Bath revisited in spirit

by Derrick Schokman

A recent report that a new thermal bath of magnificent design had been opened to the public in the famous Roman baths in Bath, Somerset, England, prompted me to recall a previous visit to this World Heritage site, when bathing was not possible.

The baths were an important part of Roman life. Every afternoon they would go to the baths, not just to wash, but also to meet their friends, hear the news, play games and have a snack.

When the English restored the baths it became a fashionable health resort where much of Bath's social life took place.

Pump Room

I remember walking along Great Pulteney Street, across the Pulteney Bridge with shops on either side of it into Grand Parade overlooking the Avon, across the paved yard of the Abbey next door, and into the Pump Room of the baths.

In the Pump Room we had a drink of the health-giving mineral water pumped up from the hot springs below, and then we went down to admire and photograph the bath.

The bath in the foreground with the tower of the Abbey behind is one of the most photographed scene in England.

Abbey

The Abbey itself is famous, as it was there that the first King of England, Edgar, was crowned in 973.

On the way to the Abbey we passed a jugglar in the yard, pedalling around on an old penny-farthing bicycle, tossing flaming torches and catching them with precision.

This being a popular tourist spot, it was also a good source of revenue for entertainers and artists of all sorts.

The entrance to the Abbey had a sculptured Jacob's Ladder on either side, with angels ascending on the one side and descending head-down on the other.

The piece-de-resistance of the Abbey is the great east window, giving you aspects of Christ's life in its 56 stained-glass panels.

Architecture

Bath is also famous for its unified top-quality buildings, constructed from the local red ferruginous limestone during the Georgian period.

The architects Wood were largely responsible for the transformation of Bath from the prevailing heavy ornate English Baroque to the contrasting simplicity of Palladian and neo-classic architectural styles.

The transformation began with the Elder Wood's Queen's Square (1729 and on) and the Circus (1754 and on) which has been described as resembling the Roman Colossum turned inside out.

This fashionable antique note was coupled with the novel influential device of incorporating the facades of separate terrace houses into a unified palatial composition.

The younger Wood, his son, continued the tradition in the Royal Crescent, which was completed in 1775. It has been copied in several English cities.

All in all our trip to Bath had been most interesting. Looking back however my only regret is that we were denied the pleasure of bathing in the famous spring water. It would have been the icing on the cake.