BATH
We left the train station and across the intersection was the Royal Bath Hotel. Which is a beautiful boutique hotel established in 1846 with 45 unique rooms,
We stayed in The Linley room, named after Elizabeth Linley who was considered one of the most gifted soprano singers in England and also one of the beauties of the age.
Few British towns can claim the type of historical pedigree Bath can. Not only does it contain some of the most perfectly preserved Roman structures anywhere, it is also home to breathtaking examples of Georgian architecture at its most formidable, and retains an old-world atmosphere that lends itself to romantic strolls and intimate picnics.
Speaking of picnics; after a five hour train ride we were ready for a relaxing lunch before exploring the city. Up the street we stumbled upon The Grand Parade Gardens where we saw people siting and playing on the grounds below the street level.
Lovely place to sit a while watching the world go by. An oasis in the city sandwiched between the river and the town center.
The sun was shining so we had our picnic lunch sitting on the grass overlooking the bandstand gazebo.
This stone Statue in the park depicts King Bladud, the founder of Bath with a pig, So of course MK had to visit with the pig.
As mentioned before Bath has an old world charm with a mixture of Roman, Georgian and Gothic Architecture which are all pictured here in the photo I took above taken in the Parade Garden as we were leaving, The Georgian building on the left, the Gothic Bath Abbey in the background and the roman elements in the park and stairway.
Gothic Architecture
The churches and the Bath Abby Cathedral are the examples of Gothic Architecture. Just around the corner from our hotel was a beautiful Gothic Church,
Lovely place to sit a while watching the world go by. An oasis in the city sandwiched between the river and the town center.
St John's Evangelist Church
On our way home from dinner our first night in bath the church caught our eye because it was dramatic with the up lighting of the church and it's magnificent spire.
First thing in the morning after breakfast we went back to St. Johns to tour the church and see the architecture in daylight.
St John the Evangelist is built in the decorated Gothic style. Bath stone was used throughout the entire building. The stone tower and spire are 222 feet high, the highest in Bath.
Upon entering the church, the smell of the frankincense and the ambience of the gothic church really left me in a peaceful state of mind.
This place is an active parish with regular worship. It is wonderful, with the intricately carved Lectern, the tiled ceiling with huge arches, to the baptismal fount Not only does it have a great neo-Gothic interior, but there is a wonderfully lovely perpetual adoration chapel too. We were so lucky to have found this place.
Bath Abbey
What a beautiful Abbey! Right next to the roman baths it's absolutely stunning. The architecture inside is incredible and beautifully done. The Abby is set up more like a museum t than the other Gothic churches like St. Johns.
From the beautiful interior to the many intricate furniture designs to the majestic stained glass panels...so steeped in history. This Gothic Church's exterior is breathtaking no less
Bath Abbey is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England. The Abbey’s layout is, a Greek cross, with arms of equal length or what is called, a cross-in-square plan.
GEORGIAN ARCHITECTURE
Most of Bath's buildings are made from the local, golden-colored, Bath Stone. The dominant architectural style is Georgian, Georgian buildings were known for their simplicity, power, prestige and most importantly, stability. The proportion was the key reflection in Georgian Architecture. The houses of that period followed strict rules regarding size and position of doors and windows, roof pitches, etc.
....Great Pulteney Street....
You could almost be back in Georgian times walking down Great Pulteney Street from Pulteney Bridge, around Laura to The Holburne Museum and onto Sydney Gardens. Apart from all the cars and modern fashions, that is! But it is still a lovely walk.
.....Pulteney Bridge...
The bridge crosses over the Avon River where you can see the levees that were engineer for controlling the water flow so that the river no longer overflows and floods Bath. It is a very pleasing feature that gives added dimension to the scene with the sound of cascading water.
It is a really cool bridge. I like the arches in the design and having the shops on both sides across the bridge If you didn't know you wouldn't know you are crossing a bridge.
When you go in a shop and look out the window you can see the river passing right below. We also found a beer shop/pub that had beers from all over Europe in a shop on the bridge. Mk drank a great caramel stout and I had a dark cherry infused brown ale.
