Bath is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Somerset,
England, known for its Roman-built baths. In 2011, the population was
88,859.[2] Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, 97 miles
(156 km) west of
London

London and 11 miles (18 km) south-east of
Bristol. The city became a
World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site in 1987.
The city became a spa with the
Latin

Latin name
Aquae Sulis

Aquae Sulis ("the waters of
Sulis") c.60 AD when the Romans built baths and a temple
in the valley of the River Avon, although hot springs were known even
before then.
Bath Abbey

Bath Abbey was founded in the 7th century and became a religious
centre; the building was rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries. In
the 17th century, claims were made for the curative properties of
water from the springs, and Bath became popular as a spa town in the
Georgian era. Georgian architecture, crafted from Bath stone, includes
the Royal Crescent, Circus, Pump Room and Assembly Rooms where Beau
Nash presided over the city's social life from 1705 until his death in
1761. Many of the streets and squares were laid out by John Wood, the
Elder, and in the 18th century the city became fashionable and the
population grew.
Jane Austen
_hires.jpg/400px-CassandraAusten-JaneAusten(c.1810)_hires.jpg)
Jane Austen lived in Bath in the early 19th century.
Further building was undertaken in the 19th century and following the
Bath Blitz

Bath Blitz in World War II.
The city has software, publishing and service-oriented industries.
Theatres, museums and other cultural and sporting venues have helped
make it a major centre for tourism, with more than one million
staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city each
year.
There are several museums including the Museum of Bath Architecture,
the Victoria Art Gallery, the Museum of East Asian Art, the Herschel
Museum of Astronomy and the Holburne Museum. The city has two
universities – the
University of Bath

University of Bath and Bath
Spa

Spa University –
with
Bath College

Bath College providing further education. Sporting clubs include
Bath Rugby

Bath Rugby and
Bath City F.C.

Bath City F.C. while
TeamBath

TeamBath is the umbrella name for
all of the
University of Bath

University of Bath sports teams.
Bath became part of the county of Avon in 1974, and, following Avon's
abolition in 1996, has been the principal centre of Bath and North
East Somerset.
Contents
1 History
1.1
Iron Age

Iron Age and Roman
1.2 Post-Roman and Medieval
1.3 Early Modern
1.4 Late Modern
2 Government
2.1 Historical development
2.2 Charter trustees
2.3 Coat of Arms
2.4 Bath City Forum
2.5 Parliamentary elections
2.6 Electoral wards
3 Geography and environment
3.1 Physical geography
3.2 Climate
3.3 Green belt
4 Demography
5 Economy
5.1 Industry
5.2 Tourism
6 Architecture
7 Culture
7.1 Bath in the arts
7.2 Parks
7.3 Bath and Queen Victoria
7.4 Food
7.5 Twinning
7.5.1 Formal twinning
8 Education
9 Sport
10 Transport
11 Media
12 See also
13 References
14 Bibliography
15 External links
History[edit]
See also: Timeline of Bath, Somerset
Iron Age

Iron Age and Roman[edit]
Main article: Aquae Sulis
19th century
Photochrom

Photochrom of the Great Bath at the Roman Baths. The
entire structure above the level of the pillar bases is a later
construction and was not a feature of the building in Roman days.
The hills in the locality such as
Bathampton Down

Bathampton Down saw human activity
from the
Mesolithic

Mesolithic period.[3][4] Several
Bronze Age

Bronze Age round barrows
were opened by John Skinner in the 18th century.[5] Solsbury Hill
overlooking the current city was an
Iron Age

Iron Age hill fort, and the
adjacent
Bathampton

Bathampton Camp may also have been one.[6][7] A long barrow
site believed to be from the Beaker people was flattened to make way
for RAF Charmy Down.[8][9]
Archaeological evidence shows that the site of the Roman baths' main
spring may have been treated as a shrine by the Britons,[10][11] and
was dedicated to the goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with
Minerva; the name
Sulis

Sulis continued to be used after the Roman invasion,
appearing in the town's Roman name,
Aquae Sulis

Aquae Sulis (literally, "the
waters of Sulis").[12] Messages to her scratched onto metal, known as
curse tablets, have been recovered from the sacred spring by
archaeologists.[13] The tablets were written in Latin, and cursed
people whom the writers felt had wronged them. For example, if a
citizen had his clothes stolen at the baths, he might write a curse,
naming the suspects, on a tablet to be read by the goddess.
A temple was constructed in AD 60–70, and a bathing complex was
built up over the next 300 years.[14] Engineers drove oak piles
into the mud to provide a stable foundation, and surrounded the spring
with an irregular stone chamber lined with lead. In the 2nd century,
the spring was enclosed within a wooden barrel-vaulted structure that
housed the caldarium (hot bath), tepidarium (warm bath), and
frigidarium (cold bath).[15]
The town was later given defensive walls, probably in the 3rd
century.[16] After the failure of Roman authority in the first decade
of the 5th century, the baths fell into disrepair and were eventually
lost as a result of rising water levels and silting.[17]
In March 2012 a hoard of 30,000 silver Roman coins, one of the largest
discovered in Britain, was unearthed in an archaeological dig. The
coins, believed to date from the 3rd century, were found about
150 m (450 ft) from the Roman baths.[18]
Post-Roman and Medieval[edit]
Bath Abbey
Bath may have been the site of the
Battle of Badon (c.500
AD ), in which
King Arthur

King Arthur is said to have defeated the
Anglo-Saxons.[19] The town was captured by the West Saxons in 577
after the Battle of Deorham;[20][20] the Anglo-Saxon poem
The Ruin

The Ruin may
describe the appearance of the Roman site about this time.[21] A
monastery was founded at an early date – reputedly by Saint
David although more probably in 675 by Osric, King of the Hwicce,[22]
perhaps using the walled area as its precinct.[23][24] Nennius, a
9th-century historian, mentions a "Hot Lake" in the land of the Hwicce
along the River Severn, and adds "It is surrounded by a wall, made of
brick and stone, and men may go there to bathe at any time, and every
man can have the kind of bath he likes. If he wants, it will be a cold
bath; and if he wants a hot bath, it will be hot".
Bede

Bede described hot
baths in the geographical introduction to the Ecclesiastical History
in terms very similar to those of Nennius.[25] King Offa of Mercia
gained control of the monastery in 781 and rebuilt the church, which
was dedicated to St. Peter.[26]
Map of Bath by
John Speed

John Speed published in 1610
By the 9th century the old Roman street pattern was lost and Bath was
a royal possession. King Alfred laid out the town afresh, leaving its
south-eastern quadrant as the abbey precinct.[16] In the Burghal
Hidage, Bath is recorded as a burh (borough) and is described as
having walls of 1,375 yards (1,257 m) and was allocated 1000 men
for defence.[27] During the reign of
Edward the Elder

Edward the Elder coins were
minted in Bath based on a design from the
Winchester

Winchester mint but with
'BAD' on the obverse relating to the Anglo-Saxon name for the town,
Baðum, Baðan or Baðon, meaning "at the baths",[28] and this was the
source of the present name. Edgar of
England

