time as a parish council is established...
of the City of Bath. The coat of arms includes two silver strips, which represent the
River AvonThe River Avon is a river in the south west of England. Because of a number of other Rivers Avon in England, this river is often also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon...
and the hot springs. The sword of St. Paul is a link to
Bath AbbeyThe Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...
. The supporters, a
lionThe Lion is one of four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
and a
bearBears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
, stand on a bed of
acornThe acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oak tree . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
s, a link to
BladudBladud or Blaiddyd was a legendary king of the Britons, for whose existence there is no historical evidence. He is first mentioned in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, which describes him as the son of King Rud Hud Hudibras, and the tenth ruler in line from the first King, Brutus....
, the subject of the Legend of Bath. The knight's helmet indicates a municipality and the
crownA crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents power, legitimacy, immortality, righteousness, victory, triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death. In art the crown may be shown being offered to those...
is that of
King EdgarEdgar I the Peaceful , also called the Peaceable, was a king of England . Edgar was the younger son of Edmund I of England.-Accession:...
.
Before the
Reform Act 1832The Representation of the People Act 1832, commonly known as the Reform Act 1832, was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of the United Kingdom...
Bath elected two members to the
unreformed House of CommonsThe unreformed House of Commons is the name generally given to the British House of Commons as it existed before the Reform Act 1832.Until the Act of Union of 1707 joining the Kingdoms of Scotland and England , Scotland had its own Parliament, and the term refers to the English House of Commons The...
. Bath now has a single
parliamentary constituencyBath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century...
, with
Liberal DemocratThe Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems or just Liberals, are a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party; the two parties had been in alliance for seven years, from shortly after the formation of...
Don Foster as
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
. His election was a notable result of the
1992 general electionThe United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party.John Major had won the leadership election in November 1990 succeeding the outgoing PM Margaret Thatcher....
, as
Chris PattenChristopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC is a prominent British Conservative politician and a Patron of the Tory Reform Group....
, the previous Member (and a
Cabinet MinisterIn the politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of government ministers.H.M...
) played a major part, as
Chairman of the Conservative PartyIn the United Kingdom, the Chairman of the Conservative Party is responsible for running the party machine, overseeing Conservative Central Office. When the Conservatives are in power, the Chairman is usually a member of the Cabinet being given a sinecure position such as Minister without Portfolio...
, in getting the government of
John MajorSir John Major, KG, CH, ACIB , is a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and former Leader of the Conservative Party. He held these posts from 1990 to 1997....
re-elected, but failed to defend his marginal seat in Bath. Don Foster has been re-elected as the MP for Bath in every election since. His majority was significantly reduced from over 9,000 in both the 1997 and 2001 general elections to 4,638 in 2005.
The electoral wards of the
Bath and North East SomersetBath and North East Somerset is a unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the County of Avon. It is part of the Ceremonial county of Somerset....
unitary authority within Bath are:
- Abbey, Bathwick
Bathwick is an electoral ward in the City of Bath, England, on the opposite bank of the River Avon to the historic city centre.The district became part of the Bath urban area with the 18th century development of the Pulteney estate and the building of Pulteney Bridge...
, Combe DownCombe Down is a village suburb of Bath, England in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Somerset. In the 1950s Combe Down was incorporated into Bath to enable the development of the new postwar housing...
, Kingsmead, Lambridge, Lansdown, Lyncombe, NewbridgeNewbridge is an electoral ward within Bath, England. Informally, Newbridge refers to the area of Bath that roughly corresponds to the ward boundaries....
, Odd Down, Oldfield, Southdown, TwertonTwerton is a suburb of the city of Bath, Somerset, England, situated to the west of the city, and home to the city's football club, Bath City....
, WalcotWalcot is a suburb of the city of Bath, England. It lies to the north-north-east of the city centre, and is an electoral ward of the city.The parish church, on The Paragon is dedicated to St Swithin and was built in 1779-90 by John Palmer....
, Westmoreland, Weston and WidcombeWidcombe is a district of Bath, England, immediately south-east of the city centre, across the River Avon.Widcombe Manor House is a grade I listed manor house built in 1656. It is located on Church Street adjacent to St Thomas à Beckett Church....
.
Physical geography
Bath is at the bottom of the Avon Valley, and near the southern edge of the
CotswoldsThe Cotswolds is a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the "Heart of England", an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The highest point in the Cotswolds range is Cleeve Hill at , to the north of Cheltenham...
, a range of
limestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geologic record...
hills designated as an
Area of Outstanding Natural BeautyAn Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
. The hills that surround and make up the city have a maximum altitude of on the Lansdown plateau. It has an area of .
The surrounding hills give Bath its steep streets and make its buildings appear to climb the slopes. The flood plain of the River Avon, which runs through the centre of the city, here has an altitude of . The river, once an unnavigable series of braided streams broken up by
swampA swamp is a wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a substantial number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types...
s and
pondA pond is an inland body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens designed for aesthetic ornamentation, fish ponds designed for commercial fish breeding, and solar...
s, has been managed by
weirA weir , also known as a lowhead dam, is a small overflow-type dam commonly used to raise the level of a river or stream. Weirs have traditionally been used to create mill ponds in such places. Water flows over the top of a weir, although some weirs have sluice gates which release water at a level...
s into a single channel. Nevertheless, periodic flooding, which shortened the life of many buildings in the lowest part of the city, was normal until major flood control works in the 1970s.
The water which bubbles up from the ground, as
geothermal springsThe definition of a hot spring varies , but by many of these definitions, the springs in Bath are the only hot springs in the UK. However, there is not universal agreement.There are several geothermal springs in the UK:...
, previously fell as rain on the
Mendip HillsThe Mendip Hills are a range of limestone hills situated to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the Hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon valley to the north...
. It percolates down through limestone aquifers to a depth of between and metres where geothermal energy raises the water temperature to between and . Under pressure, the heated water rises to the surface along fissures and faults in the limestone. This process is similar to an artificial one known as Enhanced Geothermal System which also makes use of the high pressures and temperatures below the Earth's crust. Hot water at a temperature of rises here at the rate of every day, from a geological fault (the Pennyquick fault). In 1983 a new spa water bore-hole was sunk, providing a clean and safe supply of spa water for drinking in the Pump Room. There is no universal definition to distinguish a
hot springA hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are hot springs all over the earth, on every continent and even under the oceans and seas.-Definitions:...
from another geothermal spring, though by several definitions, the Bath springs can be considered the only hot springs in the UK. Three of these springs feed the
thermal bathsThermae Bath Spa is a modern spa in the city of Bath, England, opened in 2006. It is owned by the local Bath and North East Somerset council, and operated by the Thermae Development Company....
.
Climate
Along with the rest of
South West EnglandSouth West England is one of the regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area, covering including Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It has a population of almost five million, and includes the area often known as...
, Bath has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of England. The annual mean temperature is approximately and shows a seasonal and a
diurnalDiurnal motion is an astronomical term referring to the apparent daily motion of stars around the Earth, or more precisely around the two celestial poles. It is caused by the Earth's rotation on its axis, so every star apparently moves on a circle, that is called the diurnal circle...
variation, but due to the modifying effect of the sea the range is less than in most other parts of the UK. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between and . July and August are the warmest months in the region with mean daily maxima around .
South West EnglandSouth West England is one of the regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area, covering including Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It has a population of almost five million, and includes the area often known as...
has a favoured location with respect to the
Azores HighThe Azores High, , is a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of high atmospheric pressure found near the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean, at the Horse latitudes. It forms one pole of the North Atlantic oscillation, the other being the Icelandic Low...
when it extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK, particularly in summer. Convective cloud often forms inland however, especially near hills, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. The average annual sunshine totals between 1,400 and 1,600 hours.
Rainfall tends to be associated with Atlantic
depressionsA low pressure area, or "low", is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower in relation to the surrounding area. Low pressure systems form under areas of upper level divergence on the east side of upper troughs, or due to localized heating caused by greater insolation or active thunderstorm...
or with convection. The Atlantic depressions are more vigorous in autumn and winter and most of the rain which falls in those seasons in the south-west is from this source. Average rainfall is around –. About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.
