Bath England. Bath, England is a thermal spa and architectural masterpiece. Art Gallery of Victoria

Today, Bath, along with such UK cities as London, Oxford and Edinburgh, is one of the most visited cities by tourists. It’s not surprising, because almost every building here breathes history. Walking along the central streets, you can feel the whole atmosphere of classicism and architectural bliss of the English province.

It is not surprising that it was Bath that served as a muse and inspired many English writers to create masterpieces of literature generally recognized throughout the world. Among them are the famous novels of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, which also take place in the town. However, among the British themselves the city is popular not for its beauty and architecture. The resort feature of Bath is its thermal springs, which have not only relaxing properties, but also healing ones.

History of Bath

Bath is one of the oldest settlements on British Isles. Hot springs on site modern city were found in ancient times by the Romans, who ruled Britain at that time. Even then, the first baths were built, to which aristocrats flocked from all over the island. With the advent of Christianity in Bath, a luxurious abbey was built, which only expanded over time and by the 13th century became the residence of the Bishop of Wales.

Already at the end of the 18th century, Bath became fashionable resort, which is extremely popular among the London dandies who, led by the “king of dandies” Richard Nash, visit the city every summer. Until World War I, Bath became the center of public life, since it was here in holiday seasons The entire English aristocracy and even members of the royal family moved.

Interesting Facts

As already mentioned, Bath is very popular due to its thermal springs. There are 4 such sources in total, and the temperature in them is summer time year reaches an average of 46 °C. Healing waters help primarily against most age-related diseases, such as: rheumatism, gout, paralysis, rheumatism, various joint ailments and more. In addition to baths and showers, water is also drunk for general cleansing of the body. The resort is interesting because the average annual temperature here is higher than in any other southern county. In between therapeutic baths, tourists are invited to take a walk along the picturesque streets of the town, the most popular of which are Kingston Square and Queens Square, as well as picturesque parks called Victoria Park and Sydney Garden.

A large number of buildings of Bath are included in the List World Heritage. These include Butte Abbey, the market building, the medieval town hall, 2 grand arenas, theater and hospital buildings and many others. Finally, for the biggest lovers of gastronomic pleasures, it is worth mentioning that the town is the birthplace of the most delicious and well-known Butte buns throughout the country. If you are going to visit the beautiful and mysterious country of Great Britain, then you should set aside at least one day to visit this amazing place. I guarantee that you will be satisfied!

Bath is a small charming town 1.5 hours from London that is well worth a visit. Identical stone houses in the Georgian style (which we like to simply call English) both decorate and give the city the spirit of antiquity. The atmosphere is so dense and tangible that you can touch it with your hands.

Since ancient times, Bath has been famous for its healing balneological springs (the very name of the city is translated from English as “bath”). The most famous attraction is the Roman baths, over 2000 years old. There are still hot ones here mineral springs, which are found nowhere else in the world, and water from them is served in the restaurant at the museum.

We will tell you how to live an interesting day in this wonderful city.
We definitely recommend walking the route - the journey from the station to the city center will take no more than ten minutes.

It's surprising, but there is no storage room in the station building. If you are passing through Bath, we recommend that you do not leave your luggage at the Storage Luggage Center, which is recommended in the information center. The place is a nice homely cafe where you can have an inexpensive breakfast with fresh pastries and ask the owners about the latest city news. Leaving your bag for one day will cost you £3.

3GBP - 1 bag\suitcase\backpack for the day

Now the real name is the Church of St. Peter and Paul (Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul), but in the city and in all the guidebooks it is called Bath Abbey, which is confusing - after all, there is no abbey here now.
The secret is simple: there once was an abbey here, and not just any abbey, but one of the oldest in the country. After all, for many years Bath was a royal resort and the summer center of social life in Britain. There are many historical names and events associated with the abbey, but during the Reformation it was closed, the lands were sold and the buildings abandoned. Later, the monastery church was turned into a parish church, but other buildings did not survive.
The church has many ancient burials and a majestic organ. The basement is occupied by a small museum, which displays objects dedicated to the history and relics of the cathedral. Be sure to pay attention to the wonderful stained glass windows that cover 80% of the walls - the cathedral glows from the inside like a fairy-tale lantern.

A famous element of the church’s exterior decoration is the “Stairs of Angels”: two Jacob’s ladders carved from stone, along which angels ascend to heaven, are located on the western wall.

On the front side of the western part of the church there is the so-called “signature of the founder” in the form of elaborate stone carvings in the shape of olive trees, above which rise crowns. So, in his time, a stone carver cleverly played on the name and surname of the bishop of the founder of the church (in translation, the name Oliver means “giver of olives”, and the surname King means “king”).