England was crowned king of
England

England in
Bath Abbey

Bath Abbey in 973, in a ceremony that formed the basis of
all future English coronations.[29]
William Rufus granted the town, abbey and mint to a royal physician,
John of Tours, who became Bishop of Wells and Abbot of Bath,[30][31]
following the sacking of the town during the Rebellion of 1088.[32] It
was papal policy for bishops to move to more urban seats, and John of
Tours translated his own from Wells to Bath.[33] The bishop planned
and began a much larger church as his cathedral, to which was attached
a priory, with the bishop's palace beside it.[34] New baths were built
around the three springs. Later bishops returned the episcopal seat to
Wells while retaining the name Bath in the title, Bishop of Bath and
Wells. St John's Hospital was founded around 1180 by Bishop Reginald
Fitz Jocelin and is among the oldest almshouses in England.[35] The
'hospital of the baths' was built beside the hot springs of the Cross
Bath, for their health-giving properties and to provide shelter for
the poor infirm.[36]
Administrative systems fell within the hundreds. The Bath Hundred had
various names including the Hundred of Le Buri. The Bath Foreign
Hundred or Forinsecum covered the area outside the city and was later
combined into the
Bath Forum Hundred. Wealthy merchants had no status
within the hundred courts and formed guilds to gain influence. They
built the first guildhall probably in the 13th century. Around 1200
the first mayor was appointed.[37]
Early Modern[edit]
The Circus
By the 15th century, Bath's abbey church was dilapidated[38] and
Oliver King, Bishop of Bath and Wells, decided to rebuild it on a
smaller scale in 1500. The new church was completed just a few years
before Bath Priory was dissolved in 1539 by Henry VIII.[39] The abbey
church became derelict before being restored as the city's parish
church in the Elizabethan era, when the city experienced a revival as
a spa. The baths were improved and the city began to attract the
aristocracy. A
Royal charter

Royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1590
confirmed city status.[40]
During the English Civil War, the city was garrisoned for Charles I.
Seven thousand pounds was spent on fortifications, but on the
appearance of parliamentary forces the gates were thrown open and the
city surrendered. It became a significant post for the New Model Army
under William Waller.[41] Bath was retaken by royalists following the
Battle of Lansdowne

Battle of Lansdowne fought on the northern outskirts of the city on 5
July 1643.[42] Thomas Guidott, a student of chemistry and medicine at
Wadham College, Oxford, set up a practice in the city in 1668. He was
interested in the curative properties of the waters, and he wrote A
discourse of Bathe, and the hot waters there. Also, Some Enquiries
into the Nature of the water in 1676. It brought the health-giving
properties of the hot mineral waters to the attention of the country,
and the aristocracy arrived to partake in them.[43]
Royal Crescent

Royal Crescent and Circus from the air (connected by link road, thus
creating the famous "question mark" formation). Georgian taste
favoured the regularity of Bath's streets and squares and the contrast
with adjacent rural nature.
Several areas of the city were developed in the Stuart period, and
more building took place during Georgian times in response to the
increasing number of visitors who required accommodation.[44]
Architects John Wood the Elder and his son laid out the new quarters
in streets and squares, the identical façades of which gave an
impression of palatial scale and classical decorum.[45] Much of the
creamy gold Bath stone, a type of limestone used for construction in
the city, was obtained from the
Combe Down

Combe Down and
Bathampton Down

Bathampton Down Mines
owned by
Ralph Allen

Ralph Allen (1694–1764).[46] Allen, to advertise the
quality of his quarried limestone, commissioned the elder John Wood to
build a country house on his
Prior Park

Prior Park estate between the city and
the mines.[46] Allen was responsible for improving and expanding the
postal service in western England, for which he held the contract for
more than forty years.[46] Although not fond of politics, Allen was a
civic-minded man and a member of Bath Corporation for many years. He
was elected mayor for a single term in 1742.[46]
In the early 18th century, Bath acquired its first purpose-built
theatre, the Old Orchard Street Theatre. It was rebuilt as the Theatre
Royal, along with the Grand Pump Room attached to the Roman Baths and
assembly rooms.
Master of ceremonies

Master of ceremonies Beau Nash, who presided over the
city's social life from 1705 until his death in 1761, drew up a code
of behaviour for public entertainments.[47] Bath had become perhaps
the most fashionable of the rapidly developing British spa towns,
attracting many notable visitors such as the wealthy
London

London bookseller
Andrew Millar and his wife, who both made long visits.[48] In 1816 it
was described as "a seat of amusement and dissipation", where "scenes
of extravagance in this receptacle of the wealthy and the idle, the
weak and designing" were habitual.[49]
Late Modern[edit]
An 1850s photograph of Green Street
Looking north-west from
Bathwick

Bathwick Hill towards the northern suburbs,
showing the variety of housing typical of Bath
The population of the city was 40,020 at the 1801 census, making it
one of the largest cities in Britain.[50] William Thomas Beckford
bought a house in Lansdown Crescent in 1822, and subsequently two
adjacent houses to form his residence. Having acquired all the land
between his home and the top of Lansdown Hill, he created a garden
more than 1⁄2 mile (800 m) in length and built Beckford's Tower
at the top.[51]
Emperor
Haile Selassie

Haile Selassie of Ethiopia spent the four years in exile, from
1936 to 1940, at Fairfield House in Bath.[52] During World War II,
between the evening of 25 April and the early morning of 27 April
1942, Bath suffered three air raids in reprisal for RAF raids on the
German cities of
Lübeck

Lübeck and Rostock, part of the
Luftwaffe

Luftwaffe campaign
popularly known as the Baedeker Blitz. During the Bath Blitz, more
than 400 people were killed, and more than 19,000 buildings damaged or
destroyed.[53] Houses in the Royal Crescent, Circus and Paragon were
burnt out along with the Assembly Rooms.[54][55] A 500-kilogram
(1,100 lb) high explosive bomb landed on the east side of Queen
Square, resulting in houses on the south side being damaged and the
Francis Hotel losing 24 metres (79 ft) of its frontage.[54] The
buildings have all been restored although there are still signs of the
bombing.[54][55]
A postwar review of inadequate housing led to the clearance and
redevelopment of areas of the city in a postwar style, often at
variance with the local Georgian style. In the 1950s the nearby
villages of Combe Down,
Twerton

Twerton and Weston were incorporated into the
city to enable the development of housing, much of it council housing.
In the 1970s and 1980s it was recognised that conservation of historic
buildings was inadequate, leading to more care and reuse of buildings
and open spaces.[56] In 1987 the city was selected by
UNESCO

UNESCO as a
World Heritage Site, recognising its international cultural
significance.[57]
Since 2000, major developments have included the
Thermae

Thermae Bath Spa, the
SouthGate shopping centre, the residential Western Riverside project
on the Stothert & Pitt factory site, and the riverside Bath Quays
office and business development.[58][59]
Government[edit]
See also: Bath and North East
Somerset

Somerset Council
Historical development[edit]
Bath had long been an ancient borough, having that status since 878
when it became a royal borough (burh) of Alfred the Great, and was
reformed into a municipal borough in 1835. It has formed part of the
county of
Somerset

Somerset since 878, when ceded to Wessex, having previously
been in
Mercia
.svg/250px-Saint_Alban's_cross_(corrected_blue).svg.png)
Mercia (the River Avon had acted as the border between the two
kingdoms since 628).[60] However, Bath was made a county borough in
1889, independent of the newly created administrative county and
Somerset