Demography
The city of Bath has a
populationIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings. Individuals within a population share a factor may be reduced by statistical means, but such a generalization may be too vague to imply anything...
of 83,992.
According to the
UK GovernmentThe politics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland takes place in the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the UK government, the...
's
2001 censusA nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census....
, Bath, together with North East Somerset, which includes areas around Bath as far as the
Chew ValleyThe Chew Valley is an area in North Somerset, England, named after the River Chew, which rises at Chewton Mendip, and joins the River Avon at Keynsham...
, has a population of 169,040, with an average age of 39.9 (the national average being 38.6).
DemographicsDemographics or demographic data are selected population characteristics as used in government, marketing or opinion research, or the demographic profiles used in such research...
shows according to the same statistics, the district is overwhelmingly populated by people of a white ethnic background at 97.2% – significantly higher than the national average of 90.9%. Other ethnic groups in the district, in order of population size, are
multiracialThe terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from multiple races.-Definitions of multiraciality:While defining race is controversial and rejected by some specialists in human genetics,...
at 1%, Asian at 0.5% and black at 0.5% (the national averages are 1.3%, 4.6% and 2.1%, respectively).
The district is largely Christian at 71%, with no other religion reaching more than 0.5%. These figures generally compare with the national averages, though the
non-religiousIrreligion is an absence of religion, indifference to religion, and/or hostility to religion. Depending on the context, it may be understood as referring to atheism, deism, nontheism, agnosticism, ignosticism, antireligion, skepticism, freethought, or secular humanism. Irreligious people may have...
, at 19.5%, are significantly more prevalent than the national 14.8%. 7.4% of the population describe themselves as "not healthy" in the last 12 months, compared with a national average of 9.2%; nationally 18.2% of people describe themselves as having a long-term illness, in Bath it is 15.8%.
Culture
Bath became the leading centre of fashionable life in England during the 18th century. It was during this time that Bath's
Theatre RoyalThe Theatre Royal in Bath, England, is over 200 years old. It is one of the more important theatres in the United Kingdom outside London, with capacity for an audience of around 900....
was built, as well as
architecturalFor a topical guide to this subject, see Outline of architecture. Architecture is the art and science of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures for human shelter or use....
developments such as Lansdown Crescent, the
Royal CrescentThe Royal Crescent is a residential road of 30 houses, laid out in a crescent, in the city of Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a grade I...
,
The CircusThe Circus is an example of Georgian architecture in the city of Bath, Somerset, England, begun in 1754 and completed in 1768. The name comes from the Latin 'circus', which means a ring, oval or circle. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
and
Pulteney BridgePulteney Bridge is a bridge that crosses the River Avon, in Bath, England. It was completed in 1773 and is designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building....
.
Today, Bath has five
theatreTheatre is a branch of the performing arts. While any performance may be considered theatre, as a performing art, it focuses almost exclusively on live performers creating a self contained drama. A performance qualifies as dramatic by creating a representational illusion...
s – Bath Theatre Royal,
Ustinov StudioThe Ustinov Studio is a studio theatre in Bath, England. It is the Theatre Royal's second space, built in 1997 at the rear of the building on Monmouth Street. It is named after the actor Peter Ustinov...
,
the eggthe egg is a theatre in Bath, built specifically for the use of young people. It was converted from a former cinema by architects Haworth Tompkins. The Grade II listed Victorian building houses the eponymous 'egg'-shaped auditorium, around which an arts cafe, rooftop rehearsal space and basement...
, the
Rondo TheatreThe Rondo Theatre, in Bath, was established in 1989 through the generosity of Doreen and Wilf Williams, who bought the former church hall from St. Saviours Church, Larkhall in 1976 and gifted the freehold to a newly formed charity, The Rondo Trust for the Performing Arts...
, and the
Mission TheatreThe Mission Theatre is a theatre in Bath, England.In 2004, the Next Stage Theatre Company took possession of a grade II listed building originally built as a Congregational hall in 1797, which had been used by The People's Mission until 1998, and began building work to convert it into a theatre...
– and attracts internationally renowned companies and directors, including an annual season by Sir Peter Hall. The city also has a long-standing musical tradition;
Bath AbbeyThe Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...
is home to the Klais Organ and is the largest concert venue in the city, with about 20 concerts and 26 organ recitals each year. Another important concert venue is the Forum, a 1,700-seat
art decoArt Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts, and film...
building which originated as a cinema. The city holds the
Bath International Music FestivalThe Bath International Music Festival, also known as the Bath Music Fest, is held each summer in Bath, South West England. Inaugurated in 1948, the festival includes many genres such as orchestral, contemporary jazz, folk and electronica...
and Mozartfest every year. Other festivals include the annual
Bath Film FestivalBath Film Festival was established in 1991, in Bath, England, by members of the Bath Film Society.In 1992, with funding from the local authority and other art groups, they saw a great expansion of their program, including participatory workshops and other special events such as live music...
,
Bath Literature FestivalThe Bath Literature Festival held annually in Bath, Somerset, England, has become an important date in the national literary calendar, playing host to an array of journalists, novelists, poets, politicians, actors, comedians, writers and biographers....
(and its
counterpart for childrenThe Bath Festival of Children's Literature is an annual book festival held in Bath, Somerset aimed at children's books. The festival features a variety of authors, poets, illustrators and storytellers. It typically lasts ten days, spanning two weekends...
), the
Bath Fringe FestivalThe Bath Fringe Festival is an annual art festival, held in Bath, England.Bath Fringe was founded in 1981 as a counterbalance to the 'classical'-dominated Bath Music Festival, which some people perceived to be elitist and out-of-touch with what a younger local audience wanted...
and the
Bath Beer FestivalBath Beer Festival is an annual beer festival held in the city of Bath, England.The festival offers opportunities to taste 85 real ales, along with traditional cider and Belgian beers....
, and the Bach Festivals which occur at two and a half year intervals.
The city is home to the
Victoria Art GalleryThe Victoria Art Gallery is free public art museum in Bath, Somerset, England.The building was designed in 1897 by John McKean Brydon, and has been designated as a Grade II listed building. The exterior of the building includes a statue of Queen Victoria, by A. C. Lucchesi, and friezes of...
, the
Museum of East Asian ArtThe Museum of East Asian Art is in Bennett Street, Bath, Somerset, England.The museum is in a restored Georgian house.It houses a collection of ceramics, jades, bronzes and bamboo carvings from China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. In total there are of almost 2,000 objects, ranging in date from...
, and
Holburne Museum of ArtThe Holburne Museum of Art is in Sydney Pleasure Gardens, Sydney Place, in the Bathwick area of Bath, Somerset, England....
, numerous commercial art galleries and antique shops, as well as numerous museums, among them
Bath Postal MuseumThe Bath Postal Museum is in Bath, Somerset, England.The museum was founded in 1979 by Audrey and Harold Swindells in the basement of their house. In 1984 it moved to a home in Broad Street. This was the site of Bath's main Post Office from 1822 to 1854 and the building in which the first recorded...
, the
Fashion MuseumThe Fashion Museum is housed in the Assembly Rooms in Bath, Somerset, England.The collection was started by Doris Langley Moore, who gave her collection to the city of Bath in 1963...
, the
Jane Austen CentreThe Jane Austen Centre at 40 Gay Street in Bath, Somerset, England, is a permanent exhibition which tells the story of Jane Austen's Bath experience – the effect that living here had on her and her writing....
, the Herschel Museum of Astronomy and the Roman Baths. The
Bath Royal Literary and Scientific InstitutionThe Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution is an institution based in Bath, England. It was founded in 1824 and provides a museum, an independent library, meeting rooms and a programme of public lectures and discussion groups.-Formation:Early attempts to create a Bath Agricultural Society...
, now in Queen Square, and founded in 1824 on the base of a 1777 Society for the encouragement of Agriculture, Planting, Manufactures, Commerce and the Fine Arts, has an important collection and holds a programme of talks and discussions.
Bath in the arts
During the 18th century
Thomas GainsboroughThomas Gainsborough was one of the most famous portrait and landscape painters of 18th century Britain.-Suffolk:...
and Sir
Thomas LawrenceSir Thomas Lawrence RA was a notable English painter, mostly of portraits.He was born in Bristol. His father was an innkeeper, first at Bristol and afterwards at Devizes, and at the age of six Lawrence was already being shown off to the guests of the Bear as an infant prodigy who could sketch...
lived and worked in Bath.
