10th March 2001
One of the places I've always been keen to visit is the Georgian City of Bath. Most people know the city from the famous Roman Bath's but not many people realise that the buildings that are there today bear no relation to the Roman remains which lie six meters below them. The only feature common to both periods is the hot springs in King's Bath; which has been in continuous use for over 2,000 years. There is archaeological evidence that occupation based around the hot springs on which the City of Bath is built began at least 8,000 years B.C. Coins thrown by Celts into the water, probably as offerings to their God, Sul were found during excavations of the King.s Bath
Still, to be honest, I was one of many only going to see the Roman Baths - being more or less ignorant of the existence of the remainder of the city - was I in for a shock. We set out on the 10th of February for the three hour drive to Bath and only managed a quick drive through town before heading to our B&B to check in. We could have made it to the B&B without having to go through the centre of town if it was not for the fact that I was navigating. Once I managed to turn the map up the right way I found the B&B in no time, although getting out of the rather peculiar situation I had put our car into was another matter. I think ours was the first ever car to drive in certain sections of Bath.
Bath is fantastic! It's worth the trip as you could cover most of it in a day, although you would want two to take it all in. As it was getting late we decided just to walk around the very center of town and then get some dinner. We were looking around a church (which I later found out was called "Bath Abbey") when I came across what I really wanted to see, on a carved plaque was a sign that read:
Behind the wall to which it was attached we could just see light green light reflecting off the columns that raised above it. The reflection had that shimmering property that appeared like a pool light - talk about mysterious! We walked around to try and get a better vantage point but couldn't see the source of the green light. Clearly though this was the site of the Roman complex, walking around the other side of the building we were able to confirm this by the big sign that said "Roman Baths" in a tacky tourist way - I'm glad we caught it from the other side! Accepting that this would be all we could see today we took note of the opening time for the next day and set off to have dinner - at Pizza Hut no less.
The next day we set off early as we wanted to see as much of Bath as we could. In what was perhaps the best decision we could have made, we went to see the Baths early, there was a minor queue already (and it had just opened) but we were in and walking around with our electronic tour guide blasting in our ears before we knew it. Almost immediately we could confirm that the green light we saw the previous night was coming from the water in the Bath, it was from the "Great Bath" to be precise, as I had just learned that although there was one spring from which all the warm water was drawn there were a number of baths on the site. Nobody bathed in the spring directly as it was considered sacred - although people would often throw offerings and requests for the gods into the spring (requests were inscribed on sheets of lead or pieces of pewter). A number of these messages have since been recovered from the spring and were on display in the complex, along with what must be the largest collection of Roman coins in the world!
It's an amazing feeling to walk on a floor that hasn't changed for 2,000 years! The whole complex is remarkably open, you can put your hand in the water to feel the temperature yourself, you walk down the original stairs and onto the original pavement, you can even touch the columns and walls that have been in the same place since they were built. Never before have I been to a "museum" which allows this level of freedom to explore. I can't describe how cool it was to walk around this site. I have included a few photographs below to give you an idea of what it was like. As with most places I have visited whilst on my safari, I have more than enough video footage of the event which is available on request but I suggest if you ever have the chance to visit, do it!
I could of stayed all day but decided to leave when I noticed that the complex was filling up quickly and it wasn't as easy to look around. When we left our planning proved it's value, while we had been in the complex the queue had grown out of the foyer and well onto the street, I would guess that the wait was somewhere around an hour. I had to laugh when we walked passed a queuing couple and heard the (American) man tell his wife, "I can smell the chlorine!". I didn't have the heart to tell him it was a natural spring that was 2,000 years old and chlorine wasn't required nor used.
We had decided to follow a pre-planned route that would take us around Bath and show us all the attractions we had found this walk in a book from the tourist office titled "A Jarrold Guide to the Georgian City of Bath" - at £2.50 it's definitely worth buying if you're planning a visit. Our second stop was right outside the exit, the Bath Abbey that we had seen the previous night, it was built in 1499 apparently several previous Abbey's had stood on the site prior to that time and Edward (the first King of England) had been crowned in an earlier Saxon Abbey on this site.
The Royal Crescent.
We skipped the next stop which was the Museum of Costume as that didn't really appeal to us, we moved on to Pulteney Bridge. Pulteney Bridge crosses the River Avon, it's the only bridge in England completely lined with shops. We walked along the river and back by Sally Lunn's House which claims to be the oldest house in Bath. We then walked down to the "Cross Bath" which was undergoing restoration, strangely I could find no information on this bath in Bath itself, I later found out that this was a bath formed from another spring known as the "Cross Spring" this work was done at the same time as the Aquae Sulis baths (approx 70 AD).
After that we headed back to our car and home, I wouldn't mind coming back to see more of the Roman complexes but not on a weekend, next time I may try to make a visit during a weekday when the crowds should be lower.