Somerset County Council.[61] Bath became part of Avon when the
non-metropolitan county was created in 1974, resulting in its
abolition as a county borough, and instead became a non-metropolitan
district with borough status. With the abolition of Avon in 1996, the
non-metropolitan district and borough were abolished too, and Bath has
since been part of the unitary authority district of Bath and North
East
Somerset

Somerset (B&NES).[62] Bath was returned to the ceremonial
county of
Somerset

Somerset in 1996, though as B&NES is a unitary
authority, it is not part of the area covered by
Somerset

Somerset County
Council.
Charter trustees[edit]
Coat of arms

Coat of arms of the City of Bath
Because Bath is unparished, there is no longer a city council (or
parish council) — Bath City Council having ended in 1996 with the
abolition of the district of Bath. The City of Bath's ceremonial
functions, including its formal status as a city, its twinning
arrangements,[63] the mayoralty of Bath – which can be traced
back to 1230 – and control of the city's coat of arms, are
maintained by the charter trustees of the City of Bath. The
councillors elected by the electoral wards that cover Bath (see below)
are the trustees, and they elect one of their number as mayor.[64]
Coat of Arms[edit]
The coat of arms includes a depiction of the city wall, and two silver
strips representing 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 subject of the Legend
of Bath. The knight's helmet indicates a municipality and the crown is
that of King Edgar (referencing his coronation at the Abbey).[65] A
mural crown, indicating a city, is alternatively used instead of the
helmet and Edgar's crown.[66]
Bath City Forum[edit]
Bath and North East
Somerset

Somerset (B&NES) Council has established the
Bath City Forum, compising 12 nominated B&NES councillors
representing wards in Bath (and representing a cross-section of
political parties), 1 cabinet member of B&NES Council, and up to
13 co-opted members drawn from the communities of the city. The first
meeting of the Forum was held on 13 October 2015, at the Guildhall,
where the first Chair and Vice-Chair were elected.[67]
Parliamentary elections[edit]
See also: Bath (UK Parliament constituency)
Bath is one of the oldest extant parliamentary constituencies in the
United Kingdom, being in continuous existence since the Model
Parliament of 1295. Before the Reform Act 1832, Bath elected two
members to the unreformed House of Commons, as an ancient
parliamentary borough.[68] From 1832 until 1918 it elected two MPs and
then was reduced to one.
Historically the constituency covered only the city of Bath, however
it was enlarged into some outlying areas between 1997 and 2010. The
constituency since 2010 once again covers exactly the city of Bath (it
is co-extensive with the unparished area), and is currently
represented by Liberal Democrat
Wera Hobhouse

Wera Hobhouse who beat Conservative
Ben Howlett at the 2017 general election. Howlett had replaced the
retiring Liberal Democrat Don Foster at the 2015 general election.
Foster's election was a notable result of the 1992 general election,
as Chris Patten, the previous Member (and Cabinet Minister) played a
major part, as Chairman of the Conservative Party, in re-electing the
government of John Major, but failed to defend his marginal seat.[69]
Electoral wards[edit]
The sixteen electoral wards of the Bath and North East Somerset
unitary authority within Bath (which are co-extensive with the
unparished area) are: Abbey, Bathwick, Combe Down, Kingsmead,
Lambridge, Lansdown, Lyncombe, Newbridge, Odd Down, Oldfield,
Southdown, Twerton, Walcot, Westmoreland, Weston and Widcombe.[70]
Geography and environment[edit]
Physical geography[edit]
View over Bath city centre from Alexandra Park
Bath is in the Avon Valley near the southern edge of the Cotswolds, a
range of limestone hills designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty. The hills that surround and make up the city have a maximum
altitude of 781 feet (238 metres) on the Lansdown plateau. Bath has an
area of 11 square miles (28 square kilometres).[71]
Cleveland House and the cast iron bridges of
Sydney Gardens

Sydney Gardens over the
Kennet and Avon Canal
The floodplain of the Avon, on which the city centre is built, has an
altitude of about 59 ft (18 m) above sea level.[72] The
river, once an unnavigable series of braided streams broken up by
swamps and ponds, has been managed by weirs into a single channel.
Periodic flooding, which shortened the life of many buildings in the
lowest part of the city, was normal until major flood control works
were completed in the 1970s.[73] Kensington Meadows is an area of
mixed woodland and open meadow next to the river which has been
designated as a local nature reserve.[74]
Water bubbling up from the ground as geothermal springs originates as
rain on the
Mendip

Mendip Hills. The rain percolates through limestone
aquifers to a depth of between 9,000 to 14,000 ft (2,700 to
4,300 m) where geothermal energy raises the water's temperature
to between 64 and 96 °C (approximately 147–205 °F).
Under pressure, the heated water rises to the surface along fissures
and faults in the limestone. Hot water at a temperature of 46 °C
(115 °F) rises here at the rate of 1,170,000 litres
(257,364 imp gal) daily,[75] from a geological fault (the
Pennyquick fault). In 1983, a new spa-water bore-hole was sunk,
providing a clean and safe supply for drinking in the Pump Room.[76]
There is no universal definition to distinguish a hot spring from a
geothermal spring although, by several definitions, the Bath springs
can be considered the only hot springs in the UK. Three of the springs
feed the thermal baths.[77]
Climate[edit]
See also: Climate of south-west England
Along with the rest of South West England, Bath has a temperate
climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the
country.[78] The annual mean temperature is approximately 10 °C
(50.0 °F). Seasonal temperature variation is less extreme than
most of the
United Kingdom

United Kingdom because of the adjacent sea temperatures.
The summer months of July and August are the warmest, with mean daily
maxima of approximately 21 °C (69.8 °F). In winter, mean
minimum temperatures of 1 or 2 °C (33.8 or 35.6 °F) are
common.[78] In the summer the
Azores
.jpg/600px-Açores_2010-07-19_(5047589237).jpg)
Azores high pressure affects the
south-west of
England

