Tag: movie location

The next morning I woke up to a winter wonderland in Bath. It has been snowing the whole night and Ms Holle was still going strong. On my way to the train station, I enjoyed the snow covered views!

Despite the snow, my train to Chippenham was right on time and fifteen minutes later I arrived there. As I had one hour until the bus would bring me to Castle Combe I did a short walk around town (and bought some books). Somewhen I realized there would be no buses today, the twitter account of the Wiltshire buses said all buses for this day were cancelled and I had to find another way. Luckily there was one cab at the station and it was a Scotsman, brave enough to face the snow and the road to Castle Combe – so it came that I was driven through the winter wonderland and arrived safe and sound in the most beautiful village, Castle Combe. And finally learned how to pronounce it!

A Porsche driver wasn´t that lucky and needed a lot of help (including the brace Scotsman) to make its way to the Manor Hotel.

I´ve already been to Castle Combe in December 2017, when I also was surprised by a winter wonderland, but back then I only stayed for one or two hours and I just wanted to explore and enjoy it more this time!

I had booked a room (aka the cheapest one) at the Castle Inn right next to the market cross. And I was greeted with surprise as they hadn´t expected to anyone arrive today and I got super lucky! Because staff had to sleep over my original room was occupied and I got a fabulous upgrade to a big room with a bathtub, chaise lounge and a four-poster bed – a room you never want to leave again!

My travel companion Froggy enjoyed the bed may be a little too much…. Handmade by the amazing Nonna Rosa, Froggy wanted to join me on my travels to explore England a little bit.

But it was about time to do the first walk through the village!

Castle Combe has featured regularly as a film location, most recently in The Wolf Man, Stardust and Stephen Spielberg’s War Horse. It was also used in the original Dr Doolittle film.
The village has a rich history and the houses are made up of the honey coloured Cotswold stone, typical for a village of this area. (visit Wiltshire)

The cakes still taste as good as last time and were a nice treat, as all the tearooms were on a winter break.

 

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!