Still, to be honest, I was one of many only going to see the Roman Baths - being more or less ignorant of the existence of the remainder of the city - was I in for a shock. We set out on the 10th of February for the three hour drive to Bath and only managed a quick drive through town before heading to our B&B to check in. We could have made it to the B&B without having to go through the centre of town if it was not for the fact that I was navigating. Once I managed to turn the map up the right way I found the B&B in no time, although getting out of the rather peculiar situation I had put our car into was another matter. I think ours was the first ever car to drive in certain sections of Bath.
| We checked into a guest house and I found it a little too weird for my comfort, from the outside it looked like a normal hotel/guest house but once inside it was like staying in someone's bedroom, we were literally shown to a bedroom which had the walk in robe that had been converted to a toilet and shower - honestly. That's one of the things I don't like about B&B's you never know what you're going to get until it's all too late. Despite this we quickly made use of our "walk in robe" before stepping outside and catching a bus into town. |  The B&B we stayed in while in Bath |
Bath is fantastic! It's worth the trip as you could cover most of it in a day, although you would want two to take it all in. As it was getting late we decided just to walk around the very center of town and then get some dinner. We were looking around a church (which I later found out was called "Bath Abbey") when I came across what I really wanted to see, on a carved plaque was a sign that read:
| ARISTON MEN UDWR THESE HOT SPRINGS WERE USED BY THE ROMANS AS EARLY AS THE FIRST CENTURY ----- IN AREA IN GRANDEUR IN COMPLETENESS THE BATHS AT AQUAE SULIS WERE UNEQUALLED ----- THE REMAINS OF THEIR MAGNIFICENCE ARE HERE DISCLOSED ----- |  |
The next day we set off early as we wanted to see as much of Bath as we could. In what was perhaps the best decision we could have made, we went to see the Baths early, there was a minor queue already (and it had just opened) but we were in and walking around with our electronic tour guide blasting in our ears before we knew it. Almost immediately we could confirm that the green light we saw the previous night was coming from the water in the Bath, it was from the "Great Bath" to be precise, as I had just learned that although there was one spring from which all the warm water was drawn there were a number of baths on the site. Nobody bathed in the spring directly as it was considered sacred - although people would often throw offerings and requests for the gods into the spring (requests were inscribed on sheets of lead or pieces of pewter). A number of these messages have since been recovered from the spring and were on display in the complex, along with what must be the largest collection of Roman coins in the world!
It's an amazing feeling to walk on a floor that hasn't changed for 2,000 years! The whole complex is remarkably open, you can put your hand in the water to feel the temperature yourself, you walk down the original stairs and onto the original pavement, you can even touch the columns and walls that have been in the same place since they were built. Never before have I been to a "museum" which allows this level of freedom to explore. I can't describe how cool it was to walk around this site. I have included a few photographs below to give you an idea of what it was like. As with most places I have visited whilst on my safari, I have more than enough video footage of the event which is available on request but I suggest if you ever have the chance to visit, do it!
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| The Great Bath | |
 The Great Bath looking towards the corner from which it is filled |
 The Cold Plunge Pool - Cold water was ducted in from springs or wells elsewhere as there was no cold water on site. |
I could of stayed all day but decided to leave when I noticed that the complex was filling up quickly and it wasn't as easy to look around. When we left our planning proved it's value, while we had been in the complex the queue had grown out of the foyer and well onto the street, I would guess that the wait was somewhere around an hour. I had to laugh when we walked passed a queuing couple and heard the (American) man tell his wife, "I can smell the chlorine!". I didn't have the heart to tell him it was a natural spring that was 2,000 years old and chlorine wasn't required nor used.
We had decided to follow a pre-planned route that would take us around Bath and show us all the attractions we had found this walk in a book from the tourist office titled "A Jarrold Guide to the Georgian City of Bath" - at £2.50 it's definitely worth buying if you're planning a visit. Our second stop was right outside the exit, the Bath Abbey that we had seen the previous night, it was built in 1499 apparently several previous Abbey's had stood on the site prior to that time and Edward (the first King of England) had been crowned in an earlier Saxon Abbey on this site.
 Standing out the front of the Bath Abbey on what was once the site of a Roman Temple. |
 Surviving piece of the Bath city wall. |
 The impressive Bath Abbey. |
The Royal Crescent.
We skipped the next stop which was the Museum of Costume as that didn't really appeal to us, we moved on to Pulteney Bridge. Pulteney Bridge crosses the River Avon, it's the only bridge in England completely lined with shops. We walked along the river and back by Sally Lunn's House which claims to be the oldest house in Bath. We then walked down to the "Cross Bath" which was undergoing restoration, strangely I could find no information on this bath in Bath itself, I later found out that this was a bath formed from another spring known as the "Cross Spring" this work was done at the same time as the Aquae Sulis baths (approx 70 AD).
After that we headed back to our car and home, I wouldn't mind coming back to see more of the Roman complexes but not on a weekend, next time I may try to make a visit during a weekday when the crowds should be lower.