2 Days in Bath: England’s Architectural Jewel

Welcome to Bath. This beautiful city is best known for its gorgeous Georgian architecture, its links to Jane Austen, and its wealth of independent shops and cafes. It's also of course known for the Roman baths. We're here for the next 48 hours to show you exactly what you need to see and do in Bath over a weekend. There's probably no better way to get a feel for a city skyline than heading up high and so our first order of business here in Bath is to go up the Abbey Tower. The Abbey Church you see today was constructed between 1499 and 1611 and is particularly noted for its fan-vaulted ceiling. Carved from local Bath stone, the section above the chancel dates back to the early 1500s, though it was heavily restored during Victorian times and is considered one of the finest examples of fan-vaulting in all of England. The history of this grandiose building actually dates back much farther than just the 1500s and in times gone by the church was so important that it was the site of the coronation of a Saxon king in 973 common era. Unfortunately you do have to pay to visit the interior of the Abbey and so we actually opted to go on a rooftop tour as this allows you both entrance to the Abbey and a look upstairs. As part of the Abbey tour you get to learn all about the history of the bells and how they're rung, but my personal favourite aspect of this tour was heading into the little room where the clock is located. After all, when you're on the outside you have no idea that there's actually a little room from which the clock can be maintained inside the tower itself. The main draw of the tour for me personally was being able to head straight onto the tower rooftop to be able to see Bath from above. The only negative thing I would say about the tour is that once we were at the top we actually only got four minutes to explore so we didn't have a great deal of time to take photos and soak it all in. It was very beautiful though. Bath City Parade Gardens is one of the most beautiful green spaces in Bath. It used to be paid for entrance but the city is currently trialling free entrance for everyone and to be honest even if you did have to pay it's very nice to visit. There's lots of little sculptures, follies and a beautiful view onto the river. Here we saw lots of Barthonians, and yes that is the correct term for a local, hanging out in the sunshine and picnicking surrounded by the gorgeous buttery stone architecture that Bath is so famed for. We've just come up from street level to reach the Kennet and Avon Canal. This was built between 1718 and 1810 and is still in use today. It's really lovely because you can see all of the locks in action. Now we're going to carry on further up the hill to get to our next destination of the day. Bath is the first city in the UK to be UNESCO World Heritage listed in its entirety. Therefore the best way to get a look of Bath and its skyline is to head up high. We've come to Bathwick Fields which is a beautiful green space overlooking the rest of the city. This is where locals come to hang out and the best time to come is at golden hour when you can have a picnic overlooking the skyline. For dinner we headed to the Bath cider house. Now this eatery is actually best known for brewing its very own ciders on the site and you can see this as you're going inside. They've also got this amazing space at the back and you can just order pizzas which are very very large and perfect for sharing as well as some local drinks. But the best thing about this place was definitely the ambience. For our first full day we actually ended up waking up at sunrise because of a fire alarm in our hotel but luckily that did mean we got to see Bath without the crowds. Getting up bright and early means that we get to see the city before all of the daytrippers arrive. For example we're currently in the corridor. This dates all the way back to 1825 meaning that it's one of the world's first ever retail arcades. They became really fashionable in Paris and London and other European cities in the 19th century but this is one of the first. We just grabbed breakfast at this really cute little bakery. They have lots and lots of options so it's difficult to choose but we both got a swirl. Antoine got a cinnamon swirl and I got the apple one. Because you have to pay more to sit in most establishments to eat there we've decided to do the takeout option and honestly it's the best way because we're in this beautiful square overlooking Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths are right behind us. We've just arrived at the Roman Baths which is probably the most important attraction here in Bath. They were actually open to the public during the Victorian times in 1897 and the first thing you see is this terrace which was installed during that period. When you enter you're given this handy audio guide to help guide your visit. I think a lot of people don't realise this but there's actually this museum section right under the Roman Baths where you can learn more about the history of Aquasulis. In total we spent around an hour at the Baths but to be honest you could spend two, three or even four