City of Bath
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The development of Bath as spa town was made possible by the continuous flow of hot mineral water from the ground. The water temperature is 46 (C), and it contains 43 kinds of minerals. It can be tasted in the elegant Pump Room.
| Year | Decision | Comments |
| 1987 | Inscribed | Reasons for inscription |
Visit June 2002
Have you been to City of Bath? Share your experiences!
Arriving from Cardiff by train, Bath presents itself as a clean, quiet and green city. The railway station even is called Bath Spa, a double hint to the town's claim to fame.
The Roman Baths lie in the city center, amidst the 21st century shops and restaurants. The baths are now 6 meters below street level: amazing to think how many building generations have passed to add so many new layers of bricks.
Descending to the ground floor where the actual baths are, you pass the elegant Pump Room. This has been the place to taste water from the spa for ages (I didn't). Further down, the museum proudly displays its topclass exhibits, as the almost intact bronze head of Minerva. Finally arriving at the baths you can sit and relax, imagening yourself to be a real Roman.
Reviews
tracie underhill (virginia USA):
i was born and raised in bath but now live in virginia USA. although i love it here i struggle for my fix of beautiful architecture and bath has that in abundance. i miss the great pubs and gardens around the city and the theatre. it truly is a place to visit when in the country and the bus tours give a great commentary whilst showing Bath in all its glory. Date posted: January 2009 VIJAY (india):
I visited the city of Bath during my visit to England last June. I liked the city very much and a tour of the Roman baths with audio guide was a wonderful experience. The visit to Jane Austen Centre was unexpected but so very delightful, esp having read her novels as a student of English literature. Date posted: August 2008 ():
The city of bath is amazing. I went im May of 2006 with my middle school. It was an amazing expierence. Now that I am studying that in history, I am so glad to be able to say that I was actually there. ():
Bath is a amazing place with the most beautiful architecture and stunning buildings. I never went to see the baths them selves because of the 300 dollars to pay for a ticket. I reckon living there would be FANTASTIC! ():
I am a Bathonian, having being born and raised in the City, I currently live in NYC USa and have traveled the world, to dat eBath is still one of the most beutiful cities I have been to, I strongly advise a visit there if you have time, the night life is great for such a small city, famous for it's music and culture in the south west. ():
I happen to be lucky enough to live in this beatiful city of Bath it really is a splendid place. It is wreathing in amazing Georgian architecture not to mention the amazing Roman Baths the Bath Spa opened in 2006 is also a great place! I have to disagree with Klaus for Bristol has nothing of the sites and Buildings that Bath posseses even though Bristol is a nice place... Dr. Klaus Baum (Germany):
I made the same experience as Josh from the USA. I attented an English Language Course in Bath and found the City very stunning. Because I lived in a house of London Road, I had to bear heavy traffic every day on my way to school, so I decided to take some pictures of the traffic, especially of the buses in the City Center: a small documentation of one of the main sources of air pollution in Bath.
http://www.fotogemeinschaft.de/v/fotografen/Klaus-Baum/bath/ Date posted: June 2006 Josh (USA):
I found that Bath itself is quite a visually stunning city.It's large cathedral is somewhat stunning,particually so at the night time.I believe that it is best experienced at winter time.The only disappointment i found with bath is the ever-growing pollution and the large ammount of rubbish and litter.Even though, Bath is a nice place to live and visit with many things to do. Date posted: November 2005 Klaus Freisinger (Austria):
I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed by Bath. The Roman Baths are very impressive, very well preserved, and definitely worth a visit despite the price, but the rest of the city was a bit of a let-down. The cathedral is nice, but not really special, and the 18th-century buildings like the Royal Crescent are small and somehow inconspicuous. Go to Bath if you are in the area, but itīs not really a must-see sight. Actually I liked nearby Bristol much more - a lively city with plenty to see and do. Ian Cade (England): 
I have visited Bath on several occasions now and it is a really lovely city to visit, quintessentially English, but famous for its Roman roots. The whole city is made of local sandstone and it looks very impressive, especially if you manage to visit on a sunny day when the warm creamy stone seems to glow and liven up the whole centre. The interior of the Abbey is well worth a look as it has some impressive fan vaulting.
Perhaps one of the most impressive features and the most famous are the Roman baths, and I would strongly recommend paying the high entrance fee to see them, they really add to the whole experience and there is a lot more to see than just the central pool, the remains of the roman temple, which lie underneath the main square are particularly impressive.
Much of Bath's lay out and current architectural features are from the Neo-Classical Georgian period, which had a huge impact on the design of a huge number towns in Britain as well as further abroad (Edinburgh and Monticello/ University of Virginia are other WH sites where you can see this). Two of the most impressive examples of this style are the Circus and the Crescent which are a little further up through the town, providing a nice walk.
Bath is very easy to get to, it is on the main train-line from London to Wales easy to get to from the south as well, if you have a car it is just off of the M4 which runs from London, (just off of this road is Avebury which is part of the Stonehenge World Heritage site as well near Swindon). Bath is a nice day trip from London, and is impressive due to its uniformity. Shaili (Mauritius):
Bath is a splendid city. I went there on a holiday and I spent some nice time walking through the Roman past. Its also very small. You can take a paid bus tour or a free walking tour with a guide and you walk through the city in only 2 hours. C H Ho (Hong Kong, China):
The most beautiful view of the city is the sunlight shining into the ruin of Roman Bath and the building of Crescent. GeorgeP (Czech Republic):
I spent 6 months in 2003 at City of Bath as a Socrates-Erasmus student. This wonderful city created an lovely impression at me.
Its clean green parks, street entertainers, helpful people and Abbey Churchyard are forever written in my mind. Daily Bath is quite busy and full of tourists but City Centre at night is such a silent, amazingly lit and romantic place!
It is worth visiting for everyone! Toni jackson (england):
Though the city is well known for the roman baths and shops.
i found the city of bath a city with wonderful arcitecture.
Country: UK
Inscribed: 1987
Cultural Heritage
Criteria: (1) (2) (4)
Category: Urban landscape, Urban continuity
Official website:
»Bath World Heritage City
Connections:
Architecture
Cenotaph . English garden . Georgian Architecture . Palladio / Palladian .
Constructions
Bandstand . Baths . Canals . Notable Bridges . Railways . Theatres . Tunnels .
Damaged
Damaged in World War II .
Geography
Hot Springs .
History
Ancient Roman colonies .
Human Activity
Botanical Gardens . Breweries . Scientific Developments .
Individual People
Queen Victoria .
Timeline
Built in the 18th century . Built in the 1st century .
WHS Hotspots
London hotspot .
In the news:
» Part of Roman city's walls uncovered in Bath (26-04-2013).
» Bath saves its world heritage status just (14-11-2009).
Links:
Not available
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