Tourist Places To Visit In Bath

Bath’s economy relies significantly on tourism with over a million resident visitors and nearly 4 million daily visitors, chiefly in the realm of cultural and heritage tourism, in lieu of Bath being named as a world heritage site in 1987. From the Roman Baths with their prominent Celtic background to Royal Crescent and Bath Abbey to the new Thermae Bath Spa, Bath’s tourism is best reflected in its top-notch accommodations that include BNB and Campsites, over a 100 restaurants and nearly the same volume of bars and pubs! Amongst the tourist places to visit in Bath, there are several Roman archeological attractions spread through the city centre, with the baths going down the city street level to approx. 20ft, hot springs, pillar bases, and Roman foundations.

An Anglican Parish Church and former Benedictine friary from the 7th century, Bath Abbey was restructured in the 10th century and reconstructed during 12th-16th centuries. One of the first sites at the Bath Abbey is the West Front with its iconic ladders of Angels, which is inspired from a dream, Oliver King – Bishop of Bath had of Angels ascending and descending to heaven. Despite its background, Bishop King was the one who initiated the plans to restructure the wilting Norman Cathedral and reconstruct a new building, which is one of the last medieval marvels built in England.

Crossing the Avon River in Bath, the construction of Pulteney Bridge was completed in 1774 and attached to the city on the Pulteney Family’s land that they wished to develop. Styled in a Palladian fashion, the bridge was designed by Robert Adam, with shops built across its entirety at both ends. At the end of the 18th century, the bridge was damaged by floods and reconstructed with alterations to the shops with cantilevered extensions on the northern end of the bridge over the next century and measures to preserve it, restoring the bridge to its original form in the 20th century. On the present day, the Pulteney Bridge stands at a length of 148ft and width of 58ft.

A small museum that chronicles the lifetime of the renowned Jane Austen, the namesake centre is situated in Bath, as Jane stayed in Bath from 1801-1806 and as such the city offers a backdrop to her most popular novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, as well as was featured in some other novels, in addition to her collection of letters to her sister. Located at 40 Gay Street, the Jane Austen Centre is an ongoing exhibition operating out of a Gregorian Townhouse that presents her time in Bath as well as how the city inspired her work and her writing. The centre also features a specially commissioned waxwork that took a couple of years in making.

An ancient street that is also a part of large townhouses in the city, the Circus forms a circle with three entry points and was designed by John Wood, the Elder a prominent architect in 1754-1768. Designated as a Grade I building, the Circus is divided into three equal segments with a lawn in the centre, each of which faces at least one of the 3 entrances, ensuring that a classical façade is always in sight straight ahead! Part of John Wood’s vision to recreate a classic Palladian landscape for Bath, the Circus is considered one of his most famous masterpieces.

A row of 30 attached houses that are placed in a sweeping crescent style in Bath, the Royal Crescent was designed by John Wood between 1767 and 1774, making it one of the most precious constructs in the realm of Gregorian Architecture and listed as a Grade I Building. With an impressive 500ft long crescent that was intended to keep grazing animals out of the formal garden areas, many notable personalities have either stayed in or lived at the Royal Crescent since its constructions and some of them are even honored by way of their plaques adorning the relevant residences. Today the property is residence to a 5-star hotel, which is considered a luxury spa retreat for a tranquil and charming experience, a museum and private house.

The Prior Park Landscape Garden’s a magnificent landscaped garden with a breathtaking view of the city of Bath, going back to the 18th century, created by a Bath philanthropist & entrepreneur Ralph Allen. With an itinerary that includes a whole list of things to engage in as a family, there are additionally guided tours that run consistently February through October, twice a week for visitors.

With over a 130,000 visitors each year, that includes tourists, students, fashion experts and locals, the Fashion Museum, which was formerly known as the Museum of Costume is resident in the Assembly Rooms, Bath, Somerset, England. Initiated by Doris L Moore in 1963, the museum focuses on stylish attire for women, men and children from the 16th century to the present day and exhibits nearly 100,000 items, with the earliest treasures including embroidered shirts and gloves, dating back to 1600.

A public art museum in Bath, the Victoria Art Gallery was inaugurated in 1900 in honor of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and is listed as a Grade II Building, housing over 1500 items of art that include a collection of British oil paintings dating back to 1700, sculptures, decorative art pieces and glassware. Operated and managed by Bath & North East Somerset Council, the gallery has two tiers the Upper and Lower Galleries, each linked by an impressive marble hallway and a grand staircase.

Formerly named as the Building of Bath Museum & Bath Collection, the Museum of Bath Architecture is located at the Countess of Huntingdon’s Chapel in Bath, where it offers exhibits representing the Gregorian Era construct from the 18th century. Founded and managed by the Bath Preservation Trust, the Museum of Bath Architecture includes a series of maps, paintings, models and reconstructions that display the building of a Gregorian house, right from the Ashlar stone to the adorning plasterwork, also exhibiting sections of stone mining, painting, wallpapers, furniture, soft furnishings and upholstery.

Built by William Thomas Beckford, a rich novelist, critic and art collector, the Beckford Tower is a Grade I Listed Building, originally known as Lansdown Tower and is an architectural folly built in a neo-classical style. Used as a retreat and library with the cupola on top, functioning as a belvedere, the tower provided views of the encompassing countryside, while the Italianate building at the tower’s base was residence to a library and drawing rooms, with landscaped gardens in lieu of Beckford’s ride. The tower also houses a museum with a collection exhibiting original tower furniture in addition to prints, paintings and objects illustrating Beckford’s life as a patron of arts, writer and collector.

A small flat-topped hill that houses the Iron Age Hill Fort, the Solsbury Hill is situated above the Batheaston Village, rising to nearly 191 m above the Avon River, a mile to the south, providing city views and its surrounding areas, within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. One of the several possible spots of the Battle of Badon, the hill was quarried partially in the 19th century and represents the ruins of the medieval field system.