Bath Spa

Our day out today included a train trip to Bath to see the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey. Just to get a feel for things we often like to take the City Tour Hop On- Hop Off bus around the city. It certainly helps to get to know what the people of the city are proud of and wht the most interesting things are to see. First and formost, the people of Bath are very proud of the Georgian Architecture in their city. The city has been named a World Heritage City because of the large number of Georgian bulidings in the town and there are restrictions for new construction that include the use of the architecture and the Bath sandstone found in the hills nearby. Bath has also been home to historic writers, such as Jane Austin, artists such as Gainsborough and architects and designers John Wood and Goodridge- the Georgian specialists of course!


And... of course the Roman baths and Bath Abbey. They are acutally right next to each other in the town center. The Romans founded the hot spring spa around the year 60 CE after the local pagans let them in on their little secret of the warm waters. The Romans, recognizing a good thing when they saw it, began constrution of a series of buildings and pool enclosures for separating the men from the women and the elite from the poor. The spa was used for several centuries and fell into disrepair after the Romans left (5 th century). The town of Bath expanded and built additional pools and covered over the old broken Roman buildings where they remained hidden until a house that was built on top of the main pool began leaking. The foundation of the house was explored and I can only imagine their surprise when the ancient walkway and pool was uncovered. Eventually, the area was reclaimed and restored to showcase the spa and the remnants of the Roman buildings and the many artifacts.



The lovely thing about the main pool is that one can walk where the Romans walked on the now very worn stones that surround the warm waters that flow from the underground spring. There is a wonderful museum that winds through the spa areas that tells the story and history of the site with views of exposed Roman walls, rooms and plumbing sturcture. The museum houses artifacts from the period including objects thrown into the Sacred Spring as offerings to the goddess Minerva. These include more than 12,000 Roman coins which is the largest collection of ancient votive coins in Britain.



The baths are no longer used because of the lead pipes that bring the water to the pool and bacteria that grow in the pools. Still they are beautiful and interesting.



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