The unsurpassed beauty of the bridge became famous throughout Britain. Pulteney Bridge is named after the wife of a local aristocrat who owned land isolated by water opposite the main part of the city.

Two Italian bridges were taken as a model - Old Bridge in Florence and the Rialto Bridge in Venice. On both sides of the bridge there were a number of premises used primarily for shops.

What makes it unique:

While walking along the bridge, stop by the shops and drink tea with milk in one of the shops on the northern part of the bridge.

Circus Square consists of three three-story buildings in the shape of a crescent, built in architectural complex in the image and likeness of the Roman Colosseum in 1768.

Walk around this architectural crescent, take a closer look at the facades - they are decorated with colonnades - and on the friezes you can see carved and decorative elements, including those with Masonic symbols.

The square is located in the very center of Bath, from which the city streets radiate.

Every city needs to open a place like Sam's Kitchen. This restaurant serves as a permanent meeting place for lovers of local products and rural delicacies. It’s homely and cozy here, and the dishes are, not even worth mentioning, “finger lickin’ good.”

On weekdays, Sam's Kitchen opens only for lunch, and on Friday evenings it plays live music and serves Spanish snacks. There are no separate tables - instead there is one long family table, which gives this place incredible warmth and family comfort. When you gobble up lunch on both cheeks, you get the feeling that you have come to visit your uncle. When everything prepared is eaten, the restaurant closes.

In a large family, don't click your beak!

The pedestrian zone in the square in front of the abbey consists of two squares that merge into each other. This is a point of strength to rest after lunch and gain strength for a trip to the Roman baths, or maybe rest after and admire the cathedral again in a cafe or on a bench, listening to street musicians and watching locals and tourists.

A most curious landmark that gave the city its name and life.

The first baths were built here by the Celts. They noticed the healing properties of the hot spring gushing out of the ground and considered the place miraculous, so they built a sanctuary here. The Romans who came to Britain also considered the place sacred and dedicated it to the goddess Athena. The Romans built baths here. Construction began in 60 BC. and lasted 300 years.

The original Roman building collapsed over time, but new baths were constantly being built around a spring gushing out of the ground. Bath's main heyday came in the 18th and 19th centuries with the advent of the fashion for water treatment. The baths then became the central point of the city's social life. All bohemia came to the city in their chariots to take healing baths. The Roman Baths are included in the List of National Heritage of the United Kingdom.

The structures are still filled with hot spring water, but you cannot drink or swim in the water here, and it is better not to touch the water with your hands. It flows into the reservoirs through ancient lead Roman pipes. It turned out to be technically impossible to change the pipes and purify the water without destroying the building.

The museum is interesting and makes you wonder how creative the Romans were. Along with your ticket, you are given an audio guide, with which you can leisurely walk for 1-2 (or even more) hours. By presenting your ticket at the shop at the exit of the museum, you will receive a bottle of purified medicinal water.

Let him who enters here leave his weariness behind

The peace and tranquility that you will experience when visiting this spa is impossible to describe. Just imagine, after a long day of walking (or even not a day, but a week) putting your tired feet into warm healing waters Bata.

What's included in the Bath Spa: a herbal steam room, four thermal jacuzzis and a rooftop pool with stunning views of the English countryside and Bath Abbey. The audience is appropriate - entirely high society.
Slippers, towels and bathrobes are provided with the ticket, but do not forget to take a swimsuit, masks and creams from your luggage. They will come in handy!

Every music connoisseur can't help but dream of visiting this club one day. Although Moles looks a little shabby and tiny, so many talented people have performed on the club’s stage that the energy there is off the charts: The Cure, The Residents, The Smiths, Radiohead, Oasis, Blur, Pulp and this is an incomplete list.

Moles opened in 1978, serving as a vegetarian café during the day and hosting young bands and DJs as the sun went down. Fans of British music and fans of Britpop will love this place.

Now the club also has a recording studio where young musicians record their first tracks. The ranks of natives include Elbow and Cocteau Twins. And the famous band King Crimson recorded a live album “Live at Moles Club, Bath” in the Moles club in 1981.

Admission: free during the day for the concert 3-10 GBP

If you are in England and wondering what to see around London, I recommend paying attention to city of Bath. It is located 2 hours by car from London in Somerset. And if you decide to go by train (it takes about an hour and a half), be sure to save your ticket. This way you can save on some things to do in Bath, including museums and restaurants - if you pay for one, the other person gets to enjoy it completely free.

