The Roman And Georgian City Of Bath
The Roman and Georgian City of Bath
Why is Bath such a popular destination for tourists today ? What is so intriguing about this small city that sits amongst 7 hills in the heart of Somerset, in England.?
As a boy, I grew up in and around Bath. It was a dirty city. It’s buildings were caked in coal tar and the 1960s style shopping centre was terribly ugly and rundown...even by the 1970s!
However, I enjoyed Bath because as a rugby player, I was recruited into the ranks of the most powerful rugby club in the world at the time, Bath Rugby Football Club... a huge honour for a young 16 year old. And as a teen I was able to enjoy the wonders of Baths nightlife. It’s subterranean pubs and clubs were a huge draw to the youth of the area as it still is today.
In the 1980s a programme of architectural ‘cleansing’ was put into place, and plans to tear down the 1960s shopping centre and to start cleaning every stone surface in the city, were put into place.
Slowly the city, began to attract a new generation of visitor ( and inhabitants, as people were moving into the city as residents). This is in turn had consequences, because a new generation of high speed trains, were targeted towards Bath, making tourism and travel from London much more practical.
So by the end of the 1980s, Baths tourist economy was being ignited. It had become a place that you would find in glossy tourist brochures all over the world.
Why ?
Let’s start at the beginning.
The city of Bath sits in a basin of chalk and limestone, that has been created by the meandering River Avon. When the Romans arrived in the area, in the 1st Century AD, they discovered nothing more than a few family and tribal groups, farming, hunting and fishing. They also discovered that the land was fertile, there was lead in the hills, and most importantly.... hot water bubbled up out of the mud of the Avon. Rome, is a city in Italy, surrounded by 7 hills with hot water available. The area that became Bath had eerily similar resources available to it. So, once discovered, the Romans began erecting temples and shrines that rapidly grew into a temple precinct, attracting visitors from all over the Roman world.
The First wave of tourism had begun !
After the Romans departed Britain, things fell apart. Roman towns and cities collapsed... literally. The people of the British Isles, for many reasons, had not been fully integrated into the Roman World, and therefore did not see the need or have the skills to maintain infrastructure the Romans had created. Bath ( Aqua Sulis to the Roman World), was slowly being swallowed up by the seasonally rising flood waters of the River Avon, and it disappeared.
There isn’t much sign of life in this area during the Dark Ages, but Christianity had arrived, and a small church was founded, that eventually became a stone built cathedral with its own bishop. Of course this means that pilgrims were being attracted to the area. Thanks to the great battles fought by Alfred The Great, the area became safe and peaceful. This in turn allowed Christianity to prosper. Other great churches were present in the area, such as Glastonbury Abbey, and Wells Cathedral (amongst others), in turn leading to greater prosperity and more pilgrims ( tourists). The second great wave of tourism had begun.
In 1066 there was another invasion and the Anglo Saxon way of life came to an end at the end of a ‘bloody sword and battle axe’. However, Christianity was very important to the Normans, as it could and was used to control and tax the masses of illiterate peasants, serfs and villeins. So the abbeys and churches were invigorated. In Bath, the Church of St John, opened up a hot spring and used its healing properties to attract new adherents and so there was new growth in religious activities and therefore a new wave of tourism. So from 1066 until the 1500s, Bath’s economic prosperity relied on the church and farming. However by the 1600s, Bath was a medieval city that had lost its way. It’s great church had almost fallen into disuse, and it’s hot water springs were no longer in use.
At the beginning of the 1700s, an intuitive young builder decided to make a name and a fortune for himself. His name was John Woods. He built a new city of stone, in the fields surrounding the medieval wooden structures. He attracted the great landowners and nobility of Britain to Bath, thanks to his innovative architecture and home building ideas. Very grand buildings attracted people with a lot of money and a lot of spare time on their hands. Politicians, noblemen, businessmen, artists, writers, and military leaders from all over the English speaking world ( Britain had now become the most powerful empire in the world), moved to the city. Many others just visited creating a bigger need for the hot water springs to be turned into baths, once again.
And so, another wave of tourism had been created.
Since the 1700s, Bath has slowly grown and flourished, and to this day it is without a doubt, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, if not the world. It’s elegant Georgian architecture ( 17-1800s) makes up most of streets in the city and are a pleasure to walk around and explore.
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