Bath

The lovely city of Bath, set like an amphitheatre amid 7 hills, has two outstanding features: its Roman remains and its stunning Georgian architecture.  Add in museums, culture, shopping and spa options and you wonder, along with Jane Austen, ‘Who can ever be tired of Bath?’

The 14 episodes in our Bath series bring you all the background history and culture you need to fully understand this delightful city. We cover all the famous features, plus day trips to nearby places of interest. In short, here is all the research you’d do yourself if only you had the time.

There’s a podcast for each episode and we are adding more written information to each post as fast as we can.  So, let’s go!

BATH : HISTORY & CULTURE

Bath Aerial View VisitBath.jpg

Episode 1: Introduction to Bath

Last Updated on February 15, 2024 by Marian Jones Welcome to Bath.  One of the city’s world-renowned attractions is its gorgeous Georgian architecture: the elegant squares and crescents of local stone built in the 18th … Read more
The Roman Baths, Bath VisitBathjpg

Episode 2: The Roman Baths

Last Updated on February 15, 2024 by Marian Jones Bath is unique. Firstly, because of the Roman Baths. It is the only place in the UK where natural hot springs can be found and every … Read more
Bath Abbey VisitBathjpg

Episode 3: Bath Abbey And Medieval Times

Last Updated on February 15, 2024 by Marian Jones History in Bath tends to focus on the Romans and then the Georgians. But what about everything which came in between? This episode, visiting Bath Abbey … Read more
Pump Room, Bath

Episode 4: The Healing Power of Bath’s Hot Springs

Last Updated on April 9, 2023 by Ctybr67k Bath’s Hot Springs are unique in the UK. A million litres a day of warm water flow into the city from the surrounding hills. This episode looks … Read more
Bath, Camden Crescent VisitBathjpg

Episode 5: Discovering Bath’s Georgian Architecture

Last Updated on August 22, 2023 by Ctybr67k Surely it was Bath’s gorgeous Georgian architecture which prompted the composter Haydn to describe it as ‘one of the most beautiful cities in Europe’ after a visit … Read more
Royal Crescent Museum, Bath

Episode 6: A ‘Season’ in 18th Century Bath

Last Updated on August 24, 2023 by Ctybr67k 18th Century Bath attracted visits from the wealthy and entitled, who loved to visit for a ‘season’, a period of weeks or months any time between late … Read more
Jane Austen Centre

Episode 7: Bath Through the Eyes of Jane Austen

Last Updated on August 29, 2023 by Ctybr67k Jane Austen, who lived in Bath for a number of years and knew it well, once asked ‘Who can ever tire of Bath?’. She was probably being … Read more
Victoria Art Gallery Stairway

Episode 8: The Museums & Galleries of Bath

Last Updated on December 1, 2023 by Marian Jones Here we present a selection of Bath museums and galleries: for art, there’s the Holburne Museum and the Victoria Art Gallery. Then there’s the house where … Read more
Sydney Gardens, Bath

Episode 9: Parks and Walks in Bath

Last Updated on December 7, 2023 by Marian Jones Parks and Walks in Bath: a genteel walk – or ‘parade’ as it was known in the 18th century! – is a very ‘Bath’ thing to … Read more
The Theatre Royal, Bath

Episode 10: Theatre and Music in Bath

Last Updated on December 10, 2023 by Marian Jones The history of theatre and music in Bath have a big influence on the city today, First, we look at theatre, specifically the Theatre Royal – … Read more
Jane Austen

Episode 11: A Bath Anthology

Last Updated on January 24, 2024 by Marian Jones Squeezed into our Bath anthology are lots of authors who wrote about the city and whom you’d enjoy reading before a visit or afterwards, when you … Read more
Lacock, nr Bath

Episode 12: Day Trips to Lacock and Corsham

Last Updated on February 8, 2024 by Marian Jones This is the first of three episodes suggesting days out from Bath and takes you to Lacock and Corsham, both only a half hour drive or … Read more
Wells CAthedral

Episode 13: A Day Out To Wells

Last Updated on February 14, 2024 by Marian Jones Wells is less than an hour’s drive from Bath and also easily reached by bus. It’s England’s smallest city, compact, yet with some standout beauties to … Read more
Glastonbury Abbey

Episode 14: A Day Trip to Glastonbury

Last Updated on February 15, 2024 by Marian Jones This episode – the last in the Bath series – takes you on a day out to Glastonbury, home of the Abbey Ruins, Glastonbury Tor, the … Read more

MORE READING ABOUT BATH

Useful websites for tourists
Visit Bath (Tourist Information)
Bath.co.uk (Tourist Information)

Useful guidebooks
The Rough Guide to Bath, Bristol and Somerset
Lonely Planet Pocket Rough Guide to Bath, Bristol and the South-West
Insight Guide Great Breaks: Bath
Guide to Bristol and Bath Pub Walks by Nigel Vile
Bath Skyline by Amy Feldman

3 History books on Bath
A Traveller’s History of Bath by Richard and Sheila Tames
A-Z of Bath Places-People-History by Peter Kilby
Stories of Bath A Selective History in 11 Episodes by Diana White

2 Anthologies
Bath in Quotes A Literary View from the Saxons Onwards by Paul Cresswell
Voices of 18th Century Bath Edited by Trevor Fawcett

The Jane Austen Connection
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Jane Austen in Bath (Walking Tours) by Katharine Reeve
Jane Austen and Bath by Terry Townsend

PODCASTS TO GET YOU STARTED

OTHER CITY BREAK IDEAS

GALLERY