The Roman Baths, Bath, England

Bath has long been considered one of England's most elegant cities. It is lovely with it’s many buildings of light-colored stone, Roman architecture and beautiful Georgian terraced houses built up around the green landscape of the Avon Valley. It is tucked away and neatly surrounded by hills in a most treasured part of England, very near the charming Cotswold countryside. As a World Heritage Site, it is a sharp contrast between the rose-covered thatched cottages of the West Country and warm stone of Roman and Georgian Bath.
 
Bath began with the Romans 2000 years ago, but it is thought to have had hot springs here several thousand years earlier and was likely later used by the Celts, hundreds of years before the Romans. The Celts built shrines over the springs and it became an important religious place.
 
When the Romans arrived in 43 AD, they soon built up the area with decorative cloistered bathing temples around the hot springs and dedicated statues to their gods.
 
The baths became a place of worship for the Romans too and a place where they could commune with their Gods and Goddesses. Like the Celts before them, it became a sacred place.
 
When the Roman armies left England, the spring and the buildings around them fell into disuse, but Bath itself was never abandoned. It was a market town in the middle ages and a centre for wool buyers and sellers. Centuries later, a Christian building was built over the Roman temple and since then, there have been many Christian churches in it's place. Bath Abbey with its stunning stained glass windows, began it's life in 1499 with many changes and rebuilds over the next 100 years or so. The previous church on the spot was a ruined Norman Cathedral.
 
In the 17th and 18th century, Bath once again became a hub for the wealthy, the aristocrats, and the royals who came to "take the waters" or "take the cure". It was the “in” place to be after a visit in 1702 from Queen Anne. The nobility followed in short steps, including a man named Beau Nash who remained in the city and played a key role in luring more "people of quality" to visit. Many stayed and turned Bath into the lovely city you see today, with gracious stately homes, terraces and gardens.
 
The hot springs in Bath were thought to have healing properties. There is a story that the healing powers of the springs were originally discovered by a prince. He had leprosy and was sent away with his swine wondering the countryside. One day, he noticed the pigs wallowing in hot sticky mud and in time, were healed of their own ailments, so he tried it himself, was cured of leprosy (of course) and returned to his royal station. Today we have learned there are over 40 minerals in the springs.
 
In the 18th Century, Bath really began to grow. Buildings sprung up quickly. In 1774 Putney Bridge appeared, the cities infrastructure was starting to show itself. Sixteen years later the famous Pump Rooms were finished.
 
The Bath we see now is the Bath of the 17th and 18th century, but artifacts and some architecture from earlier periods are still there. Many of the buildings in Bath have historical importance and are protected.
 
Location :
The Roman Baths
Stall Street
Bath
BA1 1LZ
 
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