hours here because there is so much to learn, to see, to discover and the audio guide is very very detailed. When we think of the Romans I think it can be hard to imagine what life might have been like 2,000 years ago and we forget that most people were just ordinary citizens trying to get by and so I think my favourite part of visiting the Baths was learning about the curse tablets. These were often written by individuals and then thrown into the waters as they wanted to ask Sulis Minerva to curse the person who had stolen something like their cape or another item of clothing. I think most people can probably relate to having something like an umbrella or a coat stolen and it just really put a personal touch on something that happened so long ago. You can't even touch the water in the Baths because it's not being treated but right at the end of the visit there is a spring where you can taste the water for yourself. Oh it's really warm and really smelly. It's really fast. Toppings and Company is one of my favourite independent bookshops here in Bath. They also have a branch in Edinburgh and the best thing is it's spread over several floors. I think there's three in total so there are lots of books to peruse. This is Abbey Green and it's a delightful cobbled square peppered with lots of little cafes. It's also home to one of the oldest architecturally planted trees in the world. This plain tree behind me dates all the way back to the 19th century. The Bath Guildhall Market dates all the way back to the 19th century meaning that it's one of the oldest covered shopping venues in the entirety of Bath. Inside you'll find around 20 independent stalls. If you enjoy shopping or you're just looking to escape the weather on a rainy day, Bath has no shortage of independent shops selling all kinds of wares. We've just arrived at Milk Fun Deli. This is a really cute cafe which serves up these fresh sandwiches. I got the special and outside there's just two tables so we're very lucky to find a spot. It's really good but messy. One of the best things about walking around Bath is finding all of the beautiful architecture. Most of what you see is of course Georgian but you'll also find architecture from other periods. For example right next to me is a piece of the medieval wall and speaking of Georgian we're now going to go and see the most famous example of it in Bath. We're now going to make our way onto Pulteney Bridge. Now this is very iconic and famous. It's probably the most famous Georgian piece of architecture in Bath and it's also one of only four bridges in the entire world to have shops spanning the whole length of both sides. Pulteney Bridge was completed in 1774 and connected the lands of the Pulteney family to the city of Bath. Today you can hardly tell that you're on the bridge because it's so full of shops. It's also very lovely to wander along because now we're going to see much more Georgian architecture. Antoine just noticed something very amusing. For some reason in French it says please don't feed the seagulls. He thinks it's because French tourists will feed them and I don't know why it's only in French not in English. This is the Laura Place fountain and it marks the beginning of Great Pulteney Street which is one of the finest examples of 18th century Georgian architecture. The street is really nice to walk along and at the end we'll see a particularly grandiose building. This area is also the starting point for the Jane Austen walk which takes place every September and sees lots of people dressed in Regency costumes. It's a very fun event. This is a rare surviving example of a Victorian penfold postbox. These were installed between 1866 and 1879 and on the front you have VR inscribed for Victoria Regina which means Queen Victoria. The Holborn Museum is nestled within the Sydney Pleasure Gardens and you probably recognize the facade because it was used as Lady Danbury's house in the Bridgerton show. It also happens to be the first public art gallery in Bath. Sometimes it can be nice to find a quiet spot to escape the crowds and Bath has no shortage of these. For example this is Henrietta Park and it was opened in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee. It's our final few hours in Bath but we still have a few more attractions to uncover. When you come to Bath people will tell you to try a local bun. In actuality in Bath there's a tale of two buns and two shops which tell them just 20 meters apart from one another. The most famous Bath bun is probably Sally Lunds. The story goes that a young woman from France arrived as a huge note refugee in the 17th century. She began working in a local bakery and came up with a brioche-like creation which has since become very popular in the city. The other is the story of the Bath bun. This is said to have been invented in the 18th century by a doctor who would give his buns to his patients after they had visited the nearby Roman baths. Apparently they're very sweet and they have a little bit of sugar on the bottom. You might recognize the Abbey deli behind me because it stood in for the Modiste in the Bridgerton series. We're now going to go to a very famous bakery to try