Bathis a municipal and parliamentary borough of North East Somerset, England, about 105 miles west of London and 12½ miles southeast of Bristol. The city has a population of approximately 84,000; the metropolitan area population is approximately 169,040.
Bath is one of the most beautifully situated of British cities and one of the most architecturally distinguished. Site of the only natural hot springs in the British Isles, Bath is famous as a spa and a tourist center.
The city is connected to Bristol and the sea by the River Avon, navigable by small boats via locks. It is connected to the River Thames and London by the Kennet and Avon Canal, completed in 1810.
History
The hot springs at Bath were treated as
a shrine by the Celts, and dedicated to the goddess
Sulis. An early myth attributed the city's founding in
863 B.C. to Bladud, son of Hudibras and father of King
Lear, who was said to have been cured of leprosy by the
mud watered by the then unregimented mineral springs. 
The Romans
probably occupied the area shortly after their invasion
of Britain in 43 A.D. They built the first bath houses at
the springs and called the site Aquae Sulis.
Bath fell to the West Saxons in 577, after the Battle of Deorham. The Saxons renamed the city Akemanceaster, later changing the name to Aet Bathum -- meaning "at the baths." In 675, Osric, King of the Hwicce, set up a monastic house at Bath. King Offa of Mercia gained control of this monastery in 781 and rebuilt the church, which was dedicated to St. Peter. The first king of a united England, Edgar, was crowned in the abbey in 973.
The Normans rebuilt the city and in 1090 transferred to Bath the See they had founded at Wells (the See was returned to Wells in 1206).
Bath's first charter was granted in 1189, and for about 600 years prospered as a center of trade and of cloth-making. (Chaucer made his "Wife of Bath" a cloth-maker whose work excelled that of even Ypres and Ghent, two of the most famous cloth-making centers of his day.) Bath was granted city status in 1590.
The golden age of
Bath began in the 18th century and is linked with the
work of two architects, John Wood and his son, their
patron, Ralph Allen, and master of ceremonies, Beau Nash.
Previously the baths had been allowed to deteriorate, the
lodging was poor, and the streets were beset by footpads.
Nash rid the streets of footpads and generally restored
order and good manners to Bath society. He also provided
the money for the assembly rooms (built by Wood junior in
1771). Wood senior was one of the pioneers of town
planning, and he fused the various traditions of the city
-- geographical, historical, and social -- into a grand
architectural expression. Allen provided most of the
limestone for this great scheme, which included Queen
Square, Gay Street, the Royal Crescent, the Circus, North
and South Parades, and Prior Park.
Bath was heavily damaged by German air raids during World War II, with more than 19,000 buildings damaged or destroyed.
Government
Since 1996 Bath has been the main center of the Unitary Authority of Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES). Bath's city council was abolished in 1996; its ceremonial functions, including the mayoralty, are maintained by the Charter Trustees -- the B&NES councillors for wards within the city limits.
The Bath Coat of Arms includes two silver strips, which represent the River Avon and the hot springs. The sword of St. Paul is a link to Bath Abbey. The supporters, a lion and a bear, stand on a bed of acorns, a link to Bladud. The knight's helmet indicates a municipality and the crown is that of Edgar, the first king of a united England.
Economy
Once an important center of the cloth-making industry, most of Bath's manufacturing sector is much declined. It does, however, have notable software, publishing and service-orinted industries, in addition to a burgeoning tourism industry.
Education
Bath is home to three institutions of higher learning -- The University of Bath (1966), Bath Spa University (1992), and the City of Bath College
The Springs
The three mineral springs for which Bath is most famous daily yield more than 500,000 gallons of radioactive waters at temperatures ranging from 114° F. to 120° F. They are taken either as a drink or in the form of baths or douches. Bath is a research center for the study of rheumatism and has schools of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy.
Other Sites and Attractions
"The Circus" is one of the most
splendid examples of town planning to be found anywhere.
Three long, curved terraces designed by John Wood, Sr.
form a circular space or theater intended for civic
functions and games. The best known of these terraces is
the Royal Crescent, built between 1767 and 1774 and
designed by John Wood, Jr. What makes this structure
unique is that while Wood designed the great curved
façade of what appears to be about 30 houses, that was
the extent of his output. Each purchaser bought a certain
length of the façade, and then employed their own
architect to build a house to their own specifications
behind it. So, while the front of the crescent is
completely uniform and symmetrical, the rear is a mixture
of differing roof heights, juxtapositions and
fenestrations. This "all to the front and no
rear" style of architecture is found throughout
Bath.
Pulteney Bridge, spanning the River Avon, is one of the few surviving bridges in Europe to serve both as a means of crossing a river and as a shopping arcade.
Bath has four theaters -- Theatre Royal, Ustinov Studio, The Egg and Rondo Theatre -- that attract internationally renowned companies and directors. Bath Abbey is home to the Klais Organ and is the largest concert venue in the city. The city is home to the Victoria Art Gallery, Museum of East Asian Art, The Holburne Museum of Art (china, silver and plate), the Bath Postal Museum, the Museum of Costume, the Jane Austen Centre, and Sally Lunn's Refreshment House & Museum. The Bath International Music Festival and Mozartfest are held in Bath every year. Other festivals include the annual Bath Film Festival, the Bath Fringe Festival and the Bath Beer Festival.
Royal Victoria Park is the largest public park in Bath. Opened in 1830, the park features a botanical garden, a large children's play park, and sports facilities.
The city's best known sporting team is Bath Rugby, which plays in the Guinness Premiership League. The team plays at the Recreation Ground, where it has been since its establishment in 1865. The Bath Recreation Ground is also home to the Bath Croquet Club. Bath City F.C. and Team Bath B.C. (both affiliated with the University of Bath) are the major football teams. Bath City F.C. plays its games at Twerton Park. Cricket is played at the Bath Cricket Club. Bath is also the home of the Bath American Football Club, which has been playing American-style football in the city since 2001.
Other Information
Jane Austen lived in the city from 1801 to 1806.
Charles Dickens' novel Pickwick Papers features Bath and satirizes its social life. The Royal Crescent is the venue for a chase between two of the characters, Dowler and Winkle.
William Friese-Greene began experimenting with celluloid and motion pictures in his studio in Bath in the 1870's.
Moyra Caldecott's novel The Waters of Sul is set in Roman Bath in 72 A.D. Richard Brinsley Sheridan's play The Rivals and Roald Dahl's short-story The Landlady are also set in Bath.
A 2004 movie version of Thackeray's Vanity Fair was largely filmed in Bath.
The 1980's band Tears for Fears is from Bath, as is the pop duo Goldfrapp.
Questions or comments about this page?
Bath Tourism and Conference Bureau. http://visitbath.co.uk
City of Bath. www.cityofbath.co.uk
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