Bath got its name because of of the hot springs which were well known both during Roman times and all during the English monarchy.

These pictures are from Oct/Nov 2010. Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Roman Baths

The Roman Baths are the most popular attraction in Bath, and it's easy to see why. While the Celts are credited with the first shrine at the site, it's the Romans who built up the baths starting with a temple at around 60 AD.

The main pool used to be covered. The current balcony was created during the late 19th century, not long after the Roman ruins were uncovered.

The attached museum also contains artifacts from the temple to Sulis Minerva, including many fragments from the temple's pediment.

Fashion Museum

Bath’s Fashion Museum sits on the north side of the city and covers several centuries. In addition, it has three assembly rooms used in the 18th century as gathering places.

Bath at Work Museum

When you first walk into the Museum of Bath at Work you see a large machine shop, driven all by large belts. You can even start up the tools to get a feel for how noisy it would have been. After walking through an old office, you move into an area where materials were made of brass. The centerpiece, however, is the collection of artifacts from a carbonated drink factory. You can see how the carbonation was made and stored, the bottle washing and filling process, and even how they mixed up the flavors.

Bath Abbey

While the current Bath Abbey dates back to the 16th century, a much larger abbey was at the same location which was built in the 7th century; the current abbey would have fit in its nave.

Lacock

The village of Lacock is very small; our bus tour stopped there on the way to Stonehenge. Most of the surviving buildings are from the 18th century or earlier, one house dating back to the 13th century. It’s been used as a film set (both Pride and Prejeduce and the Harry Potter movies), so to recreate the look, film companies paid to have all the utilities put out of sight

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is much more than a circle of rocks. It sits within a circular mound and ditch, broken by a path which leads to the north. One of four Heel Stones still stands on the outside of the ditch, and recent discoveries have shown it was used as a burial ground. It’s so old that the most recent known work on it was from 1600 BC.

Around Town

Bath is a small town, so it’s pretty easy to walk from end to end