Roman Baths, Bath

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In medieval times a cure for conditions such as paralysis, colic, palsy ( I had that), and gout was sought from bathing in spa water.

The Pump Room was opened in 1706 to provide a place to drink the spa water. For the most part visitors were given a pint or two but as much as a gallon a day can be "prescribed"!

Today, it's easy to be skeptical about the healing properties of spa water, but people still do try and drink this.

The Water: There are 43 minerals in in the water. Calcium and sulphate are the main dissolved ions. The water is low in dissolved metals except for iron which gives the characteristic iron staining around the baths, giving the water a distinctive taste, and color. The mineral content for the water is 2.18 grammes per litre. Just think of it as another brand of a mineral water. Harmless...

There is a small fee for a glass of water, but is free to Bath residents, visitors that paid admission price to the Roman Baths Museum

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** The Roman Baths **
We do recommend this as
a historical site to visit ....

The term thermae was the
word the ancient Romans
used for the buildings housing
their public baths.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Most Roman cities had at least one, if not many, such buildings, which were
centers of public bathing and socialization. Upper-class romans would usually
visit daily, lower-class people about once a week.

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Although the entry price can be a little steep, this is a one of a kind place to visit. The baths are presented as a museum , and audio guides are available upon request. Much of what remains from Roman times is below street level. Excavations revealed the site of a temple and several bath chambers. It is best to get here early before the tour groups and school groups arrive. The "Great Bath" is open to the outside. This is the one where you can see Bath Abbey rising above it. The round bath has become quite a wishing well as coins cover almost the entire area. Although I came on a rainy day, it was interesting to see the water steam as it mixed with the cooler air. There are some nice artifacts within the museum, which is made up of several chambers. Anyone who enjoys history should appreciate a visit here. The Roman Baths are within easy walking distance from the train station.

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Bath's main attraction dates from the first century AD. According to legend, it was Celtic King Bladud who discovered the curative proerties of its natural hot springs in 860 BC. The buildings were left to decay after the Romans departed and it wasn't until the end of the 17th century that the numbers of those coming to 'take the cure' began to rise again. In the first century, the Romans built baths around the spring and a temple dedicated to the goddess, Sulis Minerva, who combined the attributes of the Celt water goddess, Sulis and the Roman goddess, Minerva. The museum emerges next to the Great Bath, from where free guided tours leave every 15-20 minutes, taking in the East and West baths and the medieval King's Bath. The Great Bath is the best place to see the water at close quarters, bubbling up at a temperature of 115F(45C)and laden with 43 minerals including iron which stains the stone red. Its green colour is caused by light reacting with algae: when the baths were roofed over in Roman times, the water would have been clear. The King's Bath overlooked by the Pump Room, a named after King Bladud, mythical founder of Bath, who, as a prince, suffered from leprosy and roamed the countryside as a swineherd. According to legend he was miraculously cured when he stumbled upon some hot springs. Duly delighted, he went on to found the city on the site of the curative waters. Adjoining the baths is a symbol of the city's golden age in the Georgian period - the Pump Room - where fashion conscious elite, encouraged by Beau Nash and others came to "take the waters".

The main reason tourists come to Bath (as the name suggests) is to see the Roman Baths.
Self-guided audio tours (included in the admission price) gives you the history of the baths. Admission fee £10-£11. It's a surprisngly long walk inside.

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One of the two contributions to Bath's World Heritage status, this is an amazing sight. It costs an arm and a leg to get in but you can also get a combined ticket with the Costume Museum in the city if that interests you (we prioritised other sights). The baths themselves consist of the Sacred well (see pic) and the bath itself. The well was used as a spa by royals and so on for a while in the 17-18th centuries but otherwise not as it was seen as the sacred "life bringing" water.

You are given an audioguide (there are also guided tours throughout the day) which is easy to use and quite informative. The exhibition starts by telling you about the Roman times in Britain in general and you are taken on a walk through the building, showing you things such as finds from excavations, altars from the Roman temples and most importantly, models of how it all looked in the Roman days. Then there was not just a bath here but temples with sacrificial rites and such, extending to where the Abbey is today. You then enter the real showpiece - the inner yard with the bath. Altered since Roman days (when it had a huge roof) but still with their pillar bases. The smoke comes from chemical reactions in the water and not from the heat but it still creates stunning effects in the green pool with the yellow stones surrounding it. All around the central bath there are smaller rooms inside, which you are told were different types of baths. Hot, cold and so on. It was a whole science and slaves were used to heat pools from underneath as they rested on brick pillars. A very special place in the world indeed and most people's reason for coming to Bath I suppose.

The meuseum cost 9 pound 50 to enter, but was well worth it. We spent about 2 hours in there and thoroughly enjoyed the sites and information provided. As you enter you receive your personal electronic tour guide that provides interesting information on the artefacts you are viewing (although mine did switch to Dutch mid-tour, but the staff were very helpful and exhanged it for an english one.) We ventured upstairs to an elaborate dining room and was surprised to see that the prices for a meal were very reasonable, considering the grandness of the room. The spring water from the baths is claimed to have healing power, but to tell the truth taste terrible and is not worth the 50p. (although you get a free glass if you show your museum ticket). Well worth the money and time as it is the main reason you visit this small town of 80,000 people.

The Roman Bath is a pool of hot water from a thermal spring which was thought to have healing power. However, nowadays the water is a bit green. You can not touch the water (although we did) because of the meningitis scare. The site has 4 areas the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman bath house and finds from Roman Bath. It is considered a world heritage site.