John MaggsJohn Charles Maggs was a painter best known for his coaching scenes.He was born in Bath, England in 1819, his father being a furniture japanner there. He painted a series of famous coaching inns, and also a series of 80 metropolitan inns, in which he exploited the picturesque and historical aspect...
, a painter best known for his coaching scenes, was born and lived in Bath with his artistic family.
William Friese-GreeneWilliam Friese-Greene was a portrait photographer and prolific inventor. He is principally known as a pioneer in the field of motion pictures and is credited by some as the inventor of cinematography.-Career:William Edward Green was born on September 7, 1855, in Bristol...
began experimenting with celluloid and motion pictures in his studio in Bath in the 1870s, developing some of the earliest movie camera technology there. He is credited as the inventor of cinematography.
Jane AustenJane Austen was an English novelist, whose realism, biting social commentary and use of free indirect speech, have earned her a place as one of the most widely read and most beloved writers in English literature....
lived in the city from 1801 with her father, mother and sister Cassandra, and the family resided in the city at four successive addresses until 1806. However, Jane Austen never liked the city, and wrote to her sister Cassandra, "It will be two years tomorrow since we left Bath for Clifton, with what happy feelings of escape." Despite these feelings, Bath has honoured her name with the
Jane Austen CentreThe Jane Austen Centre at 40 Gay Street in Bath, Somerset, England, is a permanent exhibition which tells the story of Jane Austen's Bath experience – the effect that living here had on her and her writing....
and a city walk. Austen's later
Northanger AbbeyNorthanger Abbey was the first of Jane Austen's novels to be completed for publication, though she had previously made a start on Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice...
and
PersuasionPersuasion is a form of social influence. It is the process of guiding people and oneself toward the adoption of an idea, attitude, or action by rational and symbolic means. It is a strategy of problem-solving relying on "appeals" rather than coercion...
are largely set in the city and feature descriptions of taking the waters, social life, and music recitals. Taking the waters is also described in
Charles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens FRSA , pen-name "Boz", was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era and one of the most popular of all time. He created some of literature's most memorable characters. His novels and short stories have never gone out of print...
' novel
The Pickwick PapersThe Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club is the first novel by Charles Dickens. After the publication the widow of illustrator Robert Seymour claimed that the idea for the novel was originally her husband's; however, in his preface to the 1867 edition, Dickens strenuously denied any specific...
in which Pickwick's servant, Sam Weller, comments that the water has "a very strong flavour o' warm flat irons", while the
Royal CrescentThe Royal Crescent is a residential road of 30 houses, laid out in a crescent, in the city of Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a grade I...
is the venue for a chase between two of the characters, Dowler and Winkle.
Moyra CaldecottMoyra Caldecott is a British author of historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction and non-fiction. Her works include "Guardians of the Tall Stones" and The Egyptian Sequence....
's novel
The Waters of Sul is set in Roman Bath in 72 AD.
Richard Brinsley SheridanRichard Brinsley Sheridan was a playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For thirty-two years, he was also a Member of Parliament aligned with the British Whig Party. Such was the esteem he was held in by his contemporaries when he died that he was buried...
's play
The RivalsThe Rivals, a play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, is a comedy of manners in five acts. It was first performed on 17 January 1775.- Production :...
takes place in the city, as does
Roald DahlRoald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter.Born in Llandaff, Wales, to Norwegian parents, Dahl served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent...
's chilling short-story,
The Landlady-Plot summary:The story focuses on a 17-year old boy named Billy Weaver who has just stepped into the world of work. Arriving in Bath for a business trip, he looks for a place to stay, and is recommended to the Bell and Dragon. While headed there, he comes upon a bed and breakfast sign which...
.
Many films and television programmes have been filmed in Bath including: the 2004
filmVanity Fair is a drama/romance film directed by Mira Nair and adapted from William Makepeace Thackeray's novel of the same name. The previous subject of numerous television and film adaptations, this version made substantial changes, most notably being the almost complete transformation of the...
of
ThackerayWilliam Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
's
Vanity Fair,
The DuchessThe Duchess is a 2008 British drama film based on Amanda Foreman's best-selling biography of the 18th-century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. It was released in September 2008 in the UK...
(2008),
The Elusive PimpernelThe Elusive Pimpernel is a period adventure film by the British-based director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, based on The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, and its sequel The Elusive Pimpernel. Despite having been shot in color, tt was released in the United...
(1950) and
The Titfield ThunderboltThe Titfield Thunderbolt is a 1953 British comedy film about a group of villagers trying to prevent British Railways from closing the fictional Titfield branch line. The film was written by T.E.B...
(1953).
In August 2003 the Three Tenors sang at a special concert to mark the opening of the
Thermae Bath SpaThermae Bath Spa is a modern spa in the city of Bath, England, opened in 2006. It is owned by the local Bath and North East Somerset council, and operated by the Thermae Development Company....
, a new hot water
spaThe terms balnea or thermae were the words the ancient Romans used for the buildings housing their public baths.Most Roman cities had at least one, if not many, such buildings, which were centers of public bathing and socialization. Baths were extremely important for Romans. They stayed there for...
in Bath City Centre; delays to the project meant the spa actually opened three years later on 7 August 2006.
Parks
The city has several public parks, the main one being Royal Victoria Park, which is a short walk from the centre of the city. It was opened in 1830 by an 11-year-old
Princess VictoriaVictoria was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India of the British Raj from 1 May 1876, until her death...
, and was the first park to carry her name. The park is overlooked by the
Royal CrescentThe Royal Crescent is a residential road of 30 houses, laid out in a crescent, in the city of Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a grade I...
and consists of with a variety of attractions. These include a
skateboardA skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a quad wheeled, dual "truck" and quad bearing system designed for both movement and stunts, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The modern skateboard originated in California in the late 1950s...
ramp,
tennisTennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court....
courts,
bowling Bowling is a Sport in which players attempt to score points by rolling a bowling ball along a flat surface either into objects called pins or to get close to a target ball. There are many forms of bowling, with one of the most recent being ten-pin bowling and the earliest dating back to ancient...
, a putting green and a 12- and 18-hole
golfGolf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players , using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area...
course, a pond, open air concerts, and a popular children's play area. Much of its area is
lawnA lawn is an area of recreational or amenity land planted with grass, and sometimes clover and other plants, which are maintained at a low, even height....
; a notable feature is the way in which a ha-ha segregates it from the
Royal CrescentThe Royal Crescent is a residential road of 30 houses, laid out in a crescent, in the city of Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a grade I...
, while giving the impression to a viewer from the Crescent of a greensward uninterrupted across the Park down to Royal Avenue. It has received a "
Green Flag awardThe Green Flag Award is the benchmark national standard for parks and green spaces in the United Kingdom. The scheme was set up by Mark Davis in 1996 to recognise and reward green spaces in England and Wales that met the laid down high standards. It is seen as a way of encouraging others to aim for...
", the national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales, and is registered by
English HeritageEnglish Heritage . is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government with a broad remit of managing the historic built environment of England. It is currently sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a
Park of National Historic ImportanceA National Historical Park, National Historic Park, and National Historic Site are designations for protected areas of national historic significance, usually nominated by a governing body overseeing historic resources...
. The botanical garden were formed in 1887 and contain one of the finest collections of plants on
limestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geologic record...
in the
West CountryThe West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
. The replica of a Roman Temple was used at the
British Empire ExhibitionThe British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley, Middlesex in 1924 and 1925.It was opened by King George V on St George’s Day, 23 April. The British Empire contained 58 countries at that time, and only Gambia and Gibraltar did not take part...
at
WembleyWembley is an area of north-west London, UK, and part of the London Borough of Brent.-Location:Wembley is bounded on the south and east by the River Brent and the A406 North Circular Road, separating it from Neasden, Willesden and Park Royal. To its west and northwest are Sudbury and Harrow...
in 1924. In 1987 the gardens were extended to include the Great Dell, a disused quarry that was formally part of the park, which contains a large collection of conifers.