a different kind of bun. We headed to Landry's bakery because a lot of people say that they have the best cinnamon buns and the best cardamom buns in the whole of the country. They do have a bit more of a charge to sit in and so we've chosen, because it's a really nice day, to come up to the Circus. This was built between 1754 and 1768 and is one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture. So I guess the real question is, are these the best buns in Bath? This is one of the best pastries I've ever had. Just a short walk away from the Circus you'll come to the Royal Crescent. This is a set of 30 sweeping townhouses designed by John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1775. If you want to learn more about Georgian England then you can actually visit number one, which has been transformed into a museum. Unfortunately we don't have time today but the houses are very lovely to admire from their exteriors. We're now making our way back towards the city centre to see our next destination but on the way we have stumbled across this amazing example of a Georgian garden. Right behind me is actually 4 Circus so it's really interesting to see how the backs of the buildings are also curved and so you can come in and look at what a Georgian garden might have looked like in Bath several hundred years ago. Of course Bath's most famous resident is Jane Austen and she lived in this city between 1801 and 1806. At this time this was one of the most important cities in the entirety of England. In fact Jane Austen was so inspired by Bath that she featured it heavily in two of her novels, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. If you want to learn more about Jane Austen and her history in Bath then you can actually go to the Jane Austen Centre. I have read a few mixed reviews and in any case it's really nice to just stroll around Bath and admire all of the Georgian architecture and imagine what it must have been like several hundred years ago. We've just arrived at Prior Park Landscape Garden. This is a beautiful 18th century landscape garden designed by the landscape gardener Capability Brown and the poet Alexander Pope. It takes around half an hour to walk here from the city centre but you can also take the bus which costs a few pounds and only takes five to ten minutes. From the top here you get an amazing view onto the landscape of Bath as well as the Palladian Bridge which is one of only four in the world. The park is now owned and managed by the National Trust which means that you do have to pay to enter unless you're a member. If you want to come then it takes around an hour to explore the park so it's not a very long activity but there are a few gems to uncover which we're going to go and look at now. We've just arrived in the summer house which was completely restored by the National Trust in the 1990s. To be honest this is a really nice time of the year to visit. It's the beginning of May and that's because we're currently surrounded by lots of blooming wild garlic. It does smell like garlic but it's very beautiful to look at. One of the best things about visiting Pryor Park in the spring is getting to see all of the baby animals like these moorhen chicks. If you're lucky then you might even get to see a massive family of baby ducklings right under the Palladian Bridge. In around 1100 the area we stood in now was actually a deer park. It was then bought in the 1720s by local entrepreneur Ralph Allen in order to complement his newly built beautiful house. The real crown jewel of this park is obviously the Palladian Bridge behind me which you can actually walk on. Because it was such a pleasant day out we actually opted to miss out on the bus on the way back and just walk back into town. It takes around 30 minutes and the walk is very pleasant. If you're looking to do something close to Bath and are interested in historic houses then one potential day trip is to head to Deerham Park. Thanks to the fact that the estate is set within 270 acres of historic parkland the main draw here is getting to see Deerham Park's herd of fallow deer, that is if you're lucky enough to spot them. We saw them close to the house. As we were visiting the gardens in the late spring we were lucky enough to catch the best of the wisteria in bloom. We also learned about a new variety of tulip which was developed at Deerham Park. The history of Deerham actually dates back to the 6th century but almost everything you see today dates back to the 17th. The baroque mansion itself was built by William Blathwaite, Secretary of War under King William III i.e William of Orange. The house is not only sombre to look at but Deerham's history itself is inextricably linked to Britain's history of colonialism and Blathwaite profited directly from the system including the transatlantic slave trade. Today the National Trust acknowledges these connections and aims to present a comprehensive history of the property including signage within the house. The gardens are full more baroque and in the spring there's often a tulip festival. Thank you so much for watching and don't forget to like and subscribe for more UK travel content. See you next time!