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 Bath is a city in south-west England, most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. The city was first recorded as a Roman spa, though verbal tradition suggests it was known before then. The waters from its spring were considered to be a cure for many afflictions. From Elizabethan to Georgian times it was a resort city for the wealthy. As a result of its popularity during the latter period, the city contains many fine examples of Georgian architecture, particularly The Royal Crescent. The city has a population of over 90,000 and is a World Heritage Site.
Physical attributesGeographyBath is approximately 24 kilometres (15 miles) south east of the larger city and port of Bristol, to which it is linked by the A4 road, and is a similar distance south of the M4 motorway. Its railway station, Bath Spa, lies on the Great Western Railway, the main line between Bristol and London. Bath itself is located in the southern Cotswolds—a range of hills in England. Bath is centred on the bottom of the Avon Valley; the hills which surround and make up the city achieve a maximum altitude of 238 metres on the Lansdown plateau. Due to the hilly nature of Bath it is popular among ramblers, and is noted for its steep streets. The alluvial plain narrows into the city (greatest in width at Bathampton at 0.8 kilometres)—which causes the city and its architecture to have to climb up the surrounding hills. The flood plain is at an altitude of 17 metres. The valley floor holds the River Avon which runs through the centre of the city—though the river was a naturally tidal, unnavigable body of water consisting of a series of braided streams which were numerously broken up by swamps and ponds—a series of weirs have tamed it into a calm, voluminous river. Thanks to the connection of the river to the Kennet and Avon Canal in 1810 the waterway is popular among users of narrow boats—and was historically an important water route to London. The canal has recently been restored in the local area, and leaves the Avon at Bath. The city is the eponym and principal occupier of the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority which was established in 1996 after the county of Avon was broken up. ClimateThe climate of Bath is generally temperate, though significantly warmer than some other locations at similar latitude, such as central Poland, due to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream. It is, statistically, averagely drier and warmer than more northerly parts of the United Kingdom. The prevailing winds are southwesterly, from the North Atlantic Current. More than 50% of the days are overcast. There are few natural hazards, although there can be strong winds and floods, especially in winter. For the year 2003 the annual mean temperature was 10.3°C (with extremes at 14.2°C and 6.5°C). There were 1644.9 hours of sunshine, and 957.4 millimetres of rainfall. The temperatures, sunshine duration and rainfall are higher than the UK average (9.5°C, 1587.4 hours and 901.5 millimetres, respectively). Local governmentHistorically part of the county of Somerset, it became part of Avon when that county was created in 1974. Since the abolition of Avon in 1996, it has formed the main centre of the Unitary Authority of Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES). Bath’s city council was abolished in 1996; the ceremonial functions of the city including mayoralty are maintained by the Charter Trustees; all those B&NES councillors for wards within the city limits. There have been calls to set up a parish council for Bath—but it would be larger than any established previously and may be impractical. Don Foster is Bath's Member of Parliament. DemographicsAccording to the 2001 UK Census carried out by the Office for National Statistics branch of the UK Government, Bath has a population of 169 040 with an average age of 39.9 (the national average being 38.6). According to the same statistics Bath is overwhelmingly populated by people of a white ethnic background, 97.2%—this is significantly higher than the national average of 90.9%. The city is accordingly Christian at 71%, with no other religion achieving a figure higher than 0.5%. These figures generally comply with the national averages—though the non-religious percentage of 19.5% is significantly higher than the national average (14.8%). Bath identifies as healthy—with only 7.4% of the populace identifying as "not healthy" in the last 12 months (compared to the national average of 9.2%); there is a somewhat significant difference between the national average for having had a long-term illness (18.2%) and Bath's percentage of 15.8%. HistoryThe site of the main spring was treated as a shrine by the Celts, and dedicated to the goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with Minerva. However the name Sulis continued to be used after the Roman invasion, leading to the town's Roman name of Aquae Sulis (literally, "the waters of Sulis").  During the Roman occupation of Britain increasingly grand temples and bathing complexes were built, including the Great Bath. Rediscovered gradually from the 18th century onward, they have become one of the city's main attractions. Toward the end of the Roman occupation, the settlement around the baths was given defensive walls. After Britannia left the Roman Empire urban life declined across the country. Though the great Roman baths at Bath fell into disrepair, there is evidence of some continued use of the hot springs. The Anglo-Saxon name for the place was Baðum, Baðan or Baðon, meaning 'at the baths', from which the present name comes. From its Saxon name comes the theory that Bath is the location of the Battle of Mons Badonicus, where King Arthur led the Britons to victory over the Saxons. Better documented is the Battle of Deorham, in 577, in which Ceawlin of Wessex drove a wedge to the sea and split the Romano-British forces, leading to the fall of Bath soon after. In 675 Osric, King of the Hwicce, established a monastic house at Bath which probably used the walled area as its precinct. King Offa of Mercia gained this monastery in 781 and rebuilt the church, which was dedicated to St. Peter. Bath had become a royal possession. The old Roman street pattern having been lost, King Alfred laid out the town afresh, leaving its south-eastern quadrant as the abbey precinct. King William Rufus granted the city to a royal physician, John of Tours, who became Bishop of Wells and Abbot of Bath in 1088, with permission to move the see of Somerset from Wells to Bath. Bishop John therefore became the first Bishop of Bath. He planned and began a much larger church as his cathedral, to which was attached a priory, with the bishop's palace beside it. New baths were built around the three springs. Later bishops preferred Wells, which regained cathedral status jointly with Bath. By the 15th century Bath Cathedral was badly dilapidated. Oliver King, Bishop of Bath and Wells, decided in 1500 to rebuild it on a smaller scale. The new cathedral was completed just a few years before Bath Priory was dissolved in 1539. Henry VIII considered the cathedral redundant and it was allowed to become derelict, but it was restored as the city's parish church in the Elizabethan period, when the city revived as a spa. The baths were improved and the city began to attract the aristocracy in the bathing seasons. Bath was granted city status in 1590.  