England bringing fair weather; however, convective cloud
sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine.
Annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of
1,600 hours.[78] In December 1998 there were 20 days without sun
recorded at Yeovilton. Most of the rainfall in the south-west is
caused by Atlantic depressions or by convection. Most of the rainfall
in autumn and winter is caused by the Atlantic depressions, which is
when they are most active. In summer, a large proportion of the
rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground, leading to convection
and to showers and thunderstorms. Average rainfall is around
700 mm (28 in). About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical.
November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to
August have the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from
the south-west.[78]
Climate data for Bath
Average maximum and minimum temperatures, and average rainfall
recorded between 1981 and 2010 by the Met Office.
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
Record high °C (°F)
15.7
(60.3)
16.4
(61.5)
22.2
(72)
26.5
(79.7)
30.1
(86.2)
33.4
(92.1)
34.2
(93.6)
35.3
(95.5)
31.2
(88.2)
26.3
(79.3)
18.2
(64.8)
16.0
(60.8)
35.3
(95.5)
Average high °C (°F)
7.6
(45.7)
7.9
(46.2)
10.5
(50.9)
13.3
(55.9)
16.7
(62.1)
19.7
(67.5)
21.7
(71.1)
21.5
(70.7)
18.8
(65.8)
14.6
(58.3)
10.7
(51.3)
8.0
(46.4)
14.3
(57.7)
Average low °C (°F)
1.9
(35.4)
1.7
(35.1)
3.5
(38.3)
4.6
(40.3)
7.5
(45.5)
10.4
(50.7)
12.5
(54.5)
12.4
(54.3)
10.3
(50.5)
7.6
(45.7)
4.5
(40.1)
2.3
(36.1)
6.6
(43.9)
Record low °C (°F)
−13.7
(7.3)
−12.3
(9.9)
−8.8
(16.2)
−3.2
(26.2)
0.3
(32.5)
2.5
(36.5)
5.2
(41.4)
3.1
(37.6)
−0.6
(30.9)
−4.2
(24.4)
−9.2
(15.4)
−11.6
(11.1)
−13.7
(7.3)
Average rainfall mm (inches)
82.5
(3.248)
53.2
(2.094)
63.7
(2.508)
56.9
(2.24)
59.7
(2.35)
51.9
(2.043)
55.8
(2.197)
65.7
(2.587)
66.6
(2.622)
88.5
(3.484)
82.7
(3.256)
87.1
(3.429)
814.1
(32.051)
Mean monthly sunshine hours
40.8
66.5
118.9
157.0
190.9
188.8
211.9
202.7
143.9
82.1
51.7
37.7
1,492.7
Source: Met Office
Green belt[edit]
Further information: Avon Green Belt
Bath is fully enclosed by green belt as a part of a wider
environmental and planning policy first designated in the late
1950s,[79] and this extends into much of the surrounding district and
beyond, helping to maintain local green space, prevent further urban
sprawl and unplanned expansion towards
Bristol

Bristol and Bradford-on-Avon,
as well as protecting smaller villages in between.[79] Suburbs of the
city bordering the green belt include Batheaston, Bathford,
Bathampton, the
University of Bath

University of Bath campus, Ensleigh, Twerton, Upper
Weston, Odd Down, and Combe Down.
Parts of the
Cotswolds

Cotswolds
AONB

AONB southern extent overlaps the green belt
north of the city, with other nearby landscape features and facilities
within the green belt including the River Avon, Kennet and Avon Canal,
Bath Racecourse, Bath Golf Club,
Bathampton

Bathampton Down,
Bathampton

Bathampton Meadow
Nature Reserve,
Bristol

Bristol and Bath Railway Path, the Cotswold Way,
Limestone

Limestone Link route, Pennyquick Park, Little Solsbury Hill, and
Primrose Hill.[79]
Demography[edit]
Christadelphian Hall, New King Street
The 2011 census recorded a population of 94,782 for the Bath urban
area and 88,859 for the unparished area.[80]
According to the 2011 census, Bath, together with North East Somerset,
which includes areas around Bath as far as the Chew Valley, had a
population of 176,015.
Demography
.svg/500px-Social_Network_Diagram_(segment).svg.png)
Demography shows according to the same
statistics, the district is overwhelmingly populated by people of a
white background at 94.6% – significantly higher than the
national average of 87.17%. Other ethnic groups in the district, in
order of population size, are multiracial at 1.6%, Asian at 2.6% and
black at 0.8% (the national averages are 1.98%, 6.92% and 3.01%,
respectively).[81]
The district is largely
Christian

Christian at 56.5%, with no other religion
reaching more than 0.7%. These figures generally compare with the
national averages, though the non-religious, at 32.7%, are
significantly more prevalent than the national 25.67%. 83.9% of
residents rated their health as good or very good, higher than the
national level (81.40%). Nationally, 18% of people describe themselves
as having a long-term illness; in Bath it is 16.10%.[81]
An inhabitant of Bath is known as a Bathonian.[82]
Nowadays Bath is an ethnically diverse city, like nearby Bristol. Here
is a table comparing Bath with the surrounding borough and South West
England.
Ethnic Groups 2011
Bath
Bath UA
Bath and North East Somerset
South West England
White British
85.0%
85.5%
90.1%
91.8%
Asian
4.2%
4.0%
2.5%
2.0%
Black
1.2%
1.2%
0.7%
0.9%
[83][84][85]
The largest ethnic minority group in Bath is 'Other White' and 15% of
the city's population was non-White British. The Bathavon North ward,
that covers some of Bath's north-eastern suburban areas, is omitted
from the Bath constituency due to the fact its largely rural.
Economy[edit]
Industry[edit]
Bath once had an important manufacturing sector, particularly in crane
manufacture, furniture manufacture, printing, brass foundries,
quarries, dye works and
Plasticine

Plasticine manufacture, as well as many
mills.[86] Significant Bath companies included Stothert & Pitt,
Bath Cabinet Makers

Bath Cabinet Makers and Bath & Portland Stone.
Nowadays, manufacturing is in decline, but the city boasts strong
software, publishing and service-oriented industries, being home to
companies such as
Future plc

Future plc and
London

London & Country mortgage
brokers. The city's attraction to tourists has also led to a
significant number of jobs in tourism-related industries. Important
economic sectors in Bath include education and health (30,000 jobs),
retail, tourism and leisure (14,000 jobs) and business and
professional services (10,000 jobs).[87] Major employers are the
National Health Service, the city's two universities, and the Bath and
North East
Somerset

Somerset Council, as well as the Ministry of Defence
although a number of MOD offices formerly in Bath have recently moved
to Bristol. Growing employment sectors include information and
communication technologies and creative and cultural industries where
Bath is one of the recognised national centres for publishing,[87]
with the magazine and digital publisher
Future plc

Future plc employing around
650 people. Others include Buro Happold (400) and IPL Information
Processing Limited (250).[88] The city boasts over 400 retail shops,
half of which are run by independent specialist retailers, and around
100 restaurants and cafes primarily supported by tourism.[87]
Tourism[edit]
See also: List of places of interest in Bath, Somerset
Bath is popular with tourists all year round. An entertainer is
performing in front of Bath Abbey; the Roman Baths are to the right.
One of Bath's principal industries is tourism, with annually more than
one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors.[87]
The visits mainly fall into the categories of heritage tourism and
cultural tourism, aided by the city's selection in 1987 as a World
Heritage Site in recognition of its international cultural
importance.[56] All significant stages of the history of
England

England are
represented within the city, from the Roman Baths (including their
significant Celtic presence), to
Bath Abbey

Bath Abbey and the Royal Crescent, to
the more recent
Thermae

Thermae Bath Spa. The size of the tourist industry is
reflected in the almost 300 places of accommodation – including
more than 80 hotels, two of which have 'five-star' ratings,[89] over
180 bed and breakfasts – many of which are located in Georgian
buildings, and two campsites located on the western edge of the city.
The city also has about 100 restaurants and a similar number of pubs
and bars. Several companies offer open top bus tours around the city,
as well as tours on foot and on the river. Since the opening of
Thermae

Thermae Bath
Spa

Spa in 2006, the city has attempted to recapture its
historical position as the only town or city in the United Kingdom
offering visitors the opportunity to bathe in naturally heated spring
waters.[90]
In the 2010
Google Street View

Google Street View Best Streets Awards, the Royal Crescent
took second place in the "Britain's Most Picturesque Street" award,
first place being given to
The Shambles

