Bath (RP:/bɑːθ/,[2]locally[ba(ː)θ][3]) is a city inSomerset, England, known for and named after itsRoman-built baths.[4] At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092.[1] Bath is in the valley of theRiver Avon, 97 miles (156 km) west of London and 11 miles (18 km) southeast ofBristol. The city became aUNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, and was later added to the transnational World Heritage Site known as the "Great Spa Towns of Europe" in 2021. Bath is also the largest city and settlement in Somerset.
Many of the streets and squares were laid out byJohn Wood, the Elder, and in the 18th century the city became fashionable and the population grew.Jane Austen lived in Bath in the early 19th century. Further building was undertaken in the 19th century and following theBath Blitz in World War II. Bath became part of the county ofAvon in 1974, and, following Avon's abolition in 1996, has been the principal centre ofBath and North East Somerset.
19th-centuryphotochrom of the Great Bath at theRoman Baths. The entire structure above the level of the pillar bases is a later construction and was not a feature of the building in Roman days.
Archaeological evidence shows that the site of theRoman baths' main spring may have been treated as a shrine by theBritons,[15][16] and was dedicated to the goddessSulis, whom theRomans identified withMinerva; the name Sulis continued to be used after the Roman invasion, appearing in the town'sRoman name,Aquae Sulis (literally, "the waters of Sulis").[17] Messages to her scratched onto metal, known ascurse tablets, have been recovered from the sacred spring by archaeologists.[18] The tablets were written inLatin, and laid curses on personal enemies. For example, if a citizen had his clothes stolen at the baths, he might write a curse against the suspects on a tablet to be read by the goddess.
A temple was constructed in AD 60–70, and a bathing complex was built up over the next 300 years.[19] Engineers drove oak piles into the mud to provide a stable foundation, and surrounded the spring with an irregular stone chamber lined with lead. In the 2nd century, the spring was enclosed within a woodenbarrel-vaulted structure that housed thecaldarium (hot bath),tepidarium (warm bath), andfrigidarium (cold bath).[20]
The town was later givendefensive walls, probably in the 3rd century.[21] After the failure of Roman authority in the first decade of the 5th century, the baths fell into disrepair and were eventually lost as a result of rising water levels and silting.[22]
In March 2012, a hoard of 30,000 silver Roman coins, one of the largest discovered in Britain, was unearthed in an archaeological dig. The coins, believed to date from the 3rd century, were found about 150 m (490 ft) from the Roman baths.[23]
Bath may have been the site of theBattle of Badon (c. 500 AD), in whichArthur, the hero of later legends, is said to have defeated theAnglo-Saxons.[24] The town was captured by theWest Saxons in 577 after theBattle of Deorham;[25] the Anglo-Saxon poemThe Ruin may describe the appearance of the Roman site about this time.[26] A monastery was founded at an early date – reputedly bySaint David although more probably in 675 byOsric, King of theHwicce,[27] perhaps using thewalled area as its precinct.[28][29]Nennius, a 9th-century historian, mentions a "Hot Lake" in the land of the Hwicce along theRiver Severn, and adds "It is surrounded by a wall, made of brick and stone, and men may go there to bathe at any time, and every man can have the kind of bath he likes. If he wants, it will be a cold bath; and if he wants a hot bath, it will be hot".Bede described hot baths in the geographical introduction to theEcclesiastical History in terms very similar to those of Nennius.[30]King Offa ofMercia gained control of the monastery in 781 and rebuilt the church, which was dedicated toSt. Peter.[31]
According to the Victorian churchmanEdward Churton, during the Anglo-Saxon era Bath was known asAcemannesceastre ('Akemanchester'), or 'aching men's city', on account of the reputation these springs had for healing the sick.[32]
By the 9th century, the old Roman street pattern was lost and Bath was a royal possession.King Alfred laid out the town afresh, leaving its south-eastern quadrant as the abbey precinct.[21] In theBurghal Hidage, Bath is recorded as aburh (borough) and is described as having walls of 1,375 yards (1,257 m) and was allocated 1000 men for defence.[33] During the reign ofEdward the Elder coins wereminted in Bath based on a design from theWinchester mint but with 'BAD' on the obverse relating to the Anglo-Saxon name for the town, Baðum, Baðan or Baðon, meaning "at the baths",[34] and this was the source of the present name.Edgar of England was crowned king of England inBath Abbey in 973, in a ceremony that formed the basis of all futureEnglish coronations.
