City of Bath

• Official name: City of Bath
• Location: Avon, England
• Type: Cultural
• Year of inscription: 1987

The city of Bath is located near Avon, in southern England. It is one of the most important archaeological and cultural sites in England, and an internationally famous travel destination. The features of Bath extend from ancient through modern times. The most famous destinations are the oldest—the Roman Baths and Temple, a complex designed in ancient times by Romano-British peoples around natural hot springs.

Romans visited the springs and temple for health and spiritual reasons between the first and fifth centuries CE. The remains of the ancient structures remain in a good state of preservation in modern times, and have been enclosed within a museum showing the importance of the springs and the artifacts that have been discovered there.

Bath Abbey, dating to the fifteenth century, stands nearby, offering a glimpse into the religious life of Bath residents of past centuries. Museum exhibits in and near the abbey provide information on not only Bath’s abbeys but also on those from around England. Many features from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, added near the springs, are also important features of the town. The pump room, an entertainment venue dating to the Georgian Era of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, was built very close to the Roman temple and remains a popular destination for tourists.

Visitors and historians are drawn to the grand architecture of Bath’s Georgian Period, a time of flourishing in the city. The Circus and the Royal Crescent of the eighteenth century demonstrate the era’s design styles, and carry the legacy of the many famous people who have lived in the homes there. Another architectural highlight is Pulteney Bridge, which includes small shops and restaurants. Pulteney is one of only four bridges in the world that feature such amenities. Later architecture includes Beckford’s Tower, which features a tall spiral staircase affording grand views of the surrounding area.

Bath offers some forty museums focusing on many themes, including the Jane Austen Centre, the American Museum, the Victoria Art Gallery, the Museum of Bath Architecture, the Museum of East Asian Art, and the Museum of Costume, as well as abundant shopping and eating options. Boat tours, along with walking tours relating to the city’s supposed supernatural residents, are other popular facets for many visitors.

History

Bath is best known for its natural hot springs, whose waters are heated by pressures deep below the surface to 115 Fahrenheit (46 Celsius). Since ancient times, people have believed that these waters bring good health to those who bathe in or drink from them. Discovery of the springs has traditionally been attributed to Briton Prince Bladud, who in 863 BCE, supposedly healed himself of leprosy thanks to the healthful waters. He began a settlement near the springs, raising awareness of and appreciation for them.

However, the growth of Bath into a large city did not begin for centuries until after the Romans invaded and took control of Britain in 43 CE. In the coming generations, Romano-British residents began merging traditional Roman and native beliefs and practices, even creating composite deities. One of these deities was Sulis Minerva, a combination of the Celtic goddess Sulis and the Roman goddess Minerva. Sulis was the goddess of health and healing, as well as sacred waterways, while Minerva was the goddess of wisdom.

This hybrid deity became the patron goddess of Aquae Sulis, a settlement based around the natural hot springs of Bath. Well established by 76 CE, Aquae Sulis grew and became a popular destination for domestic and foreign travelers seeking healing, both in the hot spring spa as well as the adjoining temple dedicated to the goddess. Over its long use, thousands of patrons visited the spa and temple. Many of them made offerings to the patron goddess, such as coins or tokens. Some patrons also threw into the spring small lead or pewter plates inscribed with requests that the goddess place curses upon their enemies.

The city continued to grow even after the decline of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christianity. Early Christian sites founded by Saxons and Normans flourished in the area into the medieval period. As trade increased in the Middle Ages, Bath residents and visitors became more involved in business matters than in visiting the waters, and the Roman buildings fell into disrepair. However, in the eighteenth century, interest in the hot springs resurfaced, and the wealthy flocked to Bath spas.

The popularity of Bath attracted some of the country’s greatest architects during the middle and late eighteenth century. Foremost among them were architect John Wood Senior, philanthropist Ralph Allen, and lawyer Richard “Beau” Nash. Their developments in the city led to many of its modern architectural splendors, as well as the rediscovery and preservation of the Roman ruins.

Designers began modernizing existing medieval structures in a new, elaborate style known in modern times as Georgian, in honor of Kings George I, II, III, and IV, who ruled in succession from 1714 to 1830. The Georgian style centers on neoclassical Palladian designs, which hearken back to the styles of ancient Greece and Rome—appropriate for harmoniously highlighting the remains of Aquae Sulis.