I told you about it last time, but Bath in England is simply an inexhaustible source of impressions for tourists. It is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Two thousand years ago, the Romans, who captured Britain, discovered hot underground springs on the site of modern Bath and simply could not help but use such a natural gift. Engaged in the construction Roman baths, they built a grandiose complex with baths, swimming pools, locker rooms and other premises, including a temple on its territory.

The project was named Aquae Sulis in honor of the goddess Sulis, which is the original name of the city of Bath in England. The Romans came here for the whole day, rested, socialized, met with friends, healed their physical ailments and relieved psychological fatigue. Then the name of the city changed to Bath, which translated from English means “bathhouse, bath.” Gradually the city grew, a lot of buildings were built in Georgian era. Moreover, local specific honey-golden stone was used for construction, so now wandering around Bath is pure pleasure and beauty. And at one time he was also mega popular resort among the high society of England and the royal family.

Excursion to the Roman Baths costs £12.75 for adults and £8.5 for children. Children under 6 years old have free admission. The audio guide is included in the ticket price and is even in Russian. There is an audio guide especially for children. It is very interesting to listen to the history of the founding of the baths, to look at representatives of past times - actors who will meet you on the territory of the Roman Baths and tell you interesting facts about this amazing place.

At the exit from the Roman Baths, in front of the souvenir shop, you can taste the water from the natural spring. The taste, to be honest, is specific, and the water is warm, but for the sake of health, what can you do :)

Here, at the Roman Baths, is located Bath Abbey. It was built in the Middle Ages, also from Bath light stone. You can simply walk in and see the inside of the Abbey for free, although a £2.50 donation is recommended.

Those wishing to take a one-hour tour and climb to the top of the Abbey Tower will need to pay £6. If the weather is good, this excursion is worth it. But knowledge of the English language will not hurt, the purely English accent of our grandfather-tour guide and I did not quite understand. Basically, you will wander around the tower itself, go up to the room where all the bells are located, see what the tower clock looks like from the inside, and after walking all 212 steep steps, you will be able to make beautiful pictures with views of the city of Bath. For example, here you can see the buildings of the Roman Baths and, to the left in the distance, a rooftop pool in a thermal spa.

To fully enjoy your visit to the city of Bath in England, you need to dine at the restaurant at the Roman Baths. It's called Pump room. The name is translated from English as “pump” because previously there were pumps in the restaurant premises that pumped water from thermal springs, people came here to drink healing water. Then it hosted luxurious balls and receptions, and now it is an indispensable point of visit for guests of Bath. By the way, the food there is very good. For us, this place will also be remembered for the fact that our daughter ate restaurant food there for the first time and was satisfied :) For those who don’t know, she is 2.5 years old.

What other attractions can you see in Bath in England?
Despite its small size, Bath has about 15 museums. Among them:

The Georgian house museum of Jane Austen, for ardent fans of the author of the famous novel “Pride and Prejudice”, who lived for several years in Bath. I have had this book in my possession for several years now. English language, but still can’t get around to reading it :)
a fashion museum illustrating changes in styles and silhouettes from the late 16th century to the present day
house number 1 Royal Crescent – typical house Georgian era, demonstrating life and everyday life of that time: furniture, interior decoration, paintings, textiles, dishes, carpets. This street - Royal Cresent in Bath - is completely unique. This is not even a street, but one long one, built in the 18th century in the shape of a crescent, looks very beautiful, like an amphitheater. And also made of light stone.

In addition to its historical architectural monuments, Bath also boasts several picturesque parks. You definitely won't miss Parade gardens - it's located right in the center near Pulteney Bridge. And in the summer everything around this park is filled with wonderful flowers and flower beds.

And this is myself bridge.

There are several in Bath theaters, you can also take a tour by bus or walking tour , as well as a trip by boat on the river. In a word, Bath in England– this is a place worth visiting.

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Bath from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about Bath.

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Bath (Bath, “bath”) is one of the the most beautiful cities England, seat of the bishop and main city Somerset County, located on the Avon River. This famous balneological resort has become famous since ancient times, thanks to its healing mineral springs. The resort's heyday came in 1775, when traces of Roman baths were discovered in Bath and subsequently museumified. Then London dandies, led by the “king of dandies” Richard Nash, frequented the city, and the famous architect Robert Adam designed the elegant Pulteney Bridge over the Avon here.

Every summer throughout the second half of the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, Bath served as the unofficial capital of British social life, as it was here that people came "to the waters". most of English aristocracy. The action of two Jane Austen novels - Northanger Abbey and Persuasion - takes place here. And local monuments of the classic era were even included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

How to get to Bath

30 km from Bath is Bristol Airport, which receives flights from many European cities, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paris and Prague (but not London). Flyer buses run from the airport to Bristol Temple Meads railway station, and from the station to Bath you can get by train (1 hour) or taxi (40 minutes, 30-40 GBP).