William Rufus granted the town, abbey and mint to a royal physician,John of Tours, who became Bishop ofWells and Abbot of Bath,[35][36] following the sacking of the town during theRebellion of 1088.[37] It was papal policy for bishops to move to more urban seats, and John of Tourstranslated his own from Wells to Bath.[38] The bishop planned and began a much larger church as his cathedral, to which was attached a priory, with the bishop's palace beside it.[39] New baths were built around the three springs. Later bishops returned the episcopal seat to Wells while retaining the name Bath in the title,Bishop of Bath and Wells.St John's Hospital was founded around 1180 by BishopReginald Fitz Jocelin and is among the oldestalmshouses in England.[40] The 'hospital of the baths' was built beside the hot springs of theCross Bath, for their health-giving properties and to provide shelter for the poor infirm.[41]
Administrative systems fell within thehundreds. TheBath Hundred had various names including the Hundred of Le Buri. The Bath Foreign Hundred or Forinsecum covered the area outside the city and was later combined into the Bath Forum Hundred. Wealthy merchants had no status within the hundred courts and formedguilds to gain influence. They built the firstguildhall probably in the 13th century. Around 1200, thefirst mayor was appointed.[42]
The South Prospect of Bath as depicted in Millerd's 1673 map of Bristol
By the 15th century, Bath's abbey church was dilapidated[43] andOliver King, Bishop of Bath and Wells, decided to rebuild it on a smaller scale in 1500. The new church was completed just a few years before Bath Priory wasdissolved in 1539 byHenry VIII.[44] The abbey church became derelict before being restored as the city'sparish church in theElizabethan era, when the city experienced a revival as aspa. The baths were improved and the city began to attract the aristocracy. Aroyal charter granted by QueenElizabeth I in 1590 confirmedcity status.[45] James Montagu, Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1608, spent considerable sums in restoring Bath Abbey and actively supported the Baths themselves, aware that the 'towne liveth wholly by them'. In 1613, perhaps at his behest, Queen Anne visited the town to take the waters: the Queen's Bath was named after her. The cue for the visit may have been the completion of the restoration work to Bath Abbey, the last instalment of which had been paid for two years previously.[46]Anne of Denmark came to Bath in 1613 and 1615.[47] By the beginning of theEnglish Civil War, the city was a first-class resort. However, it lost much of this trade in 1642; with the outbreak of war, fiddlers, "ladies who are there", and ale-house guides, lost their customers.[48]
The city was initially garrisoned forCharles I. Seven thousand pounds was spent on fortifications, but on the appearance of parliamentary forces the gates were thrown open and the city surrendered. It became a significant post for the Western Association army underWilliam Waller.[49] Bath was retaken by the royalists in July 1643 following theBattle of Lansdowne and occupied for two years until 1645.[50][51] The city was spared widespread destruction of property, overcrowding, bubonic plague, or starvation of its inhabitants, etc, unlike nearby Bristol andGloucester, and it had good water piped in from its surrounding hills. Still, soldiers who were billeted in private houses contributed to disorder and vandalism, though this never caused the general destruction and plundering seen inMarlborough and other towns. Bath remained a health resort, often for wounded soldiers, its markets continued open and well-regulated, and its shopkeepers and craftsmen continued busy.[52] Nevertheless, council spending, rents and grants all decreased and the finances of the Bath City Council were seriously affected.[51]
Normality to the city quickly recovered after the war when the city council achieved a healthy budget surplus.[51]Thomas Guidott, a student of chemistry and medicine atWadham College, Oxford, set up a practice in the city in 1668. He was interested in the curative properties of the waters, and he wroteA discourse of Bathe, and the hot waters there. Also, Some Enquiries into the Nature of the water in 1676. It brought the health-giving properties of the hot mineral waters to the attention of the country, and the aristocracy arrived to partake in them.[53]
Royal Crescent and Circus from the air (connected by link road, thus creating the famous "question mark" formation). Georgian taste favoured the regularity of Bath's streets and squares and the contrast with adjacent rural nature.The Circus
Several areas of the city were developed in theStuart period, and more building took place duringGeorgian times in response to the increasing number of visitors who required accommodation.[54] ArchitectsJohn Wood the Elder andhis son laid out the new quarters in streets and squares, the identical façades of which gave an impression of palatial scale and classical decorum.[55] Much of the creamy goldBath stone, a type oflimestone used for construction in the city, was obtained from theCombe Down and Bathampton Down Mines owned byRalph Allen (1694–1764).[56] Allen, to advertise the quality of his quarried limestone, commissioned the elder John Wood to build a country house on hisPrior Park estate between the city and the mines.[56] Allen was responsible for improving and expanding the postal service in western England, for which he held the contract for more than forty years.[56] Although not fond of politics, Allen was a civic-minded man and a member of Bath Corporation for many years. He was elected mayor for a single term in 1742.[56]
In the early 18th century, Bath acquired its first purpose-built theatre, theOld Orchard Street Theatre. It was rebuilt as theTheatre Royal, along with theGrand Pump Room attached to the Roman Baths andassembly rooms.Master of ceremoniesBeau Nash, who presided over the city's social life from 1704 until his death in 1761, drew up a code of behaviour for public entertainments.[57] Bath had become perhaps the most fashionable of the rapidly developing British spa towns, attracting many notable visitors such as the wealthy London booksellerAndrew Millar and his wife, who both made long visits.[58] In 1816, it was described as "a seat of amusement and dissipation", where "scenes of extravagance in this receptacle of the wealthy and the idle, the weak and designing" were habitual.[59]
An 1850s photograph of Green StreetLooking north-west fromBathwick Hill towards the northern suburbs, showing the variety of housing typical of Bath
The population of the city was 40,020 at the 1801 census, making it one of the largest cities in Britain.[60]William Thomas Beckford bought a house inLansdown Crescent in 1822, and subsequently two adjacent houses to form his residence. Having acquired all the land between his home and the top ofLansdown Hill, he created a garden more than1⁄2 mile (800 m) in length and builtBeckford's Tower at the top.[61]
EmperorHaile Selassie of Ethiopia spent four years in exile, from 1936 to 1940, atFairfield House in Bath.[62] DuringWorld War II, between the evening of 25 April and the early morning of 27 April 1942, Bath suffered three air raids in reprisal forRAF raids on the German cities ofLübeck andRostock, part of theLuftwaffe campaign popularly known as theBaedeker Blitz. During theBath Blitz, more than 400 people were killed, and more than 19,000 buildings damaged or destroyed.[63]
A postwar review of inadequate housing led to the clearance and redevelopment of areas of the city in a postwar style, often at variance with the local Georgian style. In the 1950s, the nearby villages ofCombe Down,Twerton andWeston were incorporated into the city to enable the development of housing, much of itcouncil housing.[66][67] In 1965, town plannerColin Buchanan publishedBath: A Planning and Transport Study, which to a large degree sought to better accommodate the motor car, including the idea of a traffic tunnel underneath the centre of Bath. Though criticised by conservationists, some parts of the plan were implemented.