The Shambles in York. Milsom Street was
also awarded "Britain's Best Fashion Street" in the 11,000-strong
vote.[91][92]
Architecture[edit]
Main article: Buildings and architecture of Bath
There are many Roman archaeological sites throughout the central area
of the city. The baths themselves are about 6 metres (20 ft)
below the present city street level. Around the hot springs, Roman
foundations, pillar bases, and baths can still be seen, however all
the stonework above the level of the baths is from more recent
periods.[93]
Bath Abbey

Bath Abbey was a Norman church built on earlier foundations. The
present building dates from the early 16th century and shows a late
Perpendicular style with flying buttresses and crocketed pinnacles
decorating a crenellated and pierced parapet.[94] The choir and
transepts have a fan vault by Robert and William Vertue.[95] A
matching vault was added to the nave in the 19th century.[96] The
building is lit by 52 windows.[97]
Bath Abbey

Bath Abbey seen from the east
Most buildings in Bath are made from the local, golden-coloured Bath
Stone, and many date from the 18th and 19th century. The dominant
style of architecture in Central Bath is Georgian;[98] this style
evolved from the Palladian revival style that became popular in the
early 18th century. Many of the prominent architects of the day were
employed in the development of the city. The original purpose of much
of Bath's architecture is concealed by the honey-coloured classical
façades; in an era before the advent of the luxury hotel, these
apparently elegant residences were frequently purpose-built lodging
houses, where visitors could hire a room, a floor, or (according to
their means) an entire house for the duration of their visit, and be
waited on by the house's communal servants.[99] The masons Reeves of
Bath were prominent in the city from the 1770s to 1860s.[100]
The Circus consists of three long, curved terraces designed by the
elder John Wood to form a circular space or theatre intended for civic
functions and games. The games give a clue to the design, the
inspiration behind which was the
Colosseum

Colosseum in Rome.[101] Like the
Colosseum, the three façades have a different order of architecture
on each floor: Doric on the ground level, then Ionic on the piano
nobile, and finishing with Corinthian on the upper floor, the style of
the building thus becoming progressively more ornate as it rises.[101]
Wood never lived to see his unique example of town planning completed
as he died five days after personally laying the foundation stone on
18 May 1754.[101]
Fan vaulting over the nave at Bath Abbey
The most spectacular of Bath's terraces is the Royal Crescent, built
between 1767 and 1774 and designed by the younger John Wood.[102] But
all is not what it seems; while Wood designed the great curved façade
of what appears to be about 30 houses with Ionic columns on a
rusticated ground floor, that was the extent of his input. 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; hence what appears to be two houses is sometimes one. This
system of town planning is betrayed at the rear of the crescent: while
the front is completely uniform and symmetrical, the rear is a mixture
of differing roof heights, juxtapositions and fenestration. The "Queen
Anne fronts and Mary-Anne backs" architecture occurs repeatedly in
Bath and was designed to keep hired women at the back of the
house.[103][104][105] Other fine terraces elsewhere in the city
include Lansdown Crescent[106] and
Somerset

Somerset Place on the northern
hill.[107]
Around 1770 the neoclassical architect
Robert Adam

Robert Adam designed Pulteney
Bridge, using as the prototype for the three-arched bridge spanning
the Avon an original, but unused, design by
Andrea Palladio

Andrea Palladio for the
Rialto Bridge

Rialto Bridge in Venice.[108] Thus,
Pulteney Bridge

Pulteney Bridge became not just a
means of crossing the river, but also a shopping arcade. Along with
the
Rialto Bridge

Rialto Bridge and the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, which it
resembles, it is one of the very few surviving bridges in Europe to
serve this dual purpose.[108] It has been substantially altered since
it was built. The bridge was named after Frances and William Pulteney,
the owners of the
Bathwick

Bathwick estate for which the bridge provided a link
to the rest of Bath.[108] The Georgian streets in the vicinity of the
river tended to be built high above the original ground level to avoid
flooding, with the carriageways supported on vaults extending in front
of the houses. This can be seen in the multi-storey cellars around
Laura Place South of Pulteney Bridge, in the colonnades below Grand
Parade, and in the grated coal holes in the pavement of North Parade.
In some parts of the city, such as George Street, and
London

London Road near
Cleveland Bridge, the developers of the opposite side of the road did
not match this pattern, leaving raised pavements with the ends of the
vaults exposed to a lower street below.
The heart of the Georgian city was the Pump Room, which, together with
its associated Lower Assembly Rooms, was designed by Thomas Baldwin, a
local builder responsible for many other buildings in the city,
including the terraces in Argyle Street[109] and the Guildhall.[110]
Baldwin rose rapidly, becoming a leader in Bath's architectural
history. In 1776 he was made the chief City Surveyor, and Bath City
Architect.[111] Great Pulteney Street, where he eventually lived, is
another of his works: this wide boulevard, constructed around 1789 and
over 1,000 feet (305 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) wide, is
lined on both sides by Georgian terraces.[112][113]
In the 1960s and early 1970s some parts of Bath were unsympathetically
redeveloped, resulting in the loss of some 18th- and 19th century
buildings. This process was largely halted by a popular campaign which
drew strength from the publication of Adam Fergusson's The Sack of
Bath.[114] Controversy has revived periodically, most recently with
the demolition of the 1930s Churchill House, a neo-Georgian municipal
building originally housing the Electricity Board, to make way for a
new bus station. This is part of the Southgate redevelopment in which
an ill-favoured 1960s shopping precinct, bus station and multi-storey
car park were demolished and replaced by a new area of mock-Georgian
shopping streets.[115][116] As a result of this and other changes,
notably plans for abandoned industrial land along the Avon, the city's
status as a
World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site was reviewed by
UNESCO

UNESCO in 2009.[117]
The decision was made to let Bath keep its status, but
UNESCO

UNESCO has
asked to be consulted on future phases of the Riverside
development,[118] saying that the density and volume of buildings in
the second and third phases of the development need to be
reconsidered.[119] It also demands Bath do more to attract world-class
architecture in new developments.[119]
A panoramic view of the Royal Crescent
Culture[edit]
The 18th century Pulteney Bridge, designed by Robert Adam
Bath became the centre of fashionable life in
England

England during the 18th
century when its
Old Orchard Street Theatre

Old Orchard Street Theatre and architectural
developments such as Lansdown Crescent,[120] the Royal Crescent,[121]
The Circus, and
Pulteney Bridge

Pulteney Bridge were built.[122]
Bath's five theatres – Theatre Royal, Ustinov Studio, the Egg,
the Rondo Theatre, and the Mission Theatre – attract
internationally renowned companies and directors and an annual season
by Sir Peter Hall. The city has a long-standing musical tradition;
Bath Abbey, home to the Klais Organ and the largest concert venue in
the city,[123] stages about 20 concerts and 26 organ recitals each
year. Another concert venue, the 1,700-seat
Art Deco

Art Deco Forum, originated
as a cinema. The city holds the annual Bath International Music
Festival and Mozartfest, the annual
Bath Literature Festival