There is another airport nearby in Southampton, which can be reached in a couple of hours by train. The low-cost company Flybe is based there, which flies to many European cities at very attractive prices.

In addition, the district is home to the airports of Cardiff, Bournemouth, Exeter, and, of course, London. Heathrow Airport is approximately two hours' drive from Bath. You can get there by RailAir train (departures every 20 minutes) or by National Express bus (23-28 GBP). From Gatwick to Bath it is at least 3 hours drive, there are no direct trains or buses, you will need to change trains in London. The same applies to Stansted and Luton airports.

Prices on the page are as of October 2018.

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By train

Bath railway station - very beautiful building Victorian style, located in the very center of the city (no luggage storage). Regular trains arrive there from London, Reading, Southampton and other cities. From the capital, trains depart from Paddington station every half hour, the journey takes 1 hour 40 minutes, the cost is 40-80 GBP. It also offers connections to Cardiff (1.5 hours), Bristol (15 minutes), Oxford (1.5 hours) and Portsmouth (2.5 hours) via Salisbury (1 hour).

Weather in Bath

The average annual temperature is +10 °C (higher than most English cities). Summers are very hot and winters are rainy but mild. Best time for health trips - from November to April.

Transport

One of the most convenient ways to explore the city is to take a tourist bus: in the city center (stop near the fountain at the abbey) or Skyline tour (stop at Bog Island). Both routes use the system hop-on hop-off and allow tourists to get on and off at any stop along the route. Cost is 15 GBP per adult and 9.5 GBP per child 5-15 years old for both the 40-minute Skyline tour and the 50-minute City Center Tour. Available discount tickets for students and pensioners (over 60 years old) - 12.5 GBP, family tickets - 43 GBP for 2 adults. and 3 reb.

There are large parking lots in the center on Walcot Street, Manvers Street (near the station) and Charlotte Street. Parking costs 2-3 GBP per hour, 0.3-0.5 GBP for 10 minutes. On Sundays and every day from 19:00 to 8:00, parking is usually free (to be confirmed on site). Many parking spaces are marked with a residents parking only sign, so you should be careful - tourists are not allowed to leave their cars here.

Maps of Bath

Bath Hotels

Bath has both economical hostels, comfortable three and four rooms, and luxury luxury hotels, including the Royal Crescent Hotel 5*, located in the famous “Royal Crescent”, and Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel 5*.

Treatment in Bath

The hot springs to which the city owes its existence were known already in 44, even before the Roman legions appeared in these places. There are a total of 4 springs in the city, with average temperature+46 °C. Indications: gout, various rheumatic diseases, paralysis.

Guides in Bath

Entertainment and attractions in Bath

The most famous attraction of the city is, of course, the Roman baths, over 2000 years old. There are still hot mineral springs here, which are not found anywhere else in the world (you can taste the water from them in the restaurant at the museum). In addition, it is worth visiting Kingston Square and Queen's Square (Queen's Square), the abbey church, the Guildhall and its museum of Roman antiquities, a vast market building, a club building, two theaters and two grand arenas.

Favorite places for walking in Bath are Victoria Park and Sydney Garden.

3 things to do in Bath

Leave your mark on one of the streets of Bath, where Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, Henry Fielding, Daniel Defoe, Laurence Sterne, Jane Austen and other famous writers walked.
Squeeze the entire “Royal Crescent” into the camera lens. If you succeed, you can safely consider yourself a panoramic photography guru.
Study “Northanger Abbey” and “Persuasion” by Jane Austen and go around all the towns of Bath, beloved by the heroines of these books.

Bath is home to many museums. Thus, you can get acquainted with the life of the aristocracy and high society of the 18th century in the house-museum No. 1 of the “Royal Crescent” - a residential street of 30 houses in the shape of a crescent. In addition, there is a small museum at the thermal baths, the Assembly Rooms costume museum, the Holburne Art Museum, the Jane Austen Center, the Sally Lunn's Museum, dedicated to the local bun, once brought to Bath by Sally Lunn, who returned from captivity of the Huguenots (tasting the bun is obligatory and free), and also the Astronomy Museum and the Museum of East Asian Art with a fine collection of ceramics and porcelain from Japan, Korea and China.

We can say that Fate itself contributed to the emergence of this city! In a place where up to 1.2 million liters can be collected every day from existing mineral springs healing water, a world-famous resort - Bath - simply had to appear.