In the 1970s and 1980s, it was recognised that conservation of historic buildings was inadequate, leading to more care and reuse of buildings and open spaces.[66][68] In 1987, the city was selected byUNESCO as aWorld Heritage Site, recognising its international cultural significance.[69]
Between 1991 and 2000, Bath was the scene of a series of rapes committed by an unidentified man dubbed the "Batman rapist".[70] The attacker remains at large and is the subject of Britain's longest-running serial rape investigation.[70] He is said to have atightsfetish, have a scar below his bottom lip and resides in the Bath area or knows it very well.[70] He has also been linked to the unsolvedmurder of Melanie Hall, which occurred in the city in 1996.[71] Although the offender's DNA is known and several thousand men in Bath were DNA tested, the attacker continues to evade police.[70]
Since 2000, major developments have included theThermae Bath Spa, theSouthGate shopping centre, the residential Western Riverside project on theStothert & Pitt factory site, and the riverside Bath Quays office and business development.[72][73] In 2021, Bath become part of a second UNESCO World Heritage Site, a group of spa towns across Europe known as the "Great Spas of Europe".[74] This makes it one of the only places to be formally recognised twice as aWorld Heritage site.[75]
With the abolition of Avon in 1996, the non-metropolitan district and borough were abolished too, and Bath has since been part of theunitary authority district ofBath and North East Somerset (B&NES).[78] The unitary district included also theWansdyke district and therefore includes a wider area than the city (the 'North East Somerset' element) includingKeynsham which is home to many of the council's offices, though the council meets at theGuildhall in Bath.
Bath was returned to theceremonial county of Somerset in 1996, though as B&NES is a unitary authority, it is not part of the area covered by Somerset County Council.
The councillors elected by the electoral wards that cover Bath (see below) are the trustees, and they elect one of their number as their chair and mayor.[81] The mayor holds office for one municipal year and in modern times the mayor begins their term in office on the first Saturday in June, at a ceremony at Bath Abbey with a civic procession from and to the Guildhall. The 798th mayor, who began his office on 7 June 2025, is Bharat Pankhania. A deputy mayor is also elected.[82]
The coat of arms includes a depiction of thecity wall, and two silver stripes representing theRiver Avon and the hot springs. The sword ofSt. Paul is a link to Bath Abbey. The supporters, a lion and a bear, stand on a bed ofacorns, a link toBladud, the subject of the Legend of Bath. The knight's helmet indicates a municipality and thecrown is that of King Edgar (referencing his coronation at the Abbey).[83] Amural crown, indicating acity, is alternatively used instead of the helmet and Edgar's crown.[84]
The Arms bear the motto "Aqvae Svlis", the Roman name for Bath inLatin script; although not on the Arms, the motto "Floreat Bathon" is sometimes used ("may Bath flourish" in Latin).
Coat of arms of Bath, Somerset
Notes
Granted 1971.
Crest
On a Wreath Argent and Azure issuant a dexter and sinister Cubit Arm habited holding aloft a representation of the Crown of King Edgar proper.
Escutcheon
Per fesse embattled Azure and Gules the base masoned Sable in chief two Bars wavy over all a Sword erect Argent pomel and hilt Or between in base two Crosses bottonee of the third.
Supporters
On the dexter side a Lion and on the sinister side a Bear each standing upon a Branch of Oak fructed proper and charged on the shoulder with a Sword in bend proper hilt and pomel enfiling two Keys in bend sinister addorsed Or.[85]
Bath and North East Somerset Council has established the Bath City Forum, comprising B&NES councillors representing wards in Bath and up to 13 co-opted members drawn from the communities of the city. The first meeting of the Forum was held on 13 October 2015, at the Guildhall, where the first chair and vice-chair were elected.[86] In 2021, this was re-launched as the Bath Area Forum.[87]
Boundary changes enacted from 2 May 2019 included the abolition ofAbbey ward, the merger of Lyncombe and Widcombe wards, the creation of Moorlands ward, and the replacement of Oldfield with Oldfield Park, as well as considerable changes to boundaries affecting all wards.
Bath is in the Avon Valley and is surrounded by limestone hills as it is near the southern edge of theCotswolds, a designatedArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and theMendip Hills rise around 7 miles (11 km) south of the city. The hills that surround and make up the city have a maximum altitude of 781 feet (238 metres) on the Lansdown plateau. Bath has an area of 11 square miles (28 square kilometres).[91]
Thefloodplain of the Avon has an altitude of about 59 ft (18 m) above sea level,[92] although the city centre is at an elevation of around 25 metres (82 ft) above sea level.[93] The river, once an unnavigable series ofbraided streams broken up byswamps and ponds, has been controlled byweirs into a single channel. Periodic flooding, which shortened the life of many buildings in the lowest part of the city, was normal until major flood control works were completed in the 1970s.[94] Kensington Meadows is an area of mixed woodland and open meadow next to the river which has been designated as alocal nature reserve.[95]
Water bubbling up from the ground asgeothermal springs originates as rain on theMendip Hills. The rain percolates through limestone aquifers to a depth of between 9,000 to 14,000 ft (2,700 to 4,300 m) where geothermal energy raises the water's temperature to between 64 and 96 °C (approximately 147–205 °F). Under pressure, the heated water rises to the surface along fissures and faults in the limestone. Hot water at a temperature of 46 °C (115 °F) rises here at the rate of 1,170,000 litres (257,364 imp gal) daily,[96] from the Pennyquickgeological fault.
