ROMAN BATHS AT BATH, UK...

UK COUNTRYSIDE! - DECEMBER 2004


"BATH SIGHTSEEING - The exact date of Bath's foundation as a settlement is not known, but it seems that there has been human activity in the area since c. 5000 BC, but it is difficult to establish what, if any, actual settlement there was. Bath was included in the World Heritage List in 1987. According to the UNESCO, «founded by the Romans as a thermal spa, Bath became an important centre of the wool industry in the Middle Ages. In the 18th century, under George III, it developed into an elegant town with neoclassical Palladian buildings, which blend harmoniously with the Roman baths.» It was also home to Jane Austen, its most famous resident"


"CAROUSEL - According to Wikipedia, «carousel (or carrousel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating platform with seats for passengers. The «seats» are traditionally in the form of wooden horses or animals, which are often moved mechanically up and down to simulate galloping. This leads to one of the machine's alternative names, the galloper. Other popular names are merry-go-round, roundabout and flying horses. Usually, music is looped while the rides spins.»"


"THE EMPIRE was built in 1901 and was used originally as offices for the Admiralty before it was converted to a hotel. In 1995, this property was acquired for conversion to forty five luxury flats. The photo was taken before the cleaning!"


"PULTENEY BRIDGE, named after Frances Pulteney, heiress in 1767 of the Bathwick estate, it crosses the River Avon, and was completed in 1773. Designed by Robert Adam, it is one of few bridges in the world lined with shops. Shops located on the bridge include a flower shop, an antique map shop, and a juice bar. No «Focus Magic» to fix the blurred picture..."


"CHRISTMAS MARKET - Bath Sixth Christmas Market will be open from Thursday 29th November through Sunday 9th December 2007! With the Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths as an amazing backdrop to the event, it shows that the festive season has arrived in Bath"


"BATH SUNSET"



"THE ENTRANCE to the Roman Baths. Around Britain's only hot spring, the Romans built a magnificent temple and bathing complex that still flows with natural hot water. The extensive ruins and treasures from the spring are beautifully preserved and presented"


"THE SPRING OVERFLOW - The Roman plumbing and drainage system is still largely in place. Lead pipes were used to carry hot spa water around the site using gravity flow. The Spring overflow is where surplus water from the Spring, not used in the baths, flows out to a Roman drain that carries the water from the site to the River Avon four hundred metres away"



"THE TERRACE overlooks the Great Bath and is lined with statues of Roman Governors of Britain, Emperors and military leaders. The statues date to 1894, as they were carved in advance of the grand re-opening of the Roman Baths in 1897"


"GREAT BATH - The centrepiece of the Roman baths is a pool, lined with 45 sheets of lead, and filled with hot spa water. It once stood in an enormous barrel-vaulted hall that rose to a height of 40 metres and may have been the largest building many Roman visitors had ever entered in their life. The bath is 1.6 metres deep and has steps leading down on all sides"



"BATH ABBEY was the last in a series of monastic churches built in Bath in the perpendicular Gothic style. Once a great cathedral dominating a tiny walled city, it went into ruins after the dissolution of the monasteries until the people of Bath decided to restore to former grandeur. It now serves as a parish church of the Church of England"


"ANOTHER BLUR..."