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Attractions In Bath
Other Than The Roman Baths & Pump Rooms





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The Roman Baths in Bath obviously date back to Roman times, nearly 2,000 years ago. But much else in Bath that people come to admire is much more recent.

Richard 'Beau' Nash is credited with turning Bath from just another town to the elegant city it now is. There is a statue of Beau in the Pump Rooms. In 1704 Beau become master of ceremonies and ignited Bath's reputation as a safe, civilised and fashionable place. Soon Bath had a season where anybody who mattered came to Bath for fun, romance and social networking.
Pulteney Bridge Bath
Pulteney Bridge

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Architecture
Much of the allure today of Bath is the City architecture dating back to this time, one style and material, the honey coloured stone quarried locally.

John Wood was largely responsible for building Bath in the mid 18th Century in the 'Palladian' style. Today there are three main areas of note where you can admire this style at its best, all are within 5-10 minutes walk of the centre/Roman Baths.

Royal Crescent
Royal Crescent
Royal Crescent was built between 1767 and 1775, numbering 30 houses built in the trademark honey stone of Bath with a facade of columns. In front of the crescent is a grass area which now extends into Victoria Park. The houses are still as fashionable today as they were then. Number 1 is open to the public so you can catch a glimpse of the interior of the authentic Georgian style of the time, in addition to the exterior.
The Circus
Begun in 1754 and completed in 1768. The name comes from the Latin word 'circus', which means a ring, oval or circle.

Divided into three segments of equal length, the Circus is a circular space surrounded by large townhouses. Each of the curved segments faces one of the three entrances, thereby ensuring that whichever way a visitor enters there is a beautiful facade straight ahead.

The Circus
The Circus was part of John Wood the Elder's grand vision to recreate a classical Palladian architectural landscape for the city. It is only about 200m from the Royal Crescent.

Running south from The Circus is Gay Street, which runs down to Queens Square. Looked at from a plan the Circus, Gay Street and Queens Square make the perfect keyhole shape.

Queen Square was the first speculative development by John Wood, (he lived on the south side of the square).

The palatial north façade was designed to give grandeur to the whole square. The Square itself is a green space just around the corner from the main shopping street and Roman Baths. Today you may find an exhibition or perhaps a French Market in the square sometimes.

Jane Austen
Jane Austen lived and wrote 200 years ago at the height of Bath's fashionable existence.
Not that much has changed, you can still follow some of her walks from her books.
She lived at various addresses in Bath, one close by the Jane Austen Centre on Gay Street between The Circus and Queen Square.
As you would expect the Jane Austen Centre tells you all about Jane herself and the Bath she lived in.

Assembly Rooms
The Assembly Rooms were the hub of Georgian Society where everybody went to be seen. The rooms are just off The Circus, Jane Austen would have known them well. Again they were built by John Wood.

Today it is the home of the Bath Museum of Costume on the lower ground floor displaying the gowns of the Georgian period.


Jane Austen Centre

We do not have the space to cover all the items of interest on this one page. The above puts Bath in context and explains what you see all around you. Bath is very compact, on a day visit everything is within walking distance.
Pulteney Bridge, (picture at top of page) is one of the the few bridges in the world to host shops (and surprisingly large shops they are too). Most people make this the object of at least one of their photos to remember Bath by.

Sally Lunn's House is the oldest known house in Bath. The present timber-framed building dates from 1492 and Roman and Medieval remains have been found below the cellar floor. Sally Lunn, a young French girl, did not arrive until 1680. She brought with her a recipe for the sweet, brioche-style bread that has become known as the Sally Lunn Bun.
The building is still a working tea room where you too can sample the buns. There is also a museum as well.

Bath Postal Museum - Bath was.the spot where the first letter to bear a postage stamp, (the penny black) was made.

Sally Lunn's House
Driven by the need to send messages for invitations to parties etc. in society Bath. Tells the story of everything you want to know about the mail and postal systems.

Building of Bath Museum -
Explains how Bath went from the anonymous town it once was to what it is today.

Bath Abbey - Landmark building close by the Roman Baths. The 500 year old church is an abbey in name only. Like all such buildings its worth admiring. Entry is free with a suggested donation