In 1983, a new spa-water bore-hole was sunk, providing a clean and safe supply for drinking in the Pump Room.[97] There is no universal definition to distinguish ahot spring from ageothermal spring, although, by severaldefinitions, the Bath springs can be considered the only hot springs in the UK. Three of the springs feed the thermal baths.[98]
Along with the rest ofSouth West England, Bath has atemperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country.[99] The annual mean temperature is approximately 11 °C (51.8 °F). Seasonal temperature variation is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom because of the adjacent sea temperatures. The summer months of July and August are the warmest, with mean daily maxima of approximately 22 °C (71.6 °F). In winter, mean minimum temperatures of 2 or 3 °C (35.6 or 37.4 °F) are common.[99] In the summer, theAzores high pressure affects the south-west of England bringing fair weather; however,convective cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. Annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of 1,600 hours.[99]
Most of the rainfall in the south-west is caused byAtlantic depressions or byconvection. In summer, a large proportion of the rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground, leading to convection and to showers and thunderstorms. Average rainfall is around 830 mm (33 in). About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to August have the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the southwest.[99]
Climate data for Bath (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1959–2005)
Bath is fully enclosed bygreen belt as a part of a wider environmental and planning policy first designated in the late 1950s,[102] and this extends into much of the surrounding district and beyond, helping to maintain local green space, prevent furtherurban sprawl and unplanned expansion towards Bristol andBradford-on-Avon, as well as protecting smaller villages in between.[102] Suburbs of the city bordering the green belt includeBatheaston,Bathford,Bathampton, the University of Bath campus, Ensleigh,Twerton,Upper Weston,Odd Down, andCombe Down.
Parts of the CotswoldsAONB southern extent overlap the green belt north of the city, with other nearby landscape features and facilities within the green belt including the River Avon, Kennet and Avon Canal,Bath Racecourse, Bath Golf Club,Bathampton Down, Bathampton Meadow Nature Reserve, Bristol and Bath Railway Path, theCotswold Way,Limestone Link route, Pennyquick Park,Little Solsbury Hill, and Primrose Hill.[102]
According to the2021 census, Bath, together with North East Somerset, which includes areas around Bath as far as theChew Valley, had a population of 193,400 (up 9.9% from 2011).[103]
The district is largelynon-religious and Christian at 47.9% and 42.2%, respectively, with no other religion reaching more than 1%. These figures generally compare with the national averages, though the non-religious, at 47.9%, are significantly more prevalent than the national 36.7%. 84.5% of residents rated their health as good or very good, higher than the national level (81.7%). Nationally, 17.7% of people identified as being disabled; in Bath it is 16.2%.[103]
The table below compares the unitary authority district as a whole (including the city) andSouth West England and contrasts changes since the 2011 census. More detailed updated information, including figures specifically for the city of Bath, appear to be unavailable.
Ethnic groups
Bath and North East Somerset (2011)
Bath and North East Somerset (2021)
South West England (2011)
South West England (2021)
White
94.6%
92.2%
95.4%
93.1%
Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh
2.6%
3.3%
2.0%
2.8%
Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African
This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(March 2024)
The2011 census recorded a population of 94,782 for the Bath built-up area and 88,859 for the city, with the latter exactly corresponding to the boundaries of the parliament constituency.[104] The Bath built-up area extends slightly beyond the boundaries of the city itself, taking in areas to the northeast such asBathampton andBathford. The 2001 census figure for the city was 83,992.[105] By 2019, the population was estimated at 90,000.[106]
An inhabitant of Bath is known as a Bathonian.[107]
The table below compares the city of Bath with the unitary authority district as a whole (including the city) andSouth West England.
Bath once had an important manufacturing sector, particularly in crane manufacture, furniture manufacture, printing, brass foundries, quarries, dye works andPlasticine manufacture, as well as many mills.[111] Significant Bath companies includedStothert & Pitt,Bath Cabinet Makers andBath & Portland Stone.
During and afterWorld War II Bath was a major location ofMinistry of Defence offices, with three major sites on the outskirts of Bath (Ensleigh, Foxhill and Warminster Road) and a number of smaller central offices including theEmpire Hotel. After theCold War staff numbers declined, and from 2010 to 2013 about 2,600 remaining staff were moved toMoD Abbey Wood in Bristol. In 2013 the three major sites were sold for the development of over 1,000 new houses.[112][113]
Nowadays, manufacturing is in decline, but the city boasts strong software, publishing and service-oriented industries, and the international manufacturing companyRotork has its headquarters in the city.[114] The city's attraction to tourists has also led to a significant number of jobs in tourism-related industries. Important economic sectors in Bath include education and health (30,000 jobs), retail, tourism and leisure (14,000 jobs) and business and professional services (10,000 jobs).[115]
Major employers are theNational Health Service,Bath Spa University, theUniversity of Bath, and Bath and North East Somerset Council. Growing employment sectors include information and communication technologies and creative and cultural industries where Bath is one of the recognised national centres for publishing,[115] with the magazine and digital publisherFuture plc employing around 650 people. Others includeBuro Happold (400) and IPL Information Processing Limited (250).[116] The city boasts over 400 retail shops, half of which are run by independent specialist retailers, and around 100 restaurants and cafes primarily supported by tourism.[115]
Bath is popular with tourists all year round. An entertainer is performing in front ofBath Abbey; theRoman Baths are to the right.
One of Bath's principal industries is tourism, with annually more than one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors.[115] The visits mainly fall into the categories ofheritage tourism andcultural tourism, aided by the city's selection in 1987 as a World Heritage Site in recognition of its international cultural importance.[66] All significant stages of thehistory of England are represented within the city, from the Roman Baths (including their significantCeltic presence), to Bath Abbey and the Royal Crescent, to the more recent Thermae Bath Spa.
The size of the tourist industry is reflected in the almost 300 places of accommodation – including more than 80 hotels, two of which have 'five-star' ratings,[117] over 180bed and breakfasts – many of which are located inGeorgian buildings, and two campsites located on the western edge of the city. The city also has about 100 restaurants and a similar number ofpubs and bars.
