BATH - ENGLAND |
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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.
Bath is approximately 15 miles (24 km) southeast 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. |
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The Kennet and Avon canal, earlier an
important water route to London, has recently been fully restored and leaves
the Avon at Bath.
Local government
Historically 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 (BANES). Bath’s city council was abolished in 1996; the ceremonial
functions of the city including mayoralty are maintained by the Charter
Trustees; all those BANES 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.
Places of interest
Roman Baths, Bath
Bath Abbey
The Royal Crescent
The Circus (Bath)
Great Pulteney Street
Pulteney Bridge
American Museum
Prior Park
Thermae Bath Spa
Solsbury Hill
Kennet and Avon Canal
River Avon
St. Catherine's Court
William Herschel Museum
Beckford's Tower
Claverton Pumping Station
Bath Postal Museum
The new remake of the film Vanity Fair was shot in Great Pulteney Street
recently, 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. |
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