Other parks in Bath include: Alexandra Park, which crowns a hill and overlooks the city; Parade Gardens, along the river front near the Abbey in the centre of the city; Sydney Gardens, known as a pleasure-garden in the 18th century; Henrietta Park; Hedgemead Park; and Alice Park. Jane Austen wrote of Sydney Gardens that "It would be pleasant to be near the Sydney Gardens. We could go into the Labyrinth every day." Alexandra, Alice and Henrietta parks were built into the growing city among the housing developments. There is also a linear park following the old
Somerset and Dorset Joint RailwayThe Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway – almost always referred to as "the S&D" – was an English railway line connecting Bath in north east Somerset and Bournemouth now in south east Dorset but then in Hampshire...
line, and, in a green area adjoining the River Avon,
Cleveland PoolsCleveland Pools in Hampton Row, Bath, Somerset, England is a semi-circular lido built, by John Pinch, around 1814. It is believed to be the oldest public outdoor swimming pool in England....
were built around 1815. It is now the oldest surviving public outdoor
lidoSee, for distinction, Lido .Venice's Lido is an 11 km long sandbar, home to about 20,000 residents, greatly augmented by the tourists who move in every summer. The Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido every September. It has the Italian postal code, 30126.-Geography:The island is...
in England, and plans have been submitted for its restoration.
Food
Bath is linked to a variety of foods that are distinctive in their association with the city. The
Sally Lunn bunA Sally Lunn bun is a traditional version of a manchet, a traditional English yeast bread originating from Bath in the West Country of England.- History :...
s (a type of
teacakeThis article is about a type of bread or cake. Tea cake can also be used to describe Compressed tea. For the chocolate-covered teacake, see Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats.A teacake or tea cake is a kind of bread or cake...
) have long been baked in Bath. They were first mentioned by that name in verses printed in a local newspaper, the
Bath ChronicleThe Bath Chronicle is a weekly newspaper, published since 1760 in Bath, England. Prior to September 2007, it was published daily.The newspaper may have originally been published as the Bath Chronicle and Universal Register taking over from the Bath Advertiser which was published from 1755.It is...
, in 1772. At that time they were eaten hot at public breakfasts in the city's Spring Gardens. They can be eaten with sweet or savoury toppings. These are sometimes confused with
Bath bunThe Bath bun is a rich, sweet yeast dough shaped round that has a lump of sugar baked in the bottom and more crushed sugar sprinkled on top after baking. Variations in ingredients include candied fruit peel, currants or larger raisins or sultanas....
s which are smaller, round, very sweet, very rich buns that were associated with the city following
The Great ExhibitionThe Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, England, from 1 May to 15...
. Bath buns were originally topped with crushed
comfitComfits are confectionery consisting of dried fruits, nuts or spices coated with sugar candy. Almond comfits in a muslin bag or other decorative container, are a traditional gift at baptism and wedding celebrations in many countries of Europe and the Middle East, a custom which has spread to...
s created by dipping
carawayCaraway also known as Meridian Fennel or Persian cumin is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe and Northern Africa....
seeds repeatedly in boiling sugar; but today seeds are added to a 'London Bath Bun' (a reference to the bun's promotion and sale at the Great Exhibition). The seeds may be replaced by crushed sugar granules or 'nibs'.
Bath has also lent its name to one other distinctive recipe –
Bath OliverA Bath Oliver is a hard, dry biscuit made from flour, butter, yeast and milk; often eaten with cheese. It was invented by a Dr William Oliver of Bath, Somerset around 1750 CE, giving the biscuit its name....
s – the dry baked biscuit invented by Dr William Oliver, physician to the
Mineral Water HospitalThe Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS hospital trust of the National Health Service in England. It is a small, specialist Trust in the centre of Bath....
in 1740. Oliver was an early anti-obesity campaigner and the author of a
"Practical Essay on the Use and Abuse of warm Bathing in Gluty Cases". In more recent years, Oliver's efforts have been traduced by the introduction of a version of the biscuit with a plain chocolate coating. The
Bath Chap, which is the salted and smoked cheek and jawbones of the pig, takes its name from the city. It is still available from a stall in the daily covered market. Although there is a brewery named
Bath AlesBath Ales is a brewery located in the town of Warmley, Bristol, just west of Bath, England.-History:The brewery was established in 1995 by former employees of Smiles Brewery in Bristol. Since that time, it has experienced steady growth, which included opening a new bottling plant in...
, located a few miles away in
WarmleyWarmley is a village in South Gloucestershire, England, to the east of Kingswood on the outskirts of Bristol.In the mid 18th century it contained the Warmley Works of William Champion. It is the home of a football team, Warmley F.C. and the brewery Bath Ales....
,
Abbey AlesAbbey Ales is an English brewery located in city of Bath, England. It was founded in 1997 by Alan Morgan.-Beers:Bellringer is a cask beer with an alcohol by volume of 4.2%, launched at the Bath Beer Festival in 1997...
are brewed in the city.
Sport
Bath RugbyBath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Guinness Premiership league...
is a
rugby unionRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
team which is currently in the
Guinness PremiershipThe English Premiership is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are, at present, twelve clubs in the Premiership...
league and coached by Steve Meehan. It plays in black, blue and white kit at the
Recreation GroundThe Recreation Ground is a large open space in the centre of Bath, England, next to the River Avon, used for recreational purposes by Bath residents and the public generally....
in the city, where it has been since the late 19th century, following its establishment in 1865. The team's first major honour was winning the John Player Cup four years consecutively from 1984 until 1987. The team then led the
Courage leagueThe English Premiership is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are, at present, twelve clubs in the Premiership...
for six consecutive seasons, from 1988/1989 until 1995/1996, during which time it also won the Pilkington Cup in 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1996. It finally won the
Heineken CupThe European Rugby Cup is an annual rugby union competition involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from six International Rugby Board nations in Europe: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Romania competed in the first year of the competition only...
in the 1997/1998 season, and topped the Zürich Premiership (now Guinness Premiership) in 2003–2004. The team's current
squadIn military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...
includes several members who also play in the
English national teamThe England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 25 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam. England also compete for the Calcutta Cup...
including:
Lee MearsLee Mears is an English rugby union footballer, who plays hooker for Bath.-Early Years:Mears first started playing rugby for the Torquay Athletic mini team. Then after playing at {}, he went to Colston's Collegiate School and came under the guidance of came Andy Robinson and Alan Martinovic...
,
David FlatmanDavid Luke Flatman or 'Flats' is a prop for the England national rugby union team.He started playing rugby union at the age of eight at his local club, Maidstone RFC, inspired by his father, who was a prop...
.
Nick AbendanonNick Abendanon is an English rugby union footballer, renowned for his attacking runs from full-back.-External links:**...
and
Matt BanahanMatt Banahan is a rugby union player for Bath in the Guinness Premiership. His main position is , and he can also operate as an outside ....
.
Colston's Collegiate SchoolColston's School is an independent co-educational school in Bristol, England. It is located on two sites, the Upper and Lower Schools, in Stapleton, a medium-sized village to the north east of the city, approximately two miles from the city centre and two minutes' drive from Junction 2 of the M32...
,
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
has had a large input in the team over the past decade, providing several current 1st XV squad members. The former England Rugby Team Manager
Andy RobinsonRichard Andrew 'Andy' Robinson OBE is an English rugby union coach and retired player. He is currently the head coach of Scotland.Robinson played as an openside flanker for Bath, England and the British Lions...
used to play for Bath Rugby team and was captain and later coach. Both of Robinson's predecessors,
Clive WoodwardSir Clive Ronald Woodward is a former English rugby union international who was the coach of the national rugby union team from 1997 to 2004...
and
Jack RowellJack Rowell OBE is the Director of Rugby union at Bath.Between 1978 and 1994 Rowell coached Bath during their golden era, winning eight John Player/Pilkington Cups and five League Championships....
, were also former Bath coaches and managers as well as his successor
Brian AshtonWilliam Brian Ashton MBE is a former rugby union player and the former Head Coach of the England national rugby union team.-Biography:...
.
Bath City F.C.Bath City Football Club are a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset. They currently play in the Conference South. Their manager is Adie Britton....
and
Team Bath F.C.Team Bath was a football club affiliated with the University of Bath in the city of Bath, Somerset, England. After winning promotion in a successful first season in the Southern League Division One West, and playing in the Southern League Premier Division, they won promotion to the Conference South...