Several companies offeropen top bus tours around the city, as well as tours on foot and on the river. Since the opening of Thermae Bath Spa in 2006, the city has attempted to recapture its historical position as the only town or city in the United Kingdom offering visitors the opportunity to bathe in naturally heated spring waters.[118]
In the 2010Google Street View Best Streets Awards, the Royal Crescent took second place in the "Britain's Most Picturesque Street" award, first place being given toThe Shambles inYork.Milsom Street was also awarded "Britain's Best Fashion Street" in the 11,000-strong vote.[119][120]
There are many Romanarchaeological sites throughout the central area of the city. Thebaths themselves are about 6 metres (20 ft) below the present city street level. Around the hot springs, Roman foundations, pillar bases, and baths can still be seen; however, all thestonework above the level of the baths is from more recent periods.[121]
Most buildings in Bath are made from the local, golden-coloured Bath stone,[126] and many date from the 18th and 19th century. The dominant style of architecture in Central Bath is Georgian;[127] this style evolved from thePalladian revival style that became popular in the early 18th century. Many of the prominent architects of the day were employed in the development of the city. The original purpose of much of Bath's architecture is concealed by the honey-coloured classical façades; in an era before the advent of the luxury hotel, these apparently elegant residences were frequently purpose-built lodging houses, where visitors could hire a room, a floor, or (according to their means) an entire house for the duration of their visit, and be waited on by the house's communalservants.[128] The masonsReeves of Bath were prominent in the city from the 1770s to 1860s.[129]
The Circus consists of three long, curved terraces designed by the elder John Wood to form a circular space or theatre intended for civic functions and games. The games give a clue to the design, the inspiration behind which was theColosseum in Rome.[130] Like the Colosseum, the three façades have a different order of architecture on each floor:Doric on the ground level, thenIonic on thepiano nobile, and finishing withCorinthian on the upper floor, the style of the building thus becoming progressively more ornate as it rises.[130] Wood never lived to see his unique example of town planning completed as he died five days after personally laying the foundation stone on 18 May 1754.[130]
The most spectacular of Bath's terraces is the Royal Crescent, built between 1767 and 1774 and designed by the younger John Wood.[131] Wood designed the great curved façade of what appears to be about 30 houses with Ioniccolumns on a rusticated ground floor, but that was the extent of his input: each purchaser bought a certain length of the façade, and then employed their own architect to build a house to their own specifications behind it; hence what appears to be two houses is in some cases just one. This system of town planning is betrayed at the rear of the crescent: while the front is completely uniform and symmetrical, the rear is a mixture of differing roof heights, juxtapositions and fenestration. The "Queen Anne fronts and Mary-Anne backs" architecture occurs repeatedly in Bath and was designed to keep hired women at the back of the house.[132][133][134] Other fine terraces elsewhere in the city include Lansdown Crescent[135] andSomerset Place on the northern hill.[136]
Around 1770 theneoclassical architectRobert Adam designedPulteney Bridge, using as the prototype for the three-arched bridge spanning the Avon an original, but unused, design byAndrea Palladio for theRialto Bridge in Venice.[137] Thus, Pulteney Bridge became not just a means of crossing the river, but also a shopping arcade. Along with the Rialto Bridge and thePonte Vecchio inFlorence, which it resembles, it is one of the very few surviving bridges in Europe to serve this dual purpose.[137] It has been substantially altered since it was built. The bridge was named after Frances andWilliam Pulteney, the owners of the Bathwick estate for which the bridge provided a link to the rest of Bath.[137] The Georgian streets in the vicinity of the river tended to be built high above the original ground level to avoid flooding, with the carriageways supported on vaults extending in front of the houses. This can be seen in the multi-storey cellars around Laura Place south of Pulteney Bridge, in the colonnades below Grand Parade, and in the grated coal holes in the pavement of North Parade. In some parts of the city, such as George Street, and London Road near Cleveland Bridge, the developers of the opposite side of the road did not match this pattern, leaving raised pavements with the ends of the vaults exposed to a lower street below.
The heart of the Georgian city was the Pump Room, which, together with its associated Lower Assembly Rooms, was designed byThomas Baldwin, a local builder responsible for many other buildings in the city, including the terraces in Argyle Street[138] and theGuildhall.[139] Baldwin rose rapidly, becoming a leader in Bath's architectural history.
In the 1960s and early 1970s some parts of Bath were unsympathetically redeveloped, resulting in the loss of some 18th- and 19th-century buildings. This process was largely halted by a popular campaign which drew strength from the publication of Adam Fergusson'sThe Sack of Bath.[143] Controversy has revived periodically, most recently with the demolition of the 1930s Churchill House, a neo-Georgian municipal building originally housing the Electricity Board, to make way for a newbus station. This is part of the Southgate redevelopment in which an ill-favoured 1960s shopping precinct, bus station and multi-storey car park were demolished and replaced by a new area ofneo-Georgian shopping streets.[144][145]
As a result of this and other changes, notably plans for abandoned industrial land along the Avon, the city's status as a World Heritage Site was reviewed by UNESCO in 2009.[146] The decision was made to let Bath keep its status, but UNESCO asked to be consulted on future phases of the Riverside development,[147] saying that the density and volume of buildings in the second and third phases of the development need to be reconsidered.[148] It also demanded Bath do more to attract world-class architecture in new developments.[148]
In 2021, Bath received its second UNESCO World Heritage inscription, becoming part of a group of 11 spa towns across seven countries that were listed by UNESCO as the "Great Spas of Europe".[74]
Bath became the centre of fashionable life in England during the 18th century when its Old Orchard Street Theatre andarchitectural developments such as Lansdown Crescent,[149] the Royal Crescent,[150]The Circus, and Pulteney Bridge were built.[151]
Jane Austen lived there from 1801 with her father, mother and sister Cassandra, and the family resided at four different addresses until 1806.[162] Jane Austen never liked the city, and wrote to Cassandra, "It will be two years tomorrow since we left Bath for Clifton, with what happy feelings of escape."[163] Bath has honoured her name with the Jane Austen Centre and a city walk. Austen'sNorthanger Abbey andPersuasion are set in the city and describe taking the waters, social life, and music recitals.
