Wednesday, May 23, 2007

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..."

15 comments:

Peter said...

Wow... You don't write every day, but when you do, you do it seriously! I have now a feeling that I know everything about Bath!

About the four bridges: You obviously found a lot of these bridges some centuries ago. I know about the Florence one. Do you know which are the other two?

GMG said...

Hi Peter, thanks.
I corrected the information I borrowed everywhere on Pulteney Bridge, as I could only find Ponte Vecchio as bridge lined with shops on both sides. The official Pulteney Bridge site mentions three bridges in the world (maybe they also considered Rialto)...

isa said...

You had me at...Jane Austen! That's reason enough to visit Bath, but you really make the city very appealing.
I will add it to my itinerary next time I visit England ;-)

inspired said...

Me 2 peter.. some great photos 2..
p.s thank you for your comment much appreciated..

Peter said...

Thanks for commenting on my question (also on my blog). I guess you are right about the Rialto bridge, but I also looked for the fourth one (Google) and could not find it. But, I would be surprised if the original information was wrong. Anyhow the Pulteney bridge is really beautiful!!

lv2scpbk said...

Love the carousel. I collect carousel horses. And, those buildings have such wonderful detail.

thanks for visiting my blog.

Anonymous said...

It's astonishing how far north the Romans went. I like your photos with the Roman remains.

Anonymous said...

Isabella, I knew you would love to know that Jane Austen was Bath's most famous resident.

Salems, Thks.

Peter, there are contradictory information: almost everybody mentions four bridges, but no one identifies the other three. Ponte Vecchio is obvious... But the official site mentions only three. Anyhow, not many...

LV2, amazing that you also like carousels. I always had great attraction for the horses there...

April, the Roman empire was a huge empire...

alice said...

Bath reminds me of Jane Austen. A true report, as usual! And thank you for your regular visits to my blog.

Kalyan Panja said...

Another wonderful set of pics & thanks for sharing all the information...well done!

Dsole said...

you made such a great report about Bath... WHen i visit your blog I realised how many places are in the world... and how many places I want to visit...

PS, in Madrid it's raining a lot too...

Ash said...

More wonderful images. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Alice, it's a pleasure to visit your blog. Jane Austen probably accounts for a great number of visitors to Bath...

Kalyan, Ash, Thanks for the comments. I'm learning a lot on India with your Daily Photo blogs. Unfortunately time is short and I can't manage to visit them daily...

Dsole, it's not such a small world...
PS: Weird weather today in Lisbon: sometimes sunny and hot; sometimes misty and chilly!

Sigma said...

Ah! Really wonderful pictures! This is such a pretty town .... I love these old buildings much more than the highrises dotting the skyline.

Anonymous said...

Sigma,
Thanks for your visits and comments to Blogtrotter. Bath is a beautiful place, and like most of England (with some exceptions) is not crammed with skyscrapers... Though some may be beautiful!