My home town – Bath

300920. Let me say right now, that I am going to change to format of my blog as of today, with the latest writings or ramblings being at the top of the page with older stuff at the bottom. It took a while to realise this but it will definitely improve your reading 🙂

I was born in a city in the west of England called Bath. The city of Bath in South West England was first inhabited by people in 860BC.
The earliest legend about Bath, was that Bladud was sent there by his father in about 500BC and built a town called Kaerbadum or Caervaddon because while in Athens he had contracted leprosy. He was imprisoned and then escaped, came to “Bath” banished and got a job as a swine herder near Bath. He noticed that his pigs would go into an alder-moor in cold weather and return covered in black mud. He found that this mud was warm, and that they did it to enjoy the heat. He also noticed that the pigs which did this did not suffer from skin diseases as others did, and on trying the mud bath himself found that he was cured of his leprosy. He was then restored to his position as heir-apparent to his father, and founded Bath so that others might also benefit as he had done. How’s that for a story?
pic-roman-bathConstructed in around 70AD as a grand bathing and socialising complex, the Roman Baths is one of the best-preserved Roman remains in the world, where 1,170,000 litres of steaming spring water, reaching 46°C, still fills the bathing site every single day.
The present city was founded in the 1st century AD by the Romans who, after they invaded under Julius Caesar in 55 AD in the Gallic Wars, occupied the village as it was then was inhabited by the local tribe called the Dobunni who used to trade with Rome, the Romans founded the hot springs and then built their fortified town. Constructed in around 70AD as a grand bathing and socialising complex, the Roman Baths is one of the best-preserved Roman remains in the world, where 1,170,000 litres of steaming spring water, reaching 46°C, still fills the bathing site every single day.

The town was then called Aqua Sulis in honour of the female goddess Sulis who was actually a Celtic goddess – then adopted by the Romans to help them integrate with “the locals”. The hot springs were used until the 5th century and then fell into disrepair. It became an important centre for the wool industry in the Middle Ages but in the 18th century under the reigns of George l, ll and III it developed into an elegant spa city, famed in literature and art.
The Roman remains, especially the Temple of Sulis Minerva and the baths complex (based around the hot springs at the heart of the Roman town of Aquae Sulis, which have remained at the heart of the City’s development ever since) are amongst the most famous and important Roman remains north of the Alps, and marked the beginning of Bath’s history as a spa town. The most famous landmarks ar the Abbey, the Roman Baths, and the Pump Room, the Royal Crescent, the Circus, the Assembly Rooms, Pulteney Bridge or by just walking around the city you will find lots of really interesting and beautiful things. Most of the city was built and developed during the Stuart period 1603-1714.
Remains of the known Roman baths, the Temple of Sulis Minerva and the below grounds Roman archaeology are well preserved. Despite some loss of Georgian buildings prior to inscription, the Georgian City remains largely intact both in terms of buildings and plan form. The hot springs, which are the reason for the City’s original development, are of undoubted authenticity. The key Roman remains are preserved, protected and displayed within a museum environment, and the Roman Baths can still be appreciated for their original use. Text thanks to the Bath Tourist Office – I think.
That was the information age and to me, Bath is one of the most beautiful cities I know. Not too big, not too small. About 90,000 inhabitants and if you are more interested then key in “Bath City” into your browser and read a while.
I suppose like so many of the old English cities, the streets are narrow and not designed for today’s traffic, so you will probably need to find a parking garage as on-street parking can be hard to find. Better still, look for a Park and Ride sign and drive there, usually just outside the city limits and park there unlimited while catch the bus into town you wander round and have a drink and something to eat and enjoy everything that the city has to offer. It could take you a while so make the time!
In the Pump Rooms which are part of the old city every Saturday there are classical musicians who play on the stage there while you drink your coffee and munch through a Bath Bun – Google it.
There is a plentiful supply of eateries for all tastes, a great selection of old pubs in beautiful buildings and some excellent country pubs just outside the city. I think that probably all of them serve food too. There is a good rail connection to London and other cities and Bath is about 10 miles from Junction 18 on the M4.
Bath also has a long list of royalty who lived there: Royalty: Queen Anne, 1665-1714, Princess Claire of Belgium, Edgar of England, England’s first king, crowned in 973, Queen Elizabeth 1, Mary of Modena, Queen Victoria.
Connected to the arts – Bath has a famous theatre, the Theatre Royal, and if you are interested you can look at Wikipedia for a list of people on have visited or lived in Bath. The original theatre was called the Orchard Street Theatre and was built in 1750 so that people would have a permanent theatre. This was partly destroyed by fire in 1805. In 1768 an application for a Royal Licence was granted and this then led to the theatre being allowed to use the word Royal in the title.
Look under acting, architecture, art, dance, education, entertainment, exiles, fashion, film making, food, Government, literature, modelling, music, postal services, religion, science, sport, warfare there are long lists of famous people. Definitely a whole lot of famous people lived or visited Bath and it’s theatre.

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