William Friese-Greene experimented with celluloid and motion pictures in his studio in the 1870s, developing some of the earliest movie camera technology. He is credited as being one of the inventors ofcinematography.[164]
Satirist and political journalistWilliam Hone was born in Bath in 1780.
Many films and television programmes have been filmed using its architecture as the backdrop, including the 2004film ofThackeray'sVanity Fair,[169]The Duchess (2008),[169]The Elusive Pimpernel (1950)[169] andThe Titfield Thunderbolt (1953).[169] In 2012, Pulteney Weir was used as a replacement location during post production of the film adaptation ofLes Misérables. Stunt shots were filmed in October 2012 after footage acquired during the main filming period was found to have errors.[170] The ITV police dramaMcDonald & Dodds is set and mostly filmed in Bath using many of the city's famous sites.[171]
In August 2003The Three Tenors sang at a concert to mark the opening of the Thermae Bath Spa, a new hot waterspa in the city centre, but delays to the project meant the spa actually opened three years later on 7 August 2006.[172] In 2008, 104 decorated pigs were displayed around the city in a public art event called "King Bladud's Pigs in Bath". It celebrated the city, its origins and artists. Decorated pig sculptures were displayed throughout the summer and were auctioned to raise funds forTwo Tunnels Greenway.[173]
Royal Victoria Park, a short walk from the city centre, was opened in 1830 by the 11-year-oldPrincess Victoria, and was the first park to carry her name.[174] Thepublic park is overlooked by the Royal Crescent and covers 23 hectares (57 acres).[175] It has[175] askatepark, tennis courts, abowling green, a putting green and a 12- and 18-hole golf course, a pond, open-air concerts, an annualtravelling funfair at Easter,[176] and a children's play area. Much of its area islawn; a notable feature is aha-ha that segregates it from the Royal Crescent while giving the impression from the Crescent of uninterrupted grassland across the park to Royal Avenue. It has a "Green Flag Award", the national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales, and is registered byEnglish Heritage as ofNational Historic Importance.[177] The 3.84-hectare (9.5-acre) botanical gardens were formed in 1887 and contain one of the finest collections of plants on limestone in theWest Country.[178]
A replica Roman Temple was built at theBritish Empire Exhibition atWembley in 1924, and, following the exhibition, was dismantled and rebuilt in Victoria Park in Bath.[179] In 1987, the gardens were extended to include the Great Dell, a disused quarry with a collection ofconifers.[180]
Other parks include Alexandra Park on a hill overlooking the city;Parade Gardens, along the river near the abbey in the city centre;Sydney Gardens, an 18th-century pleasure garden; Henrietta Park; Hedgemead Park; and Alice Park.Jane Austen wrote "It would be pleasant to be near the Sydney Gardens. We could go into the Labyrinth every day."[181] Alexandra, Alice and Henrietta parks were built into the growing city among the housing developments.[182] Linear Park is built on the oldSomerset and Dorset Joint Railway line,[183] and connects with theTwo Tunnels Greenway which contains the longest cycling and walking tunnel in the UK.Cleveland Pools were built around 1815 close to the River Avon,[184] now the oldest surviving public outdoorlido in England.[185] Restoration was completed in 2023, after a 20-year fund-raising campaign, with the lido opening for the first time in 40 years on 10 September.[186]
Victoria Art Gallery and Royal Victoria Park are named afterQueen Victoria, who wrote in her journal in 1837, "The people are really too kind to me."[187] This feeling seemed to have been reciprocated by the people of Bath: "Lord James O'Brien brought a drawing of the intended pillar which the people of Bath are so kind as to erect in commemoration of my 18th birthday."[187]
Several foods have an association with the city.Sally Lunn buns (a type ofteacake) have long been baked in Bath. They were first mentioned by name in verses printed in theBath Chronicle, in 1772.[188] At that time they were eaten hot at public breakfasts in Spring Gardens. They can be eaten with sweet or savoury toppings and are sometimes confused withBath buns, which are smaller, round, very sweet and very rich. They were associated with the city followingThe Great Exhibition. Bath buns were originally topped with crushedcomfits created by dippingcaraway seeds repeatedly in boiling sugar; but today seeds are added to a 'London Bath Bun' (a reference to the bun's promotion and sale at the Great Exhibition).[189] The seeds may be replaced by crushed sugar granules or 'nibs'.[190]
Bath has lent its name to one other distinctive recipe –Bath Olivers – a dry baked biscuit invented by Dr William Oliver, physician to theMineral Water Hospital in 1740.[191] Oliver was an anti-obesity campaigner and author of a"Practical Essay on the Use and Abuse of warm Bathing in Gluty Cases".[191] In more recent years, Oliver's efforts have been traduced by the introduction of a version of the biscuit with a plain chocolate coating.Bath chaps, the salted and smoked cheek and jawbones of the pig, takes its name from the city[192] and is available from a stall in the daily covered market.Bath Ales brewery is located inWarmley andAbbey Ales are brewed in the city.[193]
City twinning is the responsibility of the Charter Trustees and each twinning arrangement is managed by a Twinning Association.[194][195] Bath is twinned with four other cities in Europe:
Bath has two universities, theUniversity of Bath andBath Spa University. Established in 1966, the University of Bath[199] was named University of the Year byThe Sunday Times in 2011. It offers programs in politics, languages, the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics, architecture, management and technology.[200]
Bath Spa University was first granted degree-awarding powers in 1992 as auniversity college before being granted university status in August 2005.[201][202] It offers courses leading to aPostgraduate Certificate in Education. It has schools in the following subject areas: Art and Design, Education, English and Creative Studies, Historical and Cultural Studies, Music and the Performing Arts, Science and the Environment and Social Sciences.[203]
Bath Rugby is arugby union team who play in thePremiership, England's top division of rugby. It plays in blue, white and black kit at theRecreation Ground in the city, where it has been since the late 19th century, following its establishment in 1865.[205] Bath Rugby is the joint-most successful club in England, having won 21 major trophies. It was particularly successful between 1984 and 1998, when it won 10Domestic Cups, 6 of its 7League titles, and became the first English side to win theEuropean Cup in1998. In2008 and2025, Bath also won theEuropean Challenge Cup, the continent's second-tier competition.