The first night we were in Bath we had dinner at a Steak restaurant called Herd that is nestled in the foundation of Pulteney bridge. The steaks were perfectly prepared and melted in our mouths like butter. The restaurant overlooked the river where there was a amazing view of the Georgian style Bath Central Library, and the Bath Market.
..... Guildhall and Guildhall Marketplace .....
Bath's beautiful Guildhall was built in the 1770s as a center for local government and a venue for balls and entertainment.
Fourteen statues stand high above the street between the columns.
The Guildhall Market is a hidden gem. Slightly off the main shopping area, and somewhat hidden behind the Guildhall, it is home to a surprising variety of small shops, mainly owner operated. These include a wonderful hardware store, a pet shop, two selling unique jewelery items, one selling pashminas and exotic fabrics, a couple of cafes, a sweet shop, a second hand bookshop, a haberdashers, a barber , and a lovely shop selling soap, incense, hand-made cosmetic products and locally-made art glass.
..... The Circus .....
The Circus is a historic ring of large townhouses in the city of Bath, Somerset, England, forming a circle with three entrances. It was built between 1754 and 1768, and is regarded as a pre-eminent example of Georgian architecture
..... The Royal Cresecnt .....
The Royal Crescent is a row of 30 terraced houses laid out in a sweeping crescent in t he city of Bath, England and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom. The Royal Cresent faces the gorgeous Victoria Park. There is a short wall that separates the private lawn in front of the The Royal Crescent residences from Victoria Park.
The very first scenes of Series 1 of Bridgerton are three shots of Bath in the sunshine, to set the atmosphere of the series. The elegant members of the ton promenade with parasols along the road of The Royal Crescent.
..... Sally Lunn’s Historic Eating House .....
Sally Lunn’s is much more than a world famous tea and eating house in the centre of the wonderful city of Bath England. The historic building is one of the oldest houses in Bath.
We had brunch there. We shared a cinnamon butter bun and a Carmel Leche bun and had hot chocolate with orange liquor to drink. The buns were excellent and well worth the visit.
The kitchen museum shows the actual kitchen used by the legendary young Huguenot baker Sally Lunn in Georgian Bath to create the first Bath Bunn – an authentic regional speciality now known the world over.
ROMAN ARCHITECTURE
In front of the Bath Abbey, hidden beneath the present city of Bath lies the stone remains of one of the finest religious spas of the ancient world. The Great Bath, the magnificent epicentre to the complex, and walk on the ancient pavements as the Romans did 2,000 years ago. The Roman baths—designed for public bathing—were used until the end of Roman rule in Britain in the 5th Century AD.
We walked around the terrace which overlooks the Great Bath and saw that it is lined with Victorian statues of Roman emperors and governors of Britain. The statues on the terrace date to 1894, as they were carved in advance of the grand opening of the Roman Baths in 1897. Romans walked around the steaming pool filled with hot spa water, the magnificent centerpiece of the Roman Baths bathing complex.
The Sacred Spring, at the very heart of the site. Naturally hot water at a temperature of 46°C rises here every day and has been doing so for thousands of years.
There is cold circular plunge pool is 5 feet deep, and just looking at it makes you shiver!
The Roman bath house was a full spa complex for the romans and contained a large tepid bath fed by water that flowed through a pipe from the Great Bath. A series of heated rooms was developed here which became progressively larger until the site reached its maximum extent in the fourth century AD. the baths includes a sequence of pools and heated rooms showing how their heating system would have worked. There is cold circular plunge pool is 5 feet deep, and just looking at it makes you shiver! The Roman plumbing and drainage system is still largely in place today and shows the ingenuity of the Roman engineers
The day we visited the Roman Bath it was colder and raining, so we were inspired by the Bath to to treat ourselves to the the warm spring bath waters by booking a 2 hour session in the Thermae Bath Spas. It was a perfect choice as we relaxed and basked in the soothing warm mineral water.
