Visiting Georgian Bath - What to expect

The cream of English society attracted people like Beau Nash, an opportunist and card shark. At that time Bath was a cramped city, crammed within its city walls. Beau Nash saw an opportunity by taking on the unpaid job of master of ceremonies.

He would meet new arrivals to the city and judge whether they were suitable to join the select "Company' of 500 to 600 people at the centre of Bath society.

He would match ladies with appropriate dancing partners at each ball, pay the musicians at such events, broker marriages, escort unaccompanied wives and regulate gambling (by restraining compulsive gamblers or warning players against risky games or card sharks).

Ralph Allen's partner in this property development was John Wood the Elder, an English architect who was responsible for most of the landmark buildings we admire today.

John Wood's son, John Wood the Younger carried on after his father died, and proved just as accomplished.

The building style used was called Palladian architecture, a European style of architecture from Italy. The picture shown of Queen Square depicts what looks like a single grand building - in fact this is many individual buildings with a common frontage made to give the effect of a grand building - the Palladian style.

Grand buildings fit for the cream of society were built in this style, big enough to accommodate the aristocracy and their entourage.

The Circus and the Royal Crescent were two of the choice residential buildings which if rented would signify you had made it in society. Today, though private, you can visit one building (Number 1) in the Royal Crescent furnished as if in the Georgian Era.

Other infrastructure was built, parks to promenade in with bandstands for music to entertain. Down by the river, a broad pavement in which to promenade and show off your fashions.

Assembly rooms where as their name entails were where you would assemble and network during afternoon tea and dancing. The first theatre arrived. All this, you can get a real sense of today.

This was the age of Jane Austen who lived in Bath for some time. A couple of her books are set in Bath and today the Jane Austen museum is worthwhile.

Jane Austen museum Bath tour from London including Stonehenge.