Bath was described by former head coach Jack Rowell as “a Georgian city, a Roman city, but more so than that, it’s a rugby city”. Bath Rugby routinely sell out matches at the 14,509-capacity Recreation Ground, and in 2024 the club submitted updated plans to redevelop it into a modern, 18,000-capacity stadium.[207] In June 2025, Bath won their first Premiership Rugby title in 29 years, completing the third leg of a historic treble, having already secured the Premiership Rugby Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup earlier that season.[208] The following day, thousands of supporters lined the streets for a victory parade. Players travelled on two open-top buses acrossPulteney Bridge and upMilsom Street, before heading towardsBath Abbey and ending at The Recreation Ground, where a ticketed party was held.[209]
Bath City F.C. is the semi-professionalfootball team. Founded in 1889, the club has played their home matches atTwerton Park since 1932. Bath City's history is entirely in non-league football, predominantly in the 5th tier. Bath narrowly missed out on election to the Football League by a few votes in 1978[210] and again in 1985. The club have a good history in the FA Cup, reaching the third round six times. The record attendance, 18,020, at the ground was in 1960 against Brighton.[211][212] The club's colours are black and white and their official nickname is "The Romans", stemming from Bath's Ancient Roman history.[213] The club is sometimes called "The Stripes", referring to their striped kit.
Until 2009Team Bath F.C. operated as an affiliate to the University Athletics programme. In 2002, Team Bath became the first university team to enter theFA Cup in 120 years, and advanced through four qualifying rounds to the first round proper.[214] The university's team was established in 1999 while the city team has existed since before 1908 (when it entered theWestern League).[215] However, in 2009, theFootball Conference ruled that Team Bath would not be eligible to gain promotion to a National division, nor were they allowed to participate inFootball Association cup competitions. This ruling led to the decision by the club to fold at the end of the 2008–09 Conference South competition. In their final season, Team Bath F.C. finished 11th in the league.[216]
Manycricket clubs are based in the city, includingBath Cricket Club, who are based at the North Parade Ground and play in theWest of England Premier League. Cricket is also played on the Recreation Ground, just across from the rugby club. The Recreation Ground is also home to Bath Croquet Club, which was re-formed in 1976 and is affiliated with the South West Federation ofCroquet Clubs.[218]
TheBath Half Marathon is run annually through the city streets, with over 10,000 runners.[219]
TeamBath is the umbrella name for all of the University of Bath sports teams, including the aforementioned football club. Other sports for which TeamBath is noted areathletics, badminton, basketball,bob skeleton,bobsleigh,hockey, judo,modern pentathlon,netball, rugby union, swimming, tennis,triathlon and volleyball. The City of Bath Triathlon takes place annually at the university.[220]
Bath Roller Derby Girls (BRDG) is a flat trackroller derby club, founded in 2012,[221] they compete in the British Roller Derby Championships Tier 3.[222] As of 2015, they are full members of the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA.)[223]
Bath is home to a table tennis League, made up of 3 divisions and a number of clubs based in Bath and the surrounding area.[224]
There is a suburban station on the main line,Oldfield Park, which has a limited commuter service to Bristol.
Bath Green Park station was once the terminus of theMidland Railway,[226] and junction for theSomerset and Dorset Joint Railway, whose line, always steam hauled, went through the Devonshire tunnel (under the Wellsway, St Luke's Church and the Devonshire Arms), through theCombe Down Tunnel and climbed over theMendips to serve many towns and villages on its 71-mile (114 km) run toBournemouth. This example of an English rural line was closed as part of theBeeching cuts in March 1966. Its Bath station building, now restored, houses shops, small businesses, a Saturday farmers' market and parking for a supermarket, while the route of the Somerset and Dorset through the suburbs toMidford has been reused for theTwo Tunnels Greenway, a shared use path that extendsNational Cycle Route 24 into the city.[227]
Faresaver Buses also operate services to surrounding towns. TheBath Bus Company runs open-top double-decker bus tours around the city,[229] as well as frequent services toBristol Airport.Stagecoach West also provides services toTetbury and the South Cotswolds. The suburbs of Bath are also served by theWESTlink on demand service, available Monday to Saturday.[230]
Bath is approximately 11 miles (18 km) south-east of the larger city and port of Bristol, to which it is linked by theA4 road and is a similar distance south of theM4 motorway at junction 18. The potential new junction 18a linking the M4 with the A4174Avon Ring Road could provide an additional direct route from Bath to the motorway.[231]
In an attempt to reduce the level of car use,park and ride schemes have been introduced, with sites at Odd Down, Lansdown and Newbridge. A large increase in city centre parking was provided under the 2010SouthGate shopping centre development, which introduced more car traffic. Abus gate scheme in Northgate aims to reduce private car use in the city centre.[232]
TheBath Clean Air Zone was introduced for central Bath on 15 March 2021. A Class C zone, it charges themost polluting commercial vehicles £9 per day (and up to £100 per day for coaches andHGVs).[235] It is the first UK road pollution charging zone outside London, and reducednitrogen dioxide levels in the city by 26% over the following two years, meeting legal standards.[236]
The city is connected to Bristol and the sea by the River Avon, navigable vialocks by small boats. The river was connected to theThames and London by theKennet and Avon Canal in 1810 viaBath Locks; this waterway – closed for many years but restored in the last years of the 20th century – is now popular withnarrowboat users.[239]