(affiliated with the
University of BathThe University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, England. It received its Royal Charter in 1966. With 20 out of its 26 subjects being ranked within top 10 in the UK, Bath is placed the 6th in the table of Who's in Top Ten of Their Subjects from the Complete University Guide published...
) are the major football teams. Both teams play in the
Conference Souththumb|right|South Conference TrophyConference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
- in 2007, Bath City became champions of the Southern Football League, and were promoted, whilst Team Bath were promoted the following year after winning the Southern League Premier Division playoffs. In 2002, Team Bath became the first university team to enter the
FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association. The name "FA Cup" usually refers to the English men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held...
in 120 years, and advanced through four qualifying rounds to the first round proper. The university's team was established in 1999, while the city team has existed since before 1908 (when it entered the
Western LeagueThe Western Football League is a football league in the south west of England. The league's current main sponsor is Toolstation, so it is also known as the Toolstation League....
).
Bath City F.C.Bath City Football Club are a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset. They currently play in the Conference South. Their manager is Adie Britton....
play their games at
Twerton ParkTwerton Park is a multi-purpose stadium in the Twerton suburb of Bath, England. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Bath City. For a while Bristol Rovers played there. The stadium has a capacity of 8,800 people, with 1,006 seats.The ground was opened on 26...
.
Many
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
clubs are based in the city, including
Bath Cricket ClubBath Cricket Club is an English amateur cricket club based in the city of Bath, Somerset. The club was founded in 1859 and compete in the West of England Premier League, which is an accredited ECB Premier League, the highest level for recreational club cricket in England and Wales.Home matches are...
, who are based at the North Parade Ground and play in the
West of England Premier LeagueThe West of England Premier League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in the West of England and is a designated ECB Premier League....
. Cricket is also played on the Recreation Ground, just across from where the Rugby is played. The Rec's cricket ground is the venue for the annual Bath Cricket Festival which sees
Somerset County Cricket ClubSomerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset. Its limited overs team is called the Somerset Sabres. The club has its headquarters at the County Cricket Ground, Taunton....
play several games. The Recreation Ground is also home to Bath Croquet Club, which was re-formed in 1976 and is affiliated with the South West Federation of
CroquetCroquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport, which involves hitting wooden or plastic balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
Clubs.
The
Bath Half MarathonThe Bath Half Marathon is an annual road running half marathon held in Bath, England. The has been held every year since 1981, normally on the second or third Sunday in March...
is run annually through the city streets, with over 10,000 runners. Bath also has a thriving
cyclingCycling is an activity most commonly performed on a bicycle - when it is it is also referred to as bicycling or simply biking. It is the use of the bicycle, unicycle , tricycles , quadracycles , and other similar wheeled human-powered vehicles for the purpose of transport, as a form of...
community, with places for biking including Royal Victoria Park, 'The Tumps' in Odd Down/east, the jumps on top of Lansdown, and Prior Park. Places for biking near Bath include
Brown's FollyBrown's Folly is a 39.9 hectare biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near the village of Bathford in Bath and North East Somerset, notified in 1974. Also known as Farleigh Down Stone Quarry, it is operated as a nature reserve by the Avon Wildlife Trust .Brown's Folly is...
in
BatheastonBatheaston is a village and civil parish east of Bath, England , on the north bank of the River Avon. The parish has a population of 2,625...
and Box Woods, in
BoxBox is a village located in Wiltshire, England, about 8 km east of Bath and 11 km west of Chippenham. It is quite a large parish with several settlements, apart from the village of Box, within its boundaries....
. Bath is also the home of the Bath American Football Club, which has been playing
American FootballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
in the city since 2001.
TeamBath"Team Bath" redirects here. For the football club, see Team Bath F.C..TeamBath is home to the family of sports based at the University of Bath, and is host to some of the United Kingdom's top Olympic athletes...
is the umbrella name for all of the
University of BathThe University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, England. It received its Royal Charter in 1966. With 20 out of its 26 subjects being ranked within top 10 in the UK, Bath is placed the 6th in the table of Who's in Top Ten of Their Subjects from the Complete University Guide published...
sports teams, including the aforementioned football club. Other sports for which TeamBath is noted are athletics,
badmintonBadminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
,
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of 5 players try to score points against one another by placing a ball through a
10 foot high hoop under organized rules...
,
bob skeletonSkeleton originated as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding in St. Moritz, Switzerland. While Skeleton "sliders" use similar equipment to Cresta "riders", the two sports are different and should not be confused .-History:...
,
bobsleighBobsleigh, bobsled or bobsledge is a winter sport invented by Englishmen in the late 1860s in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled...
,
hockeyField hockey is a team sport in which a team of players attempt to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking the ball with hockey sticks into the opposing team's goal. Its official name is simply hockey, and this is the common name for it in many countries...
,
judo, meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century...
,
modern pentathlonThe modern pentathlon is a sports contest that includes five events: pistol shooting, épée fencing, 200 m freestyle swimming, show jumping, and a 3 km cross-country run...
,
netballNetball is a sport in which two teams of seven players try to score points against each other by placing a ball through a raised goal. The sport is popular in Commonwealth countries and is predominantly played by women. Netball shares many similarities with basketball, having been derived from...
,
rugby unionRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
,
swimmingThe aquatic sport of swimming involves competition amongst participants to be the fastest over a given distance under self propulsion.The different events include 25, 50, 100, 200, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly, the 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, 500, 800, 1000, 1500, and 1650 free and the 100,...
,
tennisTennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court....
,
triathlonA triathlon is a multi-sport endurance event consisting of swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time, including timed "transitions" between the individual swim, bike, and run components.Triathlon...
and
volleyball Volleyball is an Olympic team sport in which two teams of 6 players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules...
. The City of Bath Triathlon takes place annually at the university.
Industry
Bath once had an important manufacturing sector, led by companies such
Stothert and PittStothert & Pitt were a British engineering company founded in 1795 in Bath, England. They were the builders of a variety of engineering products ranging from Dock cranes to construction plant, and household cast iron items. They went out of business in the 1989...
. Nowadays manufacturing is in decline in the city, but it boasts strong software, publishing and service-oriented industries, being home to companies such as Future Publishing and London & Country mortgage brokers. The city's attraction to tourists has also led to a significant number of jobs in tourism-related industries. Important economic sectors in Bath include education and health (30,000 jobs), retail, tourism and leisure (14,000 jobs) and business and professional services (10,000 jobs). Its main employers are the
National Health ServiceThe National Health Service is the name commonly used to refer to the publicly-funded health care services in Great Britain. In England the name National Health Service is used without further qualification whereas the services in Scotland and Wales are known as NHS Scotland and NHS Wales...
, the two universities and the Bath and North East Somerset Council, as well as the
Ministry of DefenceThe Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
, although a number of MOD offices formerly in Bath have now moved to
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
. Growing employment sectors include information and communication technologies and creative and cultural industries where Bath is one of the recognised national centres for publishing, with the magazine publisher
Future PublishingFuture plc is an international special-interest media company. Future Publishing is its UK business, jointly based in Bath and London. The brand produces magazines, websites and events in a range of specialist sectors including games, technology, automotive, cycling, films and photography...
employing around 650 people. Others include the Helphire Group, an accident management company specialising in non-fault motor accidents (800 jobs),
Buro HappoldBuro Happold is a professional services firm providing engineering consultancy, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of buildings, infrastructure and the environment...
(400) and
IPL Information Processing LimitedIPL Information Processing, commonly known as IPL, is a British software services company providing business consultancy and technical consultancy, IT solutions and managed services to public and private sectors. The company's headquarters are in the World Heritage City of Bath, England...
(250). The city contains over 400 retail shops, 50% being run by independent specialist retailers, and around 100 restaurants and cafes which are primarily supported by tourism.
Tourism
One of Bath's principal industries is
tourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other...