There was much rebuilding in the Stuart period, but this was eclipsed by the massive expansion of the city in Georgian times. The old town within the walls was largely rebuilt also. This was a response to the continuing demand for elegant accommodation for the city's fashionable visitors, for whom Bath had become a pleasure resort as well as a spa. The builders John Wood, father and son, laid out the new quarters in rational streets and squares whose identical facades gave an impression of palatial scale and classical decorum. The creamy gold of Bath stone further unified the city, much of it from the Limestone mines under Combe Down which were owned by Ralph Allen (1694–1764). He wanted to advertise the unique quality of his quarried limestone, and therefore commissioned architect John Wood to build him a country house on his Prior Park estate, and being a shrewd politician dominated civic affairs by becoming mayor several times. The early 18th century saw Bath acquire its first purpose-built theatre, pump room and assembly rooms. As Master of Ceremonies Beau Nash presided over the city's social life from 1705 until his death in 1761. He drew up a code of behaviour for public entertainments. However the city declined as a fashionable resort in the 19th century. CultureDuring the 18th century Bath served as an extremely fashionable cultural hub attracting members of the middle and upper classes from all over the country. This provided the city with the finance and incentive to undertake large cultural developments. It was during this time that Bath's Theatre Royal was first built; as well as architectural triumphs including The Royal Crescent, The Circus and Pulteney Bridge. Despite the cultural decline during the 19th century these fixed structures provided, and even necessitated, a lasting cultural tradition within the city. Today, Bath holds three theatres—Theatre Royal, Ustinov Studio and Rondo Theatre—attracting internationally renowned companies and directors including Peter Cook. The city also has a long standing musical tradition; Bath Abbey is home to the recently renovated Klais Organ and is the largest concert venue in the city seeing about 20 concerts and 26 organ recitals each year. The city holds both the Bath International Music Festival and Mozartfest every year. Other festivals include the annual Bath Film Festival. The city is home to the Victoria Art Gallery, Museum of East Asian Art, and The Holburne Museum of Art; as well as the museums The Bath Postal Museum, The Museum of Costume, The Jane Austen Centre and of course the Roman Baths. TourismBath's principal industry is tourism and it is the most visited city outside of London for tourists travelling to the UK, whose visits mainly fall into the categories of heritage and cultural tourism. The history of Bath, stretching back to pre-ancient times, is a large part of the reason for its popularity - more importantly, however, is the architectural manifestation of this history. All significant stages of the history of England are identifiable as physically present within the city—from the Roman Baths (including their significant Celtic presence), to the Bath Abbey, to the Royal Crescent. Similarly, the cohesion of all of these historical stages and archtictural styles through the medium of the unique Bath stone, renders the city aesthetically beautiful. Bath is notable for the fact that it has been a city based upon tourism since the 18th century (with brief decline during the 19th century)—the input of money by tourists, and the mere fact they were visiting, allowed the building of many architectural projects. This was historically expressed in projects such as the Royal Crescent, but has recently encouraged projects such as Thermae Bath Spa. The true size of this industry is reflected in the almost 300 places of accommodation—including over 80 hotels, and over 180 Bed and Breakfasts—many of which are located in Georgian buildings and have five-star ratings. Some of the most famous include The Royal Crescent Hotel which may be found, as guessed, in the Royal Crescent. The city also contains approximately 100 restaurants, and a similar number of public houses and bars. Several companies offer open-top bus tours around the city (despised by many locals for the pollution they cause), as well as tours on foot and on the river. The tourist season is located during the summer—though there is a year-round presence of tourists—both national and international. Though many come for general reasons—some are attracted to particular aspects such as Jane Austen, or the Roman Baths. IndustryBath's principal industry is tourism and it is the most visited city outside of London for tourists travelling to the UK, whose visits mainly fall into the categories of heritage and cultural tourism. The city lies at the junction of the Kennet and Avon Canal and the navigable River Avon. It has a station on the main line from London to Bristol, which was built by the Great Western Railway. At one time it was also served by the Midland Railway, and by the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. These connections allowed the city to develop industry. Today, it has notable software, publishing, and service-oriented industries in addition to tourism. The magazine publisher Future (http://www.futureplc.com) is one of Bath’s bigger employers. The firm publishes over 100 magazines — many in the computer and video gaming sector. The city has two universities: The University of Bath and Bath Spa University College. The rugby union team Bath Rugby play at the Recreation Ground near the centre of the city. Places of interest
The recent remake of the film Vanity Fair was shot in Great Pulteney Street, and in August 2003 the Three Tenors sang at a special concert to mark the opening of the Thermae Bath Spa, a new hot water spring spa, in Bath City Centre; however as of this writing (June 2004) the spa itself is not yet open. External links
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