TheBath Tramways Company began operations on 24 December 1880. The4 ft (1,219 mm) gauge cars were horse-drawn along a route from London Road to the railway station. The system closed in 1902 and was replaced by electric tramcars on a greatly expanded4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) gauge system that opened in 1904. This eventually extended to 18 miles (29 km) with routes to Combe Down, Oldfield Park, Twerton,Newton St Loe, Weston andBathford. There was a fleet of 40 cars, all but six being double deck. The first line to close was replaced by a bus service in 1938, and the last went on 6 May 1939.[240]
In 2005, a detailed plan was presented to the council to reintroduce trams to Bath, but the plan did not proceed, reportedly due to the focus by the council on the government-supported busway planned to run from the Newbridge park and ride into the city centre. Part of the justification for the plan was pollution from vehicles in the city, which was twice the legal levels, and heavy traffic congestion due to high car usage. In 2015[241] another group, Bath Trams, building on the earlier tram group proposals, created interest in the idea of reintroducing trams with several public meetings and meetings with the council.[242] In 2017,Bath and North East Somerset Council announced a feasibility study[needs update] into implementing a light rail or tram system in the city.[243] In November 2016, theWest of England Local Enterprise Partnership began a consultation process on their Transport Vision Summary Document, outlining potentiallight rail or tram routes in the region, one of them a route fromBristol city centre along theA4 road to Bath to relieve pressure on bus and rail services between the two cities.[244]
Bath's local newspaper is theBath Chronicle, owned byLocal World. Published since 1760, theChronicle was a daily newspaper until mid-September 2007, when it became a weekly.[245] Since 2018 its website has been operated byTrinity Mirror'sSomersetLive platform.[246]
TheBBC Bristol website has featured coverage of news and events within Bath since 2003.[247]
Radio stations broadcasting to the city includeBBC Radio Bristol which has a studio in Kingsmead Square in the city centre,BBC Radio Somerset inTaunton,Greatest Hits Radio South West on 107.9FM andHeart West, formerly GWR FM, as well as The University of Bath'sUniversity Radio Bath, a student-focused radio station available on campus and also online.[249] Bath Sound (formerly Bath Hospital Radio and BA1 Radio)[250] is an online community station run by a charity.[251]
^Altendorf, Ulrike; Watt, Dominic (2004). "The dialects in the South of England: phonology". In Schneider, Edgar W.; Burridge, Kate; Kortmann, Bernd; Mesthrie, Rajend; Upton, Clive (eds.).A Handbook of Varieties of English. Vol. 1: Phonology. Mouton de Gruyter. pp. 178–203.ISBN978-3-11-017532-5. Page 199.
^Wessex Archaeology."Archaeological Desk- based Assessment"(PDF).University of Bath, Masterplan Development Proposal 2008. Bath University.Archived(PDF) from the original on 2 September 2015. Retrieved4 May 2015.
^"Civic Insignia".City of Bath.Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved10 December 2007.
^Stout, Adam (2020).Glastonbury Holy Thorn: Story of a Legend. Green & Pleasant Publishing. pp. 28–29.ISBN9781916268616.
^Green, Emanuel (1893). "The Visits to Bath of Two Queens".Proceedings of the Bath Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club.7: 224.
^History of England during the Reigns of the Royal House of Stuart. John Oldmixon, 1730 pp208-212, as quoted in: An unhappy civil war. The experiences of ordinary people in Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire, 1642-1646. John Wroughton. Lansdown Press, Bath, 1999. Chapter 4, Forced to improvise. pp165-166
^Rodgers, Colonel Hugh Cuthbert Basset (1968).Battles and Generals of the Civil Wars. Seeley Service & Co. p. 81.ASINB000HJ9TUG.
^abcWroughton, John (2004).Stuart Bath: Life in the Forgotten City 1603–1714. The Lansdown Press. pp. 156, 158,161–2, 174.
^An unhappy civil war. The experiences of ordinary people in Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire, 1642-1646. John Wroughton. Lansdown Press, Bath, 1999. Chapter 4, Forced to improvise. pp165-167
^Burns, D. Thorburn (1981). "Thomas Guidott (1638–1705): Physician and Chymist, contributor to the analysis of mineral waters".Analytical Proceedings.18 (1):2–6.doi:10.1039/AP9811800002.
^Hembury, Phylis May (1990).The English Spa, 1560–1815: A Social History. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ. Press. pp. 114–121.ISBN978-0-8386-3391-5.
^"Brutal Bath"(PDF). Museum of Bath Architecture. 2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 30 November 2018. Retrieved30 November 2018.
^"Why is Bath a World Heritage Site?".City of Bath World Heritage Site. Bath and North East Somerset. 7 November 2014.Archived from the original on 9 June 2015. Retrieved3 May 2015.
^Keane, Patrick (1973). "An English County and Education: Somerset, 1889–1902".The English Historical Review.88 (347):286–311.doi:10.1093/ehr/LXXXVIII.CCCXLVII.286.
^Forsyth, Michael (2003).Pevsner Architectural Guides: Bath. Yale University Press. p. 148.ISBN978-0300101775.
^Moon, Michael; Davidson, Cathy N. (1995).Subjects and Citizens: Nation, Race, and Gender from Oroonoko to Anita Hill. Duke University Press. p. 405.ISBN978-0-8223-1539-1.
^Colvin, Howard (1997).A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840 (3rd ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 97.ISBN978-0-300-07207-5.
^"Guildhall".Images of England. Historic England. Archived fromthe original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved25 July 2009.
^Colvin, Howard (1997).A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840 (3rd ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 96.ISBN978-0-300-07207-5.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