, with more than one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city on an annual basis. The visits mainly fall into the categories of
heritage tourismCultural heritage tourism is a branch of tourism oriented towards the cultural heritage of the location where tourism is occurring....
and
cultural tourismCultural tourism is the subset of tourism concerned with a country or region's culture, specifically the lifestyle of the people in those geographical areas, the history of those peoples, their art, architecture, religion, and other elements that helped shape their way of life...
. All significant stages of the
history of EnglandThe history of England began with the arrival of humans thousands of years ago. What is now England was inhabited by Neanderthals 230,000 years ago, while the first modern Homo sapiens arrived around 29,000 years ago. However, continuous human habitation dates to around 11,000 years ago, at the end...
are represented within the city, from the Roman Baths (including their significant
CeltCelts is a modern term used to describe any of the European peoples who spoke, or speak, a Celtic language...
ic presence), to
Bath AbbeyThe Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...
and the
Royal CrescentThe Royal Crescent is a residential road of 30 houses, laid out in a crescent, in the city of Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a grade I...
, to
Thermae Bath SpaThermae Bath Spa is a modern spa in the city of Bath, England, opened in 2006. It is owned by the local Bath and North East Somerset council, and operated by the Thermae Development Company....
in the 2000s. The size of the tourist industry is reflected in the almost 300 places of accommodation – including over 80
hotelA hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s, and over 180
bed and breakfastA bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals...
s – many of which are located in
Georgian buildingsGeorgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the...
. Two of the hotels have 'five-star' ratings. There are also two campsites located on the western edge of the city. The city also contains about 100 restaurants, and a similar number of
public houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises in countries and regions of British influence. Although the terms often have different connotations, there is little definitive difference between pubs, bars,...
s and
barsA bar is an establishment that serves drinks, especially alcoholic beverages such as beer, liquor, and cocktails, for consumption on the premises....
. Several companies offer open-top bus tours around the city, as well as tours on foot and on the river. Since 2006, with the opening of Thermae Bath Spa, the city has attempted to recapture its historical position as the only town in the United Kingdom offering visitors the opportunity to bathe in naturally heated spring waters.
Twinned towns
Bath has five
twinned townsSister cities, also known as town twinning, is an agreement between towns, cities and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties...
:
- Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city in southern France, some north of Marseille...
, France
- Alkmaar
Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well-known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...
, Netherlands
- Braunschweig
Braunschweig , known as Brunswiek in Low German, is a city of 245,810 people , located in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser...
, Germany
- Kaposvár
Kaposvár is the capital of the county of Somogy in Hungary. It lies south‐west of Budapest, straddling the river Kapos.-History:...
, Hungary
- Beppu
' is a city located in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū, Japan. On January 31, 2008, the city had an official population of 122,297 and total area is 125.13 km² for a density of 977 persons per km².-Hot springs:...
, Ōita Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Ōita.- History :After the Meiji Restoration, Bungo and southern Buzen Provinces were combined to form Ōita Prefecture: These provinces were divided among many local daimyo and thus a large castle town never...
, Japan
Bath also has a partnership agreement with
Manly, New South WalesManly is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Manly is located 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of Manly Council, in the Northern Beaches region.-History:Manly was named...
, Australia.
Transport
Bath is approximately south-east of the larger city and port of
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
, to which it is linked by the A4 road, and is a similar distance south of the
M4 motorwayThe M4 motorway is a motorway in Great Britain linking London with West Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea....
. In an attempt to reduce the level of car use
Park and RidePark and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and others wishing to travel into city centres to leave their personal vehicles in a car park and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
schemes have been introduced, with sites at Odd Down, Lansdown and Newbridge, with a Saturdays-only site at the University of Bath. In addition a Bus Gate scheme in Northgate aims to reduce private car use in the city centre.
National ExpressNational Express is the brand under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are marketed, and also the company that manages this network and operates some of the services...
operates
coachIn British and Australian English, the term coach is used to refer to a large motor vehicle for conveying passengers. To differentiate from other types of bus, a coach has a luggage hold separate from the passenger cabin...
services from
Bath Bus StationThe Bath Bus Station at Manvers Street, Bath, England, opened in 1958 under the control of the Bristol Omnibus Company.The Southgate area of the city between Manvers Street to the east and St James’ Parade to the west was the area worst affected by the Baedeker Blitz of April 1942...
to a number of cities. Internally, Bath has a network of bus routes run by First Group, with services to surrounding towns and cities. There is one other company running open top double-decker bus tours around the city.
The city is connected to Bristol and the sea by the
River AvonThe River Avon is a river in the south west of England. Because of a number of other Rivers Avon in England, this river is often also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon...
, navigable via
locksA lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber whose water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the...
by small boats. The river was connected to the
River ThamesThe River Thames is a major river flowing through southern England. While best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows through several other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading and Windsor....
and London by the
Kennet and Avon CanalThe Kennet and Avon Canal is a canal in southern England. The name may refer to either the route of the original Kennet and Avon Canal Company, which linked the River Kennet at Newbury to the River Avon at Bath, or to the entire navigation between the River Thames at Reading and the Floating...
in 1810 via
Bath LocksBath Locks are a series of locks situated on the Kennet and Avon Canal, at Bath, England.Bath Bottom Lock, which is numbered as No 7 on the canal is the meeting with the River Avon just south of Pulteney Bridge...
; this waterway – closed for many years, but restored in the last years of the 20th century – is now popular with
narrowboatA narrowboat or narrow boat is a boat of a distinctive design, made to fit the narrow canals of England and Wales.In the context of British Inland Waterways, "narrow boat" refers to the original working boats built in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries for carrying goods on the narrow canals...
users. Bath is on National Cycle Route 4, with one of Britain's first cycleways, the Bristol & Bath Railway Path, to the west, and an eastern route toward
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
on the canal towpath. Although Bath does not have an airport, the city is about from
Bristol International AirportBristol International Airport , located at Lulsgate Bottom in North Somerset, is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol, England and the surrounding area. In 2003, the airport drew 45% of its passengers from the former county of Avon area, 13% from Devon, 10% from Somerset and 10% from...
.
Bath is served by the
Bath Spa railway stationBath Spa railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Bath, in South West England.-Architecture:Bath Spa station was built in 1840 for the Great Western Railway by Brunel and is a grade II listed building...
(designed by
Isambard Kingdom BrunelIsambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British engineer. He is best known for the creation of the Great Western Railway, a series of famous steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship, and numerous important bridges and tunnels...
), which has regular connections to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
Paddington,
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
Temple MeadsBristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important interchange hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
,
Cardiff CentralCardiff Central railway station is a major British railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Cardiff itself and in Wales...
,
ExeterExeter is a city and district in Devon, England; it is the county town of Devon. Exeter is located approximately northeast of Plymouth, and southwest of Bristol, on the River Exe. The city has a population of 111,076 according to the 2001 Census....
,
PlymouthPlymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and
PenzancePenzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom.Granted various Royal Charters from 1512 onwards and incorporated in 1614, it has a population of 20,255....
(see
Great Western Main LineThe Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads station in Bristol...
), and also
WestburyWestbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
,
WarminsterWarminster is a town in western Wiltshire, England, by-passed by the A36, and near Frome and Westbury. It has a population of about 17,000. The town's name is believed to be derived from the name 'Were-minster'. The River Were runs through the town and can be seen running through the middle of the...
, Salisbury,
SouthamptonSouthampton is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
,
PortsmouthPortsmouth is a city located in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is the United Kingdom's only island city and is located on Portsea Island. The City of Portsmouth and Portsmouth Football Club are both nicknamed Pompey...
and
BrightonBrighton is a town in the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex on the south coast of Great Britain...
(see
Wessex Main LineThe Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth.The places served are listed below.*Bristol*Keynsham*Oldfield Park*Bath...
). Services are provided by
First Great WesternFirst Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup, which operates services in the west and south west of England and South Wales....
. There is a suburban station on the main line,
Oldfield ParkOldfield Park railway station is a suburban railway station in the city of Bath in BANES, England. It serves the mainly residential areas around Moorland Road, in southern Bath....
, which has a limited commuter service to Bristol as well as other destinations.
Green Park StationGreen Park railway station is a former railway station in Bath, Somerset, England. For some of its life, it was known as Bath Queen Square.-Architecture and opening:...
was once the terminus of the
Midland RailwayThe Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
, and junction for the
Somerset and Dorset Joint RailwayThe Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway – almost always referred to as "the S&D" – was an English railway line connecting Bath in north east Somerset and Bournemouth now in south east Dorset but then in Hampshire...