The urban growth of the period is reflected by the building of mansions, towers, and Pulteney Bridge, which connected the downtown with flourishing suburban zones. Among the notable structures of that period were the Circus, the Royal Crescent, Queen Square, and Guildhall. One of the most popular hangouts of Georgian Bath was the pump room, which allowed visitors to relax and enjoy the hot springs and rediscovered, and largely preserved, Roman ruins.

Although Bath continued to flourish in the coming years, most of its Georgian elements—and its Roman core—were preserved. It became a symbol of a golden era for England, and drew the attention of artists, writers, socialites, and tourists from far and wide. It also remained popular with patients seeking healing in the warm mineral springs, and Bath physicians used treatments there to create new medical facilities and inventions to help people with rheumatism and other ailments.

In the twenty-first century, Bath is still a popular destination for travelers seeking inspiration from the city’s legacy of art and architecture, as well as those curious about the ancient past or hoping to benefit from the famous local waters. For the latter visitors, new spas have combined the ancient beliefs in the healing power of water with modern conveniences and luxuries, such as the Thermae Bath Spa, which opened in 2006.

Significance

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added the city of Bath to its official World Heritage List as an important cultural site in 1987. Officials cited Bath’s significant cultural and historical value to humanity. In 2013, UNESCO produced a statement reasserting the value of Bath. In 2021, the city of Bath was included in UNESCO's inscription of the Eleven Great Spa Towns of Europe project. This inclusion made Bath a rarely achieved double-nominated World Heritage Site.

Officials had many reasons for choosing Bath for the World Heritage List. One was its unique and fascinating ancient origins. The well-preserved remains of the Roman Baths and Aquae Sulis shed light on the mysterious culture and beliefs of the Romano-British. The modern-day museum and interpretive facilities help to bring these insights to new generations of curious visitors. The continued existence of the natural hot springs, which visitors to the city may still drink or wade in, keeps alive this crucial aspect to the city’s near two millennia of growth.

Although sometimes lost between the Roman and Georgian eras, evidence of medieval Bath is of great value to historians. Many historians note the Abbey Church and other religious facilities that developed from the Saxon era through the Renaissance and beyond as important mileposts in the development of England’s spiritual legacy.

Another reason was the striking artistry demonstrated in the post-medieval expansion of the city. Historians note that the flourishing of Georgian styles in Bath turned the city into an architectural landmark full of gracefully structured and aligned buildings, organized to convey a strong sense of picturesque harmony and natural beauty. Rather than trying to impose human blueprints upon the landscape, Bath’s influential designers adapted their structures to work with the flow of the land and water. The work in Bath helped to transition the existing styles with the garden city style that would become popular in the nineteenth century.

Bath’s continued popularity among tourists is another element of its significance. The city's six million annual visitors may seek Bath for cultural enlightenment, entertainment such as shopping and dining, or physical restoration in the hot spring water. Despite the ongoing, centuries-old traffic of tourists, the historical elements of Bath are well-preserved because of conservation and sustainability efforts by organizations like the Bath Preservation Trust. UNESCO has judged that their pre-modern cultural remains have high levels of integrity and authenticity and have been minimally altered or damaged through time.

Bibliography

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“City of Bath.” UNESCO, whc.unesco.org/en/list/428. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

“The City of Bath: A UNESCO World Heritage Site.” Bath & North East Somerset Council, www.bathworldheritage.org.uk. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

“History and Heritage.” Visit Bath, visitbath.co.uk/inspire-me/about-bath/history-and-heritage. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Johnson, Ben. “Bath.” Historic UK, www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Bath. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Marcussen, Wanda. “The Roman Baths in Bath—A Deep Dive into Britain’s Ancient History.” World History Encyclopedia, 23 Aug. 2019, www.worldhistory.org/article/1427/the-roman-baths-in-bath--a-deep-dive-into-britains. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

McNeill-Ritchie, Simon. Historic England: Bath: Unique Images from the Archives of Historic England. Amberley Publishing, 2017.