Therefore, already 20 years after the invasion of England by the enlightened Romans, the glorious city of Bath was founded here. This happened in the 1st century AD, and it all started with a thermal bath, the healing properties of which were so valued by its founders.

Apparently, this was an important procedure, for the implementation of which indoor baths appeared on the site of mineral springs. They consisted of steam rooms and cold diving ponds. It is not surprising that the new settlement of England was given the name Aquae Sulis, the presence of the second word in which, according to the Romans, meant, according to the Romans, the divine power contained in the thermal springs.

This power was supposedly given to the water by the local goddess Sulis, whom the southern newcomers identified with the Roman goddess of wisdom Minerva (analogous to the ancient Greek Pallas Athena).

There is, however, another, “anti-Roman” version, according to which the first baths appeared here in 9th century BC, and they had a pronounced ritual character. Be that as it may, neither one nor the other version prevents the existing mineral springs from dispensing a valuable medicinal product at a temperature of 46C around the clock.

Religious and "wool" stages

Interestingly, at some point the local authorities wanted to reverse Fate, and Bath became a center of wool production and trade in the Middle Ages. The departure of the southern conquerors and the subsequent fall of the Roman Empire did not stop the further prosperity of this place, but the abandoned baths began to collapse.

And all because now the city has taken the path of development as a religious center. In the 16th century, an abbey was built here, and at the same time, an industrial direction began to develop: Bath became a dynamically progressing center for the production of woolen fabrics.

However, during the reign of George III (1760-1820), the resort orientation of the city was not only restored, but also strengthened, and Bath itself became an elegant resort, where new neoclassical Palladian buildings found a harmonious combination with the baths that were built many centuries ago in the southwest of England the ancient Romans.

Union of John, Ralph and Richard

The Middle Ages passed, and it became clear that there were no compelling arguments against nature, which endowed Bath with such an obvious treasure as mineral springs. In addition, the coming 18th century is significant in that the city became a meeting place for three extraordinary personalities who, through joint efforts, were able to turn the resort’s powerful potential in the right direction.

Through the efforts of architect John Wood Sr., his patron Ralph Allen and the “king of dandies” Richard Nash, from the humble provincial town Soon there was no trace of Baht. In its place, as if by magic, an elegant resort grew, and the religious center turned into the center of social life in England.

It should be noted that this fateful idea could not have come at a better time, since the English standard of those years in architecture was most fully expressed by the style of neoclassicism.

This movement, popularized by the Italian Andrea Palladio, arose due to the enormous influence of tradition on this architect Ancient Rome. Thus, the spiral of development has come to the same point from which it began!

Main attractions

Fate decreed that incredibly wide opportunities were open for the new father-creators. John Wood Sr. aimed his creative research at the entire city as a whole - and he was right. His idea of a uniform terrace of urban-format houses proved to be central to British architecture over the next century.

And Bath eventually acquired the original complexes, called the Circus and the Royal Crescent. The first of them (construction, after the death of his father, was completed by John Wood Jr.) is the first circular street in the history of England; its construction was carried out in 1754-1767.

And the second is a majestic residential arc, erected on the basis of a semicircular terrace, where 30 houses are connected to each other. It is interesting that among them no two are identical, because the brilliant John Wood Sr. left the construction of each to the future owners. And the end result was a motley English bouquet of fresh architectural thought, which later received the name of the most majestic street in Britain. This complex appears to tourists not as an ordinary residential area, but as a huge palace.

Fashion trends and powerful promotion throughout England were meanwhile ensured by Richard Nash, who in 1704 was given the functions of the city's master of ceremonies. It was he who made the city of Bath a combination of secular popularity with merit in the field of medicine.

Thus, the former religious center of Bath was filled with an endless series of entertainments, where balls gave way to concerts, and concerts to carnivals. Very timely, another city landmark was erected for these purposes, called the Reception Hall (1771), which later received its description from the immortal pen of Jane Austen. The Nazis destroyed it in 1942, but already in 1963 it rose from the ashes of time, like the Phoenix Bird - already as National Museum Suit.

The next attraction of social life, built by the genius of John Wood Sr., was the pump room, the very idea of which became widespread in Russia.

Millsom Street and many others

Bath is also famous for its two main shopping streets. These include Millsom Street and New Bond Street, which are an endless series of elegant buildings and boutiques.

The city's famous attractions also include walking areas known as North and South Parade.

Speaking about Bath, one cannot fail to mention the Pulteney Bridge over the Avon (the author is one of the best representatives of neoclassicism, Robert Adam),