, whose line, always steam hauled, went under
Bear FlatBear Flat is an area of Bath, England, to the south of central Bath, below and to the west of Beechen Cliff. The Wellsway, now the A367 road to Shepton Mallet, runs through Bear Flat. Originally this was the main pilgrimage route from Bath, with its abbey, and Wells with its cathedral.'Flat' may...
through the
Combe Down TunnelCombe Down Tunnel is a tunnel on the closed Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway main line, between Midford and Bath Queen Square, below high ground and the southern suburbs of Bath, England at Combe Down....
and climbed over the
MendipsThe Mendip Hills are a range of limestone hills situated to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, the Hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the Avon valley to the north...
to serve many towns and villages on its run to
BournemouthBournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth, England. The town has a population of 163,444 according to the 2001 Census, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is the largest town on the south coast and the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
. This example of an English rural line was closed by
BeechingThe Beeching Axe is an informal name for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard Beeching...
in March 1966. Its Bath station building, now restored, houses shops, small businesses, the Saturday Bath Farmers Market and parking for a supermarket, while the route of the Somerset and Dorset within Bath is to be reused for the
Two Tunnels GreenwayThe Two Tunnels Greenway is a proposed shared use path for walking and cycling in Bath, Somerset, England.-Route:The route will follow the disused railway trackbed of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway from East Twerton through the Bath suburb of Oldfield Park to the Devonshire Tunnel...
, a shared use path that will extend National Cycle Route 24 into the city.
A tram system was introduced in the late 19th century opening on 24 December 1880. The gauge cars were horse-drawn along a route from London Road to the Bath Spa railway station, but the system closed in 1902. It was replaced by electric tram cars on a greatly expanded gauge system that opened in 1904. This eventually extended to some with routes to
Combe DownCombe Down is a village suburb of Bath, England in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Somerset. In the 1950s Combe Down was incorporated into Bath to enable the development of the new postwar housing...
, Oldfield Park,
TwertonTwerton is a suburb of the city of Bath, Somerset, England, situated to the west of the city, and home to the city's football club, Bath City....
, Newton St Loe, Weston and
BathfordBathford is a village and civil parish east of Bath, England. It has a population of 1,753, and extends over .-History:...
. There was a fleet of 40 cars, all but 6 being double deck. The first line to close was replaced by a bus service in 1938, and the last went on 6 May 1939.
Architecture
There are many Roman archaeological sites throughout the central area of the city, but most of them are around below the present city street level. Around the hot springs, Roman foundations, pillar bases, and baths can still be seen, however all the stonework above the level of the baths is from more recent periods.
Bath AbbeyThe Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...
was a
NormanThe term Norman architecture is used to categorise styles of Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans in the various lands under their dominion or influence in the 11th and 12th centuries. In particular the term is traditionally used for English Romanesque architecture...
church built on earlier foundations, although the present building dates from the early 16th century and shows a late Perpendicular style with
flying buttressA flying buttress, or arc-boutant, is a specific type of buttress usually found on a religious building such as a cathedral. They are used to transmit the horizontal thrust of a vaulted ceiling through the walls and across an intervening space , to a counterweight outside the building...
es and
crocketA crocket is a hook-shaped decorative element common in Gothic architecture. It is in the form of a stylised carving of curled leaves, buds or flowers which is used at regular intervals to decorate the sloping edges of spires, finials, pinnacles, and wimpergs....
ed
pinnacleA pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
s decorating a
crenellated and pierced
parapetA parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
. The choir and transepts have a
fan vaultthumb|right|250px|Fan vaulting over the nave at Bath Abbey, Bath, England. Made from local Bath stone, this is a Victorian restoration of the original roof of 1608....
by
RobertRobert Vertue was a British architect and master mason.He worked as a mason on the nave of Westminster Abbey between 1475 and 1490, and then as the master mason for Henry VII's riverside north range of Greenwich Palace, built in 1500–04 and a work at the Tower of London.Along with his brother...
and
William VertueWilliam Vertue was a British architect specialising in Fan vault ceilings.Along with his brother Robert he was involved in the construction of Bath Abbey, the Tower of London and possibly Henry VII's chapel at Westminster....
. The nave was given a matching vault in the 19th century. The building is lit by 52 windows.
Most buildings in Bath are made from the local, golden-coloured
Bath StoneBath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
, and many date from the 18th and 19th century. The dominant style of architecture in Central Bath is
GeorgianGeorgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the...
; this evolved from the
PalladianPalladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
revival style which became popular in the early 18th century. Many of the prominent architects of the day were employed in the development of the city. The original purpose of much of Bath's architecture is concealed by the honey-coloured classical façades; in an
eraAn era is a commonly used word for long period of time. When used in science, for example geology, eras denote clearly defined periods of time of arbitrary but well defined length, such as for example the Mesozoic era from 252 Ma–66 Ma, delimited by a start event and an end event. When used in...
before the advent of the luxury
hotelA hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
, these apparently elegant residences were frequently purpose-built lodging houses, where visitors could hire a room, a floor, or (according to their means) an entire house for the duration of their visit, and be waited on by the house's communal servants. The masons
Reeves of BathReeves was the most prominent firm of monumental masons in Bath, Somerset. They flourised from c. 1778 to the 1860s. They often signed their work with "Reeves."-List of works:* 1786, Thomas Stokes, marble tablet in St Marys Church Yate...
were prominent in the city from the 1770s to 1860s.
"
The CircusThe Circus is an example of Georgian architecture in the city of Bath, Somerset, England, begun in 1754 and completed in 1768. The name comes from the Latin 'circus', which means a ring, oval or circle. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
" consists of three long, curved terraces designed by the elder
John WoodJohn Wood, the Elder, , was an English architect. Born in Yorkshire, Northern England, he worked principally in the city of Bath, South West England...
to form a circular space or theatre intended for civic functions and games. The games give a clue to the design, the inspiration behind which was the
ColosseumThe Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre , is an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire...
in
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
. Like the Colosseum, the three façades have a different order of architecture on each floor:
DoricThe Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of Ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian....
on the ground level, then
IonicThe Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
on the
piano nobileThe piano nobile is the principal floor of a large house, usually built in one of the styles of classical renaissance architecture...
and finishing with
CorinthianThe Corinthian order is one of the three biggest classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. It is the most ornate, characterized by a slender fluted column and an elaborate capital decorated with acanthus leaves and scrolls. The other two orders were the Doric and the Ionic...
on the upper floor, the style of the building thus becoming progressively more ornate as it rises. Wood never lived to see his unique example of town planning completed, as he died five days after personally laying the foundation stone on 18 May 1754.
The best known of Bath's terraces is the
Royal CrescentThe Royal Crescent is a residential road of 30 houses, laid out in a crescent, in the city of Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a grade I...
, built between 1767 and 1774 and designed by the younger
John WoodJohn Wood, the Younger was an English architect, working principally in the city of Bath, Somerset. He began his work as an assistant for his father, the architect John Wood, the Elder...
. But all is not what it seems; while Wood designed the great curved façade of what appears to be about 30 houses with Ionic
columnA column in structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces. Other compression...
s on a rusticated ground floor, that was the extent of his input. Each purchaser bought a certain length of the façade, and then employed their own architect to build a house to their own specifications behind it; hence what appears to be two houses is sometimes one. This system of town planning is betrayed at the rear of the crescent: while the front is completely uniform and symmetrical, the rear is a mixture of differing roof heights, juxtapositions and fenestration. This "
Queen Anne fronts and Mary-Anne backs" architecture occurs repeatedly in Bath.
Around 1770 the
neoclassicalNeoclassicism is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw upon Western classical art and culture...
architect
Robert AdamRobert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
designed
Pulteney BridgePulteney Bridge is a bridge that crosses the River Avon, in Bath, England. It was completed in 1773 and is designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building....
, using as the prototype for the three-arched bridge spanning the Avon an original, but unused, design by Palladio for the
Rialto BridgeThe Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. It is the oldest bridge across the canal, and the most famous in the city.- History :...
in
VeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy, the capital of the region Veneto, a population of 271,367 . Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area . The city historically was an independent nation...
