Category: In The Movies

I saw the first signs of spring while walking around Bath. Just behind the Circus lies the Fashion Museum, the former Assembly Rooms.

Fashion Museum

Designed by John Wood, the younger, in 1769 the Assembly Rooms are a number of elegant rooms to meet, have balls, concerts and much more.

The building, made of Bath stone, is arranged in a U shape. There are four main function rooms in the complex: the 100-foot-long (30 m) ballroom — the largest Georgian interior in Bath; the tea room; the card room; and the octagon. The rooms have Whitefriars crystal chandeliers and are decorated with fine art. (wikipedia)

The basement houses the Fashion Museum, a collection started by Doris Langley Moore who gave it to the City of Bath in 1963. At the moment there is a special exhibition about royals and their clothes, the red dress was worn by Princess Margaret.

Pulteney Bridge

A different view of Pulteney Bridge, it really shows how narrow these shops and stores are.

The oldest house in Bath

This medieval building used to be part of the south range of Bath Abbey and the lowest floor level dates to the reconstruction of the abbey after a great fire in 1137.

The building was acquired in the 1930s by Marie Byng-Johnson who opened it as a tea-room specializing in Sally Lunn buns, promoted with a story that she had discovered an ancient document in a secret panel above the fireplace explaining that Mlle. Sally Lunn was a young French Huguenot refugee who brought the recipe to Bath around 1680. (wikipedia)

A “Sally Lunn” is a large bun or teacake similar to brioche – I have to taste that one next time!

Bath Lookout

Cross the River Avon behind the train station and walk up a lot of stairs towards Alexandra Park – up there a stunning view over the city will reward you for the little climb.

The Royal Crescent in the middle.

Parade Gardens

And one more on the way back home to my studio.

 

 

While walking around Bath you see a lot of stunning facades and house, lots of beautiful buildings from the Georgian time. But how does the backside of these buildings look? A question I more or less answered by accident first and then went looking for it!

Queen Square

Pictured above is one side of Queen Square, all buildings around this little garden were built at the same time. The houses are known as the first element in “the most important architectural sequence in Bath”, which also includes the Circus and the Royal Crescent.

Developed by John Wood, the elder, in the early 18th century, who later also lived in one of the houses, in N°9, from where he had the best view over the square. Queen Square was the first project of his ambitious plan to rebuilt Bath and restore its former glory.

Named after Queen Caroline, wife of George II, it was intended to appear like a palace with wings and the square with the obelisk in the middle should be a place for people to come together.

He understood that polite society enjoyed parading, and in order to do that Wood provided wide streets, with raised pavements, and a thoughtfully designed central garden. The formal garden was laid out with gravel pathways, low planting and was originally enclosed by a stone balustrade. (wikipedia)

And this is how the buildings on Queen Square look from the backside, while I was on my way to the Georgian Garden, I stumbled over this view and it was then I decided to also go and look for the view from behind.

Former stables are now used as houses or garages.

The Georgian Garden

I continued via the Gravel Walk in direction on the Circus, but it was a garden I was interested in.

The Gravel Walk connects Queen Square with the Royal Crescent and made an appearance in Jane Austen’s “Persuasion” when Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot were finally reconciled. The path follows along the gardens of the houses from the circus and one of the gardens, 4 Circus, is a re-creation of an eighteenth-century town garden.

Number 4 the Circus was completed in 1761, part of John Wood the Elders scheme for the new Upper Town. In February 1754, Wood laid the foundation stone of the very first house, but, sadly, just three months later, he died. It was left to his son, John Wood the Younger, to complete and oversee the construction of the King’s Circus, as it was originally called. The frontages of the 33 houses are uniform… (austenonly.com)

The Royal Crescent

This curved row of buildings is maybe Baths most iconic landmark and was built between 1767 and 1775, designed by John Wood, the younger.

Overlooking the Royal Victoria Park, the crescent is formed of 30 houses. Crescent °1, the former home of Thomas Brock in 1769 and then in 1776 Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany and Henry Sandfordis is a museum of Georgian life, but unfortunately, it was on a winter break.

The land on which the Royal Crescent stands was bought from Sir Benet Garrard of the Garrard baronets, who were the landlords, in December 1766.^[8] Between 1767 and 1775 John Wood designed the great curved façade with Ionic columns on a rusticated ground floor. Each original purchaser bought a length of the façade, and then employed their own architect to build a house behind the façade to their own specifications; (wikipedia)

The fronts are all alike, except from one yellow door and some plants, but behind these facades the houses and esp. their backsides vary completely!

And the view from the back, former coach houses are also used for apartments and also as garages.

The Circus

It´s just a short walk via Brook Street from the Royal Crescent to the Circus, a street with large townhouses forming a circle with three entrances.

The Circus was designed by John Wood, the elder but he died three months after the construction works began, it was his son, John Wood, the younger, who completed the design in 1768.

Wood (the elder) designed the size of the circle accordingly to the diameter of Stonehenge, as he was convinced that Bath had been the principal centre of Druid activity in Britain.

And again, here is also a view from the back!

 

 

Next to the cathedral of Bath lies one of THE tourist attractions of England – the Roman Baths.

The Romans in Bath

In 836BC the British king Bladud discovered the natural hot springs and built the first Moorish baths around these springs. After the Roman invasion, they also took over the springs and built the temple around them in 60–70 AD. Further constructions were added in the next 300 years – the huge Roman Baths complex we can visit today.

In 43AD Britain was invaded by the Romans and by 75AD they had built a religious spa complex on the site, which later developed into a bathing and socialising centre called Aquae Sulis, ‘the waters of Sulis’. (The Culture Trip)

The Romans created a number of chambers including the baths, ancient heated rooms and plunge pools. But after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the early 5th century the bath complex was neglected and left to fall into ruins until it was destroyed by floodings.

The Victorians

In the 17th century, doctors started to prescribe drinking the thermal waters

for internal conditions and illnesses. The first Pump Room opened in 1706, allowing patients to access water directly from the spring – it’s now a beautiful restaurant! (The Culture Trip)

View of the Pumproom on the right.

In 1878 Major Charles Davis discovered the remains of the Roman spa and worked to uncover more over the next few years until they were opened to the public in 1897. But the excavations are still going on.

Now open to the elements, the green water is algae affected, the effect of direct sunlight. In Roman times the bath was covered by a 20m-high roof, and the water would have been rather more inviting.

There is a great deal more to take in, including changing rooms, saunas with underfloor heating systems on display, and plunge pools. Even more riveting is the temple courtyard… (The Telegraph)

It was such a cold day and the warmth of the water seemed so inviting, some areas were even bubbling and slightly cooking.

At the end of the walking around tour, there is even a possibility to drink the thermal water and to be honest it doesn´t taste good at all! It must be very healthy!