Bath Abbey
The building to the right is the entrance to the archeological site of the 1st century Roman baths, for which Bath is named. Most of the exceptional Georgian architecture in the city is a result of the 18th century rediscovery of the thermal waters. After this Bath became a kind of winter resort for the rich and famous. They of course needed fabulous residences and gardens, and the architectural beauty and coherence of the whole city is undeniable. It must have fallen out of fashion at some point, because while we were there we met locals who spoke of living in the 1960s as students on a shoestring in some of its most famous buildings. Today, judging from real estate prices, it is back to being a place for the one percenters--and of course the tourists who in daylight hours fill up this square.
Excepting some partial remains of the Roman bath complex, I believe Bath Abbey (center) is the oldest substantial structure in the city. There was probably a pagan temple here in ancient times, replaced by a succession of Saxon and Norman churches before the current building, which was begun as a Benedictine abbey church in the early 16th century. Owing to the English Reformation it was not, in fact, an abbey church for very long. And as with so many of these buildings today, it's fairly clear that while technically still a place of worship, it is probably more correct to call it first and foremost a tourist attraction. Bath Abbey, Bath, England.
Bath Abbey
The building to the right is the entrance to the archeological site of the 1st century Roman baths, for which Bath is named. Most of the exceptional Georgian architecture in the city is a result of the 18th century rediscovery of the thermal waters. After this Bath became a kind of winter resort for the rich and famous. They of course needed fabulous residences and gardens, and the architectural beauty and coherence of the whole city is undeniable. It must have fallen out of fashion at some point, because while we were there we met locals who spoke of living in the 1960s as students on a shoestring in some of its most famous buildings. Today, judging from real estate prices, it is back to being a place for the one percenters--and of course the tourists who in daylight hours fill up this square.
Excepting some partial remains of the Roman bath complex, I believe Bath Abbey (center) is the oldest substantial structure in the city. There was probably a pagan temple here in ancient times, replaced by a succession of Saxon and Norman churches before the current building, which was begun as a Benedictine abbey church in the early 16th century. Owing to the English Reformation it was not, in fact, an abbey church for very long. And as with so many of these buildings today, it's fairly clear that while technically still a place of worship, it is probably more correct to call it first and foremost a tourist attraction. Bath Abbey, Bath, England.