Bath in Somerset, on the edge of the Cotswolds, is a World Heritage City. It attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world every year to see the fine Georgian buildings, beautiful parks, riverside walks and of course, the Roman Baths. The Romans called the city, “Aquae Sulis” and the Baths remain the city’s main attraction. The main bathing pool is below modern street level and open to the sky. The Baths are remarkably well preserved, but now no longer used for bathing. However, a short distance away is the Thermae Bath Spa, where visitors can enjoy bathing in natural thermal waters. A highlight is the open-air rooftop pool, with views across the city and surrounding countryside.
Royal Crescent is probably the most photographed building in Bath, consisting of thirty town houses in a sweeping semi-ellipse, facing a sloping lawn. They were designed by John Wood the Younger and built in the second half of the 18th century.
The city is closely associated with the novelist, Jane Austen, who lived here with her family for many years. The Jane Austen Centre celebrates Bath’s most famous resident. Jane Austen died in Winchester at the age of 41, on 18th July 1817. 2017 will be the two hundredth anniversary of her death, which will be marked by various events at locations associated with her. BBC2 will screen a television documentary about her life.
Bath is an elegant city where the fashion-conscious Georgians were encouraged by Beau Nash to, “take the waters”. The Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon, was designed by Robert Adam in 1769. It has shops lining both sides of the bridge like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.
The American Museum in Britain, at Claverton Manor, is the only American museum of decorative arts outside America.
Royal Crescent
