Bath
Bath City Guide
Introduction
Bath is an elegant city boasting no fewer than 5,000 listed buildings, most of which date from the city’s Georgian heyday. The history of settlement in the area stretches back to pre-Roman times, when the natural hot springs were discovered by the Celts. It was the Romans, though, who brought the expertise to turn the springs into a magnificent bathing complex and since then the city has attracted people from far and wide to its health-giving waters. The Spa closed down in the 1970s, so in the late 20th century visitors to the city could only look at the waters in the historic Roman Baths museum or drink a glass of it in the Pump House. However, a multi-million pound programme of refurbishment was carried out thanks to the Millennium Fund and the Spa opened its doors again to bathers in July 2006.
Attractions
Roman Baths
The Roman Baths is an extensive bathing complex and temple built around a natural spring from which water flows at a constant 46.5 degrees Celsius. There’s a very informative self-guided audio tour describing how the baths were constructed and run and the role that they played in Roman daily life.
Pump Room
The Georgian Pump Room next door to the Roman Baths complex was the focal point of genteel Bath society for centuries. There’s a restaurant and tearoom there today with taps from which the warm spring water is served.
Georgian Architecture
Bath is famed for its spectacular Georgian architecture. The finest street in the city is undoubtedly Royal Crescent, designed and built in the 1760s by John Wood The Younger. One of the townhouses, No 1 Royal Crescent, has been restored to its original appearance and is open to the public. Down the road from Royal Crescent is the largest open space in the city, Royal Victoria Park, which has a botanic garden and aviary.
Jane Austen Centre
This excellent museum is dedicated to Bath’s most famous visitor and resident, Jane Austen. She visited frequently throughout her life and lived here from 1801 to 1806 and two of her novels are set here – Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. The displays and exhibits aim to give an impression of life in Bath for the writer and how it influenced her works. The newly created Regency Tea Room adjoining the centre, which serves tea, cakes and light snacks, has a great period atmosphere and is a great way to end a visit to the centre.
Museum of Costume
This remarkable collection of clothing and accessories, housed in the beautiful Georgian Assembly Rooms, spans over 400 years of fashions in both men’s and women’s clothing.
Holbourne Museum of Art
Sir William Holbourne was a prolific art collector who lived in Bath and this museum houses all of his acquisitions. There’s a wide range of exhibits from porcelain and glass to paintings and sculpture.
Bath Postal Museum
The first postage stamp in the world, the Penny Black, was sent from the very building in which the Bath Postal Museum is now housed. It’s an entertaining look at written communication throughout the ages and gives a fascinating insight into the history of the postal service in the UK, with exhibits ranging from post boxes to postmen’s uniforms.
Eating Out
The range of restaurants in Bath covers the whole culinary spectrum and it’s always easy to find somewhere good to eat, whether you prefer British or international, traditional or contemporary, informal or extravagant.
The longest established restaurant in the city is The Hole in the Wall on George Street, which serves modern British dishes. Seafood’s Traditional Fish and Chips restaurant on Kingsmead Street has been around almost as long, and makes by far the best fish supper in the city.
Pimpernel’s on Royal Crescent is a fabulous award-winning restaurant. Its changing seasonal menu has a distinctly Mediterranean influence. There’s a cosy log fire for winter dining and a beautiful terrace for eating outside in the summer.
Strada, next door to the Theatre Royal on Sawclose, serves traditional Italian dishes with contemporary style. Specialities include grilled meat and fish dishes and pasta, and the list of Italian wines is excellent.
One thing that must be experienced while in Bath is a visit to one of its many excellent traditional tea rooms, the best of which are the Pump Room, Sally Lunn’s Refreshment House and the Regency Tearooms at the Jane Austen Centre.
Nightlife
Moles Club on George Street is a great live music venue that has hosted many famous acts over the years, from DJs to rock stars. The Porter, also on George Street, is a good vegetarian pub run by the same owners.
The best places to enjoy English beers and ales are the Raven on Queen Street, a CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) award-winning pub which also serves excellent pies, and the Star Inn on The Vineyards, a no-frills traditional pub free of games machines and music.
Delfter Krug on Sawclose is a funky bar/club and one of the hippest new places in the city. It has a beer garden for outdoor summer drinking and extensive cocktail and coffee menus. Alternatively, The Fez in Bladud Buildings is a trendy Moroccan-themed club popular with the young crowd.