Bath Literature Festival (and its
counterpart for children), the Bath Film Festival, the Bath Digital
Festival. the Bath Fringe Festival, the
Bath Beer Festival and the
Bath Chilli Festival. The Bach Festivals occur at two and a half-year
intervals. An annual
Bard of Bath competition aims to find the best
poet, singer or storyteller.[124]
The city is home to the Victoria Art Gallery,[125] the Museum of East
Asian Art, and Holburne Museum,[126] numerous commercial art galleries
and antique shops, as well as a number of other museums, among them
Bath Postal Museum, the Fashion Museum, the
Jane Austen
_hires.jpg/400px-CassandraAusten-JaneAusten(c.1810)_hires.jpg)
Jane Austen Centre, the
Herschel Museum of Astronomy

Herschel Museum of Astronomy and the Roman Baths.[127] The Bath Royal
Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI) in Queen Square was
founded in 1824 from the Society for the encouragement of Agriculture,
Planting, Manufactures, Commerce and the Fine Arts founded in
1777.[128] In September 1864, BRLSI hosted the 34th annual meeting of
the British Science Association, which was attended by explorers David
Livingstone, Sir Richard Francis Burton, and John Hanning Speke. The
history of the city is displayed at the Museum of Bath Architecture,
which is housed in a building built in 1765 as the Trinity
Presbyterian Church. It was also known as the Countess of Huntingdon's
Chapel, as she lived in the attached house from 1707 to 1791.[129]
Bath in the arts[edit]
Holburne Museum
During the 18th century
Thomas Gainsborough

Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Thomas Lawrence
lived and worked in Bath.[130][131] John Maggs, a painter best known
for coaching scenes, was born and lived in Bath with his artistic
family.[132]
Jane Austen
_hires.jpg/400px-CassandraAusten-JaneAusten(c.1810)_hires.jpg)
Jane Austen lived there from 1801 with her father, mother and sister
Cassandra, and the family resided at four different addresses until
1806.[133]
Jane Austen
_hires.jpg/400px-CassandraAusten-JaneAusten(c.1810)_hires.jpg)
Jane Austen never liked the city, and wrote to Cassandra,
"It will be two years tomorrow since we left Bath for Clifton, with
what happy feelings of escape."[134] Bath has honoured her name with
the
Jane Austen
_hires.jpg/400px-CassandraAusten-JaneAusten(c.1810)_hires.jpg)
Jane Austen Centre and a city walk. Austen's
Northanger Abbey

Northanger Abbey and
Persuasion are set in the city and describe taking the waters, social
life, and music recitals.
William Friese-Greene

William Friese-Greene experimented with celluloid and motion pictures
in his studio in the 1870s, developing some of the earliest movie
camera technology. He is credited as being one of the inventors of
cinematography.[135]
Taking the waters is described in Charles Dickens' novel The Pickwick
Papers in which Pickwick's servant, Sam Weller, comments that the
water has "a very strong flavour o' warm flat irons". The Royal
Crescent is the venue for a chase between two characters, Dowler and
Winkle.[136] Moyra Caldecott's novel The Waters of Sul is set in Roman
Bath in AD 72, and The Regency Detective, by
David Lassman

David Lassman and
Terence James, revolves around the exploits of Jack Swann
investigating deaths in the city during the early 1800s.[137] Richard
Brinsley Sheridan's play
The Rivals

The Rivals takes place in the city,[138] as
does Roald Dahl's chilling short story, "The Landlady".[139]
Many films and television programmes have been filmed using its
architecture as the backdrop, including the 2004 film of Thackeray's
Vanity Fair,[140] The Duchess (2008),[140] The Elusive Pimpernel
(1950)[140] and
The Titfield Thunderbolt

The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953).[140] In 2012,
Pulteney
Weir

Weir was used as a replacement location during post
production of the film adaptation of Les Misérables. Stunt shots were
filmed in October 2012 after footage acquired during the main filming
period was found to have errors.[141]
In August 2003
The Three Tenors

The Three Tenors sang at a concert to mark the opening
of the
Thermae

Thermae Bath Spa, a new hot water spa in the city centre, but
delays to the project meant the spa actually opened three years later
on 7 August 2006.[142] In 2008, 104 decorated pigs were displayed
around the city in a public art event called "King Bladud's Pigs in
Bath". It celebrated the city, its origins and artists. Decorated pig
sculptures were displayed throughout the summer and were auctioned to
raise funds for Two Tunnels Greenway.[143]
Parks[edit]
Parade Gardens and the Empire Hotel.
Royal Victoria Park, a short walk from the city centre, was opened in
1830 by the 11-year-old Princess Victoria, and was the first park to
carry her name.[144] The public park is overlooked by the Royal
Crescent and covers 23 hectares (57 acres).[145] It has[145] a
skatepark, tennis courts, a bowling green, a putting green and a 12-
and 18-hole golf course, a pond, open-air concerts, an annual
travelling funfair at Easter,[146] and a children's play area. Much of
its area is lawn; a notable feature is a ha-ha that segregates it from
the
Royal Crescent

Royal Crescent while giving the impression from the Crescent of
uninterrupted grassland across the park to Royal Avenue. It has a
"Green Flag Award", the national standard for parks and green spaces
in
England

England and Wales, and is registered by
English Heritage

English Heritage as of
National Historic Importance.[147] The 3.84 hectares (9.5 acres)
botanical gardens were formed in 1887 and contain one of the finest
collections of plants on limestone in the West Country.[148] A replica
Roman Temple was built at the
British Empire Exhibition

British Empire Exhibition at
Wembley

Wembley in
1924, and, following the exhibition, was dismantled and rebuilt in
Victoria Park in Bath.[149] In 1987 the gardens were extended to
include the Great Dell, a disused quarry with a collection of
conifers.[150]
Other parks include: Alexandra Park on a hill overlooking the city;
Parade Gardens, along the river near the abbey in the city centre;
Sydney Gardens, an 18th-century pleasure-garden; Henrietta Park;
Hedgemead Park; and Alice Park.
Jane Austen
_hires.jpg/400px-CassandraAusten-JaneAusten(c.1810)_hires.jpg)
Jane Austen wrote "It would be
pleasant to be near the Sydney Gardens. We could go into the Labyrinth
every day."[151] Alexandra, Alice and Henrietta parks were built into
the growing city among the housing developments.[152] There is a
linear park following the old
Somerset

Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway line.
Cleveland Pools

Cleveland Pools were built around 1815 close to the River Avon,[153]
now the oldest surviving public outdoor lido in England,[154] and
plans have been submitted for its restoration.[155]
Bath and Queen Victoria[edit]
Victoria Art Gallery

Victoria Art Gallery and Royal Victoria Park are named after Queen
Victoria, who wrote in her journal "The people are really too kind to
me.".[156] This feeling seemed to have been reciprocated by the people
of Bath: "Lord James O'Brien brought a drawing of the intended pillar
which the people of Bath are so kind as to erect in commemoration of
my 18th birthday.".[156]
Food[edit]
Sally Lunn's, home of the Sally Lunn bun
Several foods have an association with the city. Sally Lunn buns (a
type of teacake) have long been baked in Bath. They were first
mentioned by name in verses printed in the Bath Chronicle, in
1772.[157] At that time they were eaten hot at public breakfasts in
Spring Gardens. They can be eaten with sweet or savoury toppings and
are sometimes confused with Bath buns, which are smaller, round, very
sweet and very rich. They were associated with the city following The
Great Exhibition. Bath buns were originally topped with crushed
comfits created by dipping caraway seeds repeatedly in boiling sugar;
but today seeds are added to a '
London

