Bath United Kingdom is a historic town in Somerset. I had wanted to go there for most of my life. The town figures prominently in Jane Austen’s novels Persuasion and Northanger Abbey and I have read these books many times. A trip to London would not be complete for me without a visit to Bath.
We were staying in London and were able to find a good bus tour to go to Bath and Stonehenge. It was July and every place was full of people! I think visiting Bath was like a pilgrimage for me, so all the noise and crowds were a bit disconcerting. Driving through the Somerset countryside was beautiful.
Roman Baths
Bath has been a town since ancient times, known for its healing hot springs. The Roman Baths have been restored as an educational exhibit. You can learn all about Roman engineering and smell and taste the waters.
The Roman Baths date from the year 60. The ruins of the temple of Minerva are still there. The buildings date from the 1700s with columns and statuary. There is a ticket fee for visitors.
Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey is a gorgeous Church of England site. It is a cool quiet respite from the street fair atmosphere outside. Along with touring the sanctuary, the bookstore is a great stop with a nice staff.
Bath Abbey started life as a Benedictine monastery in the 600s. By 1499 the old Norman cathedral here needed to be rebuilt. By 1611, the church was restored and put to use by the Anglican church. It has been redesigned and restored many times over the years. It is a working parish church.
The Pump Room
In the 1700s and 1800s, Bath was a spa town, with people from all walks of life spending a season there socializing and enjoying the waters. The Pump Room was the place to get a glass of the mineral waters and to see and be seen. Today it’s a dining room that still has the historic pump in the alcove.
The building was completed in 1799. It is next to the Roman Baths and water is pumped from there into the Pump Room. Breakfast, lunch, and tea are served. You can listen to music by the Pump Room Trio.
https://thepumproombath.co.uk/
Sally Lunn’s
Sally Lunn bread is a famous treat for tea, a soft yeast bun. There are tea shops all around town that serve Bath buns also and cream tea.
Sally Lunn is reputed to be a French Huguenot refugee who came to Bath in 1680. The Sally Lunn bun is like a brioche. At this restaurant it is served with sweet or savory toppings, such as lemon curd or cinnamon butter or ham & piccalilli or Welsh rarebit.
If I get another chance to visit, I would like to find a time with less crowds. I didn’t get the Jane Austen feeling I wanted to have as I walked the streets. I would like to visit the Royal Crescent and the Jane Austen Centre.
Resource links
- https://www.viator.com/Bath/d27175-ttd
- Viator bus tours for Bath
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- Jane Austen Centre
- https://visitbath.co.uk/
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- Visit Bath
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