The city of Bath in Somerset, England, was first founded by the Romans as a spa retreat called Aquae Sulis. The eponymous Roman baths are still very much a destination, as are the modern resort amenities in the city. The archaeological site was built because and on top of the geothermal hot springs below. The Great Bath, the mineral waters of which are now green and undrinkable, are watched over by statues of Roman emperors. The complex also includes the bath house and the Temple of Sulis Minerva.
The Bath Abbey was founded in the 7th century and the still-standing Gothic cruciform church was built in the 10th century. During the Medieval Ages, Bath was a religious center and an industry centered around wool. It was revitalized as a spa town in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the curative properties of the thermal mineral water were lauded afresh. It became a fashionable resort destination to get away from the city and “take the waters.”
Bath reflects two great eras in human history: Roman and Georgian. The Roman Baths and temple complex, together with the remains of the city of Aquae Sulis that grew up around them, make a significant contribution to the understanding and appreciation of Roman social and religious society. The 18th century re-development is a unique combination of outstanding urban architecture, spatial arrangement and social history. Bath exemplifies the main themes of the 18th century neoclassical city; the monumentalisation of ordinary houses, the integration of landscape and town, and the creation and interlinking of urban spaces, designed and developed as a response to the growing popularity of Bath as a society and spa destination and to provide an appropriate picturesque setting and facilities for the cure takers and social visitors.
UNESCO World Heritage List
The distinctive architectural features of Bath were constructed during the Georgian era. The Pulteney Bridge, completed in 1774, is one of the last remaining combination bridge/shopping malls. The Pump Room, built immediately adjacent to the ancient baths, was the meeting place of socialites and Jane Austin’s characters. I myself enjoyed a vegan high tea inside the high-ceilinged, neoclassical room.
The Circus, finished in 1768, is a set of connected townhouses in a circular formation. It is broken into three even segments, with three roads coming into the circular roundabout in the center. The decision to break the Circus into thirds guarantees that anyone coming down on one of the three roads has a full view of the architecture as they enter the circle. The Royal Crescent is a large, half-moon edifice of townhouses which look out onto a grassy park. It exemplifies “rus in urbe,” or the purposeful illusion of the country within the city. These buildings are aesthetically united in style and material, constructed of Bath stone, a local limestone with a warm, yellow color. According to UNESCO, which listed the city of Bath in 1987 on the World Heritage list, it is the overall interaction between features of the city that are in most need of protection.
More vulnerable is the overall interaction between groups of buildings in terraces, crescents and squares and views to the surrounding landscape that contributed to the City’s visual harmony. There is a need for new developments to respect the planning of the Georgian terraces, to respect the scale and rhythm of its structures, and to contribute to picturesque views.
UNESCO World Heritage List
BATH, ENGLAND
City of Bath. UNESCO World Heritage List. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/428/