London Bath Bun' (a reference to the
bun's promotion and sale at the Great Exhibition).[158] The seeds may
be replaced by crushed sugar granules or 'nibs'.[159]
Bath has lent its name to one other distinctive recipe – Bath
Olivers – a dry baked biscuit invented by Dr William Oliver,
physician to the Mineral Water Hospital in 1740.[160] Oliver was an
anti-obesity campaigner and author of a "Practical Essay on the Use
and Abuse of warm Bathing in Gluty Cases".[160] In more recent years,
Oliver's efforts have been traduced by the introduction of a version
of the biscuit with a plain chocolate coating. Bath Chaps, the salted
and smoked cheek and jawbones of the pig, takes its name from the
city[161] and is available from a stall in the daily covered market.
Bath Ales brewery is located in
Warmley and Abbey Ales are brewed in
the city.[162]
Twinning[edit]
Bath is twinned with four other cities in Europe. Twinning is the
responsibility of the Charter Trustees and each twinning arrangement
is managed by a Twinning Association.[163][164]
There is also a historic connection with Manly, New South Wales,
Australia, which is referred to as a sister city, and there is a
partnership arrangement with
Beppu, Ōita

Beppu, Ōita Prefecture, Japan.[164]
Formal twinning[edit]
Aix-en-Provence, France[164][165]
Alkmaar, Netherlands[164]
Braunschweig, Germany[164][166]
Kaposvár, Hungary[164]
Education[edit]
Main article: Education in Bath, Somerset
University of Bath
Bath has two universities, the
University of Bath

University of Bath and Bath Spa
University. Established in 1966, the University of Bath[167] was named
University of the Year by
The Sunday Times

The Sunday Times (2011). It offers programs
in politics, languages, the physical sciences, engineering,
mathematics, architecture, management and technology.[168]
Bath
Spa

Spa University was first granted degree-awarding powers in 1992
as a university college before being granted university status in
August 2005.[169][170] It offers courses leading to a Postgraduate
Certificate in Education. It has schools in the following subject
areas: Art and Design, Education, English and Creative Studies,
Historical and Cultural Studies, Music and the Performing Arts,
Science and the Environment and Social Sciences.[171]
Bath College

Bath College offers further education, and
Norland College provides
education and training in childcare.[172]
Sport[edit]
The Recreation Ground
Bath Rugby

Bath Rugby is a rugby union team in the Aviva Premiership league. It
plays in black, blue and white kit at the Recreation Ground in the
city, where it has been since the late 19th century, following its
establishment in 1865.[173] The team's first major honour was winning
the John Player Cup, now sponsored as the LV Cup and also known as the
Anglo-Welsh Cup, four years consecutively from 1984 until 1987.[173]
The team then led the Courage league in six seasons in eight years
between 1988–89 and 1995–96, during which time it also won the
renamed Pilkington Cup in 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1996.[173]
It finally won the
Heineken Cup

Heineken Cup in the 1997–98 season, and topped
the Zürich Premiership (now Aviva Premiership) in 2003–04.[173] The
team's squad includes several members who also play, or have played in
the English national team, including Lee Mears, Rob Webber, Dave
Attwood,
Nick Abendanon

Nick Abendanon and Matt Banahan. Colston's School, Bristol,
has had a large input in the team over the past decade, providing
several current 1st XV squad members. The former
England

England Rugby Team
Manager and former Scotland national coach
Andy Robinson used to play
for
Bath Rugby

Bath Rugby team and was captain and later coach. Both of
Robinson's predecessors,
Clive Woodward

Clive Woodward and Jack Rowell, as well as
his successor Brian Ashton, were also former Bath coaches and
managers.[174]
Bath City F.C.

Bath City F.C. is the major football team. Bath City gained promotion
to the
Conference Premier

Conference Premier from the
Conference South

Conference South in 2010. Bath City
F.C. play their games at
Twerton

Twerton Park. Until 2009 Team Bath F.C.
operated as an affiliate to the University Athletics programme. In
2002, Team Bath became the first university team to enter the FA Cup
in 120 years, and advanced through four qualifying rounds to the
first round proper.[175] The university's team was established in 1999
while the city team has existed since before 1908 (when it entered the
Western League).[176] However, in 2009, the
Football Conference

Football Conference ruled
that Team Bath would not be eligible to gain promotion to a National
division, nor were they allowed to participate in Football Association
cup competitions. This ruling led to the decision by the club to fold
at the end of the 2008–09
Conference South

Conference South competition. In their
final season,
Team Bath F.C.

Team Bath F.C. finished 11th in the league.[177]
Bath City narrowly missed out on election to the English Football
League in 1978.[178] Bath also has
Non-League football
.png/700px-Maine_Road_vs_1874_Northwich_football_match_(cropped).png)
Non-League football clubs Odd Down
F.C. who play at Lew Hill Memorial Ground[179] and Larkhall Athletic
F.C. who play at Plain Ham.
Many cricket clubs are based in the city, including Bath
Cricket

Cricket Club,
who are based at the North Parade Ground and play in the West of
England

England Premier League.
Cricket

Cricket is also played on the Recreation
Ground, just across from where the Rugby is played. The Recreation
Ground is also home to Bath
Croquet

Croquet Club, which was re-formed in 1976
and is affiliated with the South West Federation of Croquet
Clubs.[180]
The
Bath Half Marathon

Bath Half Marathon is run annually through the city streets, with
over 10,000 runners.[181]
TeamBath

TeamBath is the umbrella name for all of the
University of Bath

University of Bath sports
teams, including the aforementioned football club. Other sports for
which
TeamBath

TeamBath is noted are athletics, badminton, basketball, bob
skeleton, bobsleigh, hockey, judo, modern pentathlon, netball, rugby
union, swimming, tennis, triathlon and volleyball. The City of Bath
Triathlon

Triathlon takes place annually at the university.[182]
Bath Roller Derby Girls (BRDG) are Bath's only Flat Track Roller Derby
league. Founded in 2012,[183] the competes in the British Roller Derby
Championships Tier 3.[184] As of 2015, they are full members of the
United Kingdom

United Kingdom Roller
Derby

Derby Association (UKRDA.)[185]
Transport[edit]
A diesel/electric hybrid bus in Southgate on a Park and Ride service
Bath is approximately 11 miles (18 km) south-east of the larger
city and port of Bristol, to which it is linked by the A4 road, which
runs through Bath, and is a similar distance south of the M4 motorway.
In an attempt to reduce the level of car use, park and ride schemes
have been introduced which paradoxically are designed to increase
traffic volumes, with sites at Odd Down, Lansdown and Newbridge. A
very large increase in city centre parking was also provided under the
new SouthGate shopping centre development, which necessarily
introduces more car traffic. In addition, a bus gate scheme in
Northgate aims to reduce private car use in the city centre.[186]
National Express operates coach services from
Bath bus station

Bath bus station to a
number of cities. Bath also has a network of bus routes run by First
West of England, with services to surrounding towns and cities, such
as Bristol, Corsham, Chippenham, Devizes, Salisbury,
Frome