. Thus, Pulteney Bridge became not just a means of crossing the river, but also a shopping arcade. Along with the Rialto Bridge, is one of the very few surviving bridges in Europe to serve this dual purpose. It has been substantially altered since it was built. The bridge was named after Frances and William Pulteney, the owners of the Bathwick estate for which the bridge provided a link to the rest of Bath.
The heart of the Georgian city was the
Pump RoomThe Grand Pump Room in the Abbey Church Yard, Bath, Somerset, England is a historic building. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
, which, together with its associated Lower Assembly Rooms, was designed by
Thomas BaldwinThomas Baldwin was an English surveyor and architect in Bath.He did not originally hail from Bath but was first recorded in the city in 1774, where he was initially a clerk to plumber, glazier, and politician Thomas Warr Attwood. By 1775, he was appointed as the Bath City Architect after...
, a local builder responsible for many other buildings in the city, including the terraces in Argyle Street, and the
GuildhallThe Guildhall in Bath, Somerset, England was built between 1775 and 1778 by Thomas Baldwin to designs by Thomas Warr Attwood. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
. Baldwin rose rapidly, becoming a leader in Bath's architectural history. In 1776 he was made the chief
City SurveyorThe prominent post of Bath City Architect and Surveyor was bestowed by the Corporation of Bath, Somerset on an architect who would be repeatedly chosen for civic projects. The posts were often bestowed separately with surveyor being the first appointment...
, and in 1780 became
Bath City ArchitectThe prominent post of Bath City Architect was bestowed by the Corporation of Bath, England, on an architect who would be repeatedly chosen for civic projects.*Thomas Warr Attwood –1775*Thomas Baldwin 1780–1792*John Palmer 1792–1817...
.
Great Pulteney StreetGreat Pulteney Street is a grand boulevard that joins Pulteney Bridge to Bathwick in the eastern side of Bath, England.Commissioned by Sir William Pulteney, it was designed by the architect Thomas Baldwin and completed in 1789...
, where he eventually lived, is another of his works: this wide
boulevardBoulevard has several generally accepted meanings. It was first introduced in the French language in 1435 as boloard and has since been altered into boulevard....
, constructed circa 1789 and over long and wide, is lined on both sides by Georgian terraces.
In the 1960s and early 1970s some parts of Bath were unsympathetically redeveloped, resulting in the loss of some 18th- and 19th-century buildings. This process was largely halted by a popular campaign which drew strength from the publication of Adam Fergusson's
The Sack of Bath.. Controversy has continued in recent years with the demolition of the 1930s Churchill House, a neo-Georgian municipal building originally housing the Electricity Board, to make way for the new
Bath Bus StationThe Bath Bus Station at Manvers Street, Bath, England, opened in 1958 under the control of the Bristol Omnibus Company.The Southgate area of the city between Manvers Street to the east and St James’ Parade to the west was the area worst affected by the Baedeker Blitz of April 1942...
. The was part of the
SouthgateSouthGate in Bath, Somerset, England is a new shopping centre area under development in the centre of the city, close to the railway station.SouthGate will include a Debenhams department store on Manvers Street and over 58 shops, 724 parking spaces and Georgian-style architecture with a Bath stone...
redevelopment begun in 2007 in which the central 1960s shopping precinct, bus station and multi-story carpark were demolished and a new area of mock-Georgian shopping streets is being constructed. As a result of the changes the city's status as a
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list that is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term.A World Heritage Site is a...
was reviewed by Unesco in 2009. The decision was made let Bath keep its status, but Unesco has asked to be consulted on future phases of the Riverside development, saying that the density volume of buildings in the second and third phases of the development need to be reconsidered.
It also says that Bath must do more to attract world-class architecture to any new developments.
Education
Bath has two
universitiesA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
. The
University of BathThe University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, England. It received its Royal Charter in 1966. With 20 out of its 26 subjects being ranked within top 10 in the UK, Bath is placed the 6th in the table of Who's in Top Ten of Their Subjects from the Complete University Guide published...
was established in 1966. The university is known, academically, for the physical sciences, mathematics, architecture, management and technology.
Bath Spa UniversityBath Spa University is a university based in, and around, Bath, England. The institution has previously been known as Bath College of Higher Education, and Bath Spa University College, and was upgraded to full university status in August 2005....
was first granted degree-awarding powers in 1992 as a
university collegeThe term "university college" is used in a number of countries to denote institutions that provide tertiary education but do not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university...
, before being granted
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
status in August 2005. It has schools in the following subject areas: Art and Design, Education, English and Creative Studies, Historical and Cultural Studies, Music and the Performing Arts, Science and the Environment and Social Sciences.
The city contains one
further educationFurther education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
college,
City of Bath CollegeCity of Bath College is a further education college in the centre of Bath, Somerset, England.-History:The college opened in 1892 under the name of Bath City Science, Art and Technical Schools...
, and several
sixth formThe sixth form , in the English, Welsh and Northern Irish education systems, Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Malta is the final two years of secondary schooling when students are sixteen to eighteen years of age and normally prepare...
s as part of both
stateState school is an expression used in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom to distinguish schools provided by the government from privately run schools.- United Kingdom :...
and
independent schoolAn independent school in the United Kingdom is a school that is not financed by taxpayers or through the taxation system by local or national government, and is instead funded by private sources, predominantly in the form of tuition charges, gifts and long-term charitable endowments, and so not...
s.
Media
Bath has two main local newspapers, the
Bath ChronicleThe Bath Chronicle is a weekly newspaper, published since 1760 in Bath, England. Prior to September 2007, it was published daily.The newspaper may have originally been published as the Bath Chronicle and Universal Register taking over from the Bath Advertiser which was published from 1755.It is...
and the
Bath TimesThe Bath Times is a weekly free newspaper, published in Somerset, England, with three editions covering Bath, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, and Frome. It is owned by Northcliffe Media, part of the Daily Mail and General Trust newsgroup....
. The Bath Chronicle, published since 1760, was a daily newspaper until mid-September 2007, when it became a weekly.
The Bath Times is a
freeGratis versus libre is the distinction between "for zero price" and "freedom" . Gratis appears in many English dictionaries, including the Oxford English Dictionary. However, libre does so less commonly, and no English adjective signifies "liberty" exclusively and as distinct from "at no monetary...
weekly newspaper, largely based around
advertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to influence individuals to purchase products or services or support political candidates or ideas. Frequently it communicates a message that includes the name of the product or service and how that product or service could potentially benefit the consumer...
. Both newspapers are owned by
Northcliffe MediaNorthcliffe Media is a large regional newspaper publisher in the UK and Central and Eastern Europe, owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. The company's name was changed to Northcliffe Media from Northcliffe Newspaper Group in 2007.It operates from over 30 publishing centres, and also has 18...
.
The
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
's
Where I Live website for Somerset has featured coverage of news and events within Bath since 2003.
For television, Bath is served by the
BBC WestBBC West is the BBC English Region serving Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.-Television:...
studios based in
BristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff.With an estimated population of 416,400 for the unitary authority in mid-2007, and a surrounding urban area with an estimated 561,500 residents, it is England's sixth, and...
, and by
ITV WestITV Wales & West, previously known as HTV, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, owned and operated by ITV plc from studios in Cardiff and Bristol...
(formerly
HTVITV Wales & West, previously known as HTV, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, owned and operated by ITV plc from studios in Cardiff and Bristol...
) with studios similarly in Bristol.
Radio stations broadcasting to the city include
Bath FMBath FM was a local independent radio station based at the former Weston railway station in Bath, England. The station was launched in November 1999.The station broadcasts to an area with a population of 104,000...
and heart Bath as well as The University of Bath's
1449AM URBURB is the student radio station for the University of Bath, England - It is also currently the only radio station broadcasting from Studios in Bath itself...
, a student-focused radio station available on campus and also online, and
Classic Gold 1260Gold is a regional AM station in the west of England.The station carries the Gold programming, except for a local 4-hour afternoon programme from 12pm to 4pm, which is different in the stations two sub-regions.-Programmes:...
a networked commercial radio station with local programmes.
See also
External links