Back to Blog Page
Bath, England.
I first visited Bath in my late teens but it was about 25 years ago when I moved to west Wiltshire that the city became our nearest shopping centre that I began to explore the place on a regular basis. Unlike many cities Bath retains a local feeling and it is its size, or rather its lack of size, that makes it such a comfortable place to be. Although the city was founded by the Romans, it is the 17th and 18th century architecture that seems to draw the tourists. The city became a World Heritage Site in 1987, the only entire city in the UK that has this status.
Its most important buildings include the Roman Baths, Pulteney Bridge, ( based on an unused design for the Rialto Bridge in Venice ), Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent and The Circus these, plus a myriad of smaller streets, ( that look as though they have been built by Hollywood for a period drama ), are the big draw for tourists from all over the world.
Most of Bath's buildings are made from the local, golden-coloured, Bath Stone. The main architectural style is Georgian and the city became a fashionable and popular spa and social centre during the 18th century. Based initially around its hot springs, this led to a demand for substantial homes and guest houses.
The city was heavily bombed during the second World War as a retaliation for air raids by the Allies on Lubeck and Rostock. However the majority of the historical buildings have been sympathetically restored in the intervening years.
The city of Bath from Bath Abbey.
Millsom Street, Bath.
Abbey Steet, Bath.
North Parade, Bath.
North Parade, Bath.
The Roman Baths.
Sally Lunns, Bath.
Bath Abbey, Bath.
Great Pulteney Street, Bath.
Argyle Street, Bath.
Grove Street, Bath.
Pulteney Bridge, Bath.
From Broad Street, Bath.
Queens Street, Bath.
Queens Street, Bath.
The Circus, Bath.
Gay Street, Bath.
Gay Street, Bath.
Copyright Paul Strawson - Blog ref: 88