Frome and Wells.
Wessex

Wessex Bath and the Faresaver Bus company also operate numerous
services to surrounding towns. The
Bath Bus Company
.JPG/500px-Bath_The_Circus_-_Bath_Bus_Company_702_(WO14OFV).JPG)
Bath Bus Company runs open top
double-decker bus tours around the city, as well as frequent services
to
Bristol

Bristol Airport.
Stagecoach West

Stagecoach West also provides services to Tetbury
and the South Cotswolds.[187]
The city is connected to
Bristol

Bristol and the sea by the River Avon,
navigable via locks by small boats. The river was connected to the
River Thames

River Thames and
London

London by the
Kennet and Avon Canal

Kennet and Avon Canal in 1810 via Bath
Locks; this waterway – closed for many years but restored in
the last years of the 20th century – is now popular with
narrowboat users.[188] Bath is on National Cycle Route 4, with one of
Britain's first Bicycle Paths (cycleway), the
Bristol

Bristol and Bath Railway
Path, to the west, and an eastern route toward
London

London on the canal
towpath. Bath is about 20 miles (30 km) from Bristol
Airport.[189]
Bath
Spa

Spa railway station
Bath is served by the Bath
Spa

Spa railway station (designed by Isambard
Kingdom Brunel), which has regular connections to
London

London Paddington,
Bristol

Bristol Temple Meads,
Cardiff

Cardiff Central, Cheltenham, Exeter, Plymouth
and
Penzance

Penzance (see Great Western Main Line), and also Westbury,
Warminster, Weymouth, Salisbury, Southampton,
Portsmouth

Portsmouth and Brighton
(see
Wessex

Wessex Main Line). Services are provided by First Great Western.
There is a suburban station on the main line, Oldfield Park, which has
a limited commuter service to
Bristol

Bristol as well as other destinations.
Green Park Station was once the terminus of the Midland Railway,[190]
and junction for the
Somerset

Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, whose line,
always steam hauled, went under
Bear Flat

Bear Flat through the Combe Down
Tunnel and climbed over the Mendips to serve many towns and villages
on its 71-mile (114 km) run to Bournemouth. This example of an
English rural line was closed by Beeching in March 1966. Its Bath
station building, now restored, houses shops, small businesses, the
Saturday Bath Farmers Market and parking for a supermarket, while the
route of the
Somerset

Somerset and Dorset within Bath has been reused for the
Two Tunnels Greenway, a shared use path that extends National Cycle
Route 24 into the city.[191]
The
Bath Tramways Company

Bath Tramways Company was introduced in the late 19th century,
opening on 24 December 1880. The 4 ft (1,219 mm) gauge cars
were horse-drawn along a route from
London

London Road to the Bath Spa
railway station, but the system closed in 1902. It was replaced by
electric tram cars on a greatly expanded
4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) gauge system that
opened in 1904. This eventually extended to 18 miles (29 km) with
routes to Combe Down, Oldfield Park, Twerton, Newton St Loe, Weston
and Bathford. There was a fleet of 40 cars, all but 6 being double
deck. The first line to close was replaced by a bus service in 1938,
and the last went on 6 May 1939.[192] In 2005 a detailed plan was
created and presented to the Council to re-introduce trams to Bath,
but the plan did not proceed, reportedly due to the focus by the
Council on the government-supported busway planned to run from the
Newbridge park and ride into the city centre. Part of the
justification for the proposed tram reintroduction plan was the
pollution from vehicles within the city, which was twice the legal
levels, and the heavy traffic congestion due to high car usage. In
2015 [193] another group building on the earlier tram group proposals
has created interest in the idea of re-introducing trams with several
public meetings and meetings with the Council.[194] In 2017, Bath and
North East
Somerset

Somerset Council announced a feasibility study, due to be
published by March 2018, into implementing a light rail or tram system
in the city.[195]
In November 2016, the West of
England

England Local Enterprise Partnership
began a consultation process on their Transport Vision Summary
Document, outlining potential light rail/tram routes in the region,
one of which being a route from
Bristol

Bristol city centre along the A4 road
to Bath to relieve pressure on bus and rail services between the two
cities.[196]
A transportation study (the Bristol/Bath to South Coast Study) was
published in 2004 after being initiated by the
Government Office

Government Office for
the South West and Bath and North East
Somerset

Somerset Council.[197] It was
undertaken by WSP Global[197] as a result of the de-trunking in 1999
of the A36/A46 trunk road network[198] from Bath to Southampton.
Media[edit]
Bath's local newspaper is the Bath Chronicle, owned by Local World.
Published since 1760, the Chronicle was a daily newspaper until
mid-September 2007, when it became a weekly.[199]
The BBC
Bristol

Bristol website has featured coverage of news and events
within Bath since 2003.[200]
For television, Bath is served by the
BBC West

BBC West studios based in
Bristol, and by ITV West (formerly HTV) with studios similarly in
Bristol.[201]
Radio stations broadcasting to the city include The Breeze on 107.9FM
and Heart
West Country

West Country (formerly GWR FM) as well as The University of
Bath's University Radio Bath, a student-focused radio station
available on campus and also online,[202] and Classic Gold 1260, a
networked commercial radio station with local programmes.[203]
Bath is sometimes covered by Bristol's local media, including Bristol
Live Magazine.
See also[edit]
The
Bathonian

Bathonian Age in the
Jurassic

Jurassic Period of geological time is named
for Bath
Somerset

Somerset portal
Grade I listed buildings in Bath and North East Somerset
List of people from Bath
List of spa towns in the United Kingdom
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^ Allsop, Niall (1987). The Kennet & Avon Canal. Bath: Millstream
Book. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-948975-15-8.
^ "Travelling to and around Bath". Visit Bath. Retrieved 3 May
2015.
^
Bristol

Bristol and Bath Railway Path: The Midland Railway. Retrieved 8
August 2009
^ "Bath, Two Tunnels". Sustrans. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
^ Oppitz, Leslie (1990). Tramways Remembered: West and South West
England. Countryside Books. p. 74.
ISBN 978-1-85306-095-3.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 October 2015.
Retrieved 6 April 2017.
^ https://bathtrams.uk
^ "Council to look at whether light rail tram system 'feasible' for
Bath - Bath Chronicle". Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "West of
England

England Joint Transport Study - Transport Vision Summary
Document" (PDF). Retrieved 16 November 2016.
^ a b "Bristol/Bath to South Coast Study – final reports
published". Government News. 13 February 2004. Archived from the
original on 14 April 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
^ "
Hansard

Hansard 6 Jan 2004 :
Column

Column 218W". Hansard. Parliament of the
United Kingdom. 6 January 2004. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
^ Brook, Stephen (2 August 2007). "Bath daily goes weekly". The
Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved
2 May 2015.
^ "BBC News — Somerset". BBC. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
^ "Studios".
Bristol

Bristol Film Office. Archived from the original on 29
November 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
^ "University Radio Bath". University Radio Bath. Archived from the
original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
^ "AM, Digital Radio & TV Frequencies". Gold. Retrieved 16
September 2012.
Bibliography[edit]
See also: Bibliography of the history of Bath, Somerset
External links[edit]
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Bath (England).
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