Bath is a city in the southwest of England famous for its Georgian architecture. Beautiful that the city is everyone seams to forget that it was first and foremost the Roman empire that discovered the city in around 60-70 ad. The Romans called the city Aquae Sulis and it was one of main place's where Roman citizens came to relax. They built the now world famous Roman baths for people to bathe in and enjoy treatments for their health, much like our modern day spa.By the time the Anglo-Saxons had arrived the Roman baths and indeed the city had fallen into disrepair. The Anglo-Saxons named the city "Baoum" which translates to "at the baths" and this is the main source of the modern name of Bath.
During the Norman to Tudor period the city again had grown in popularity. There was a plan a foot to build a large cathedral and bishops palace but this became a unpopular idea and it was decided not to continue forward with the plan.
In 1668 a man called Thomas Guidott moved to Bath who had been a student of medicine and chemistry. He wrote a paper on the subject of the healing powers of the hot spring waters in Bath. This brought the city to the attention of the rich and famous who decided that Bath was worth another look at. This period of time brought great change to the place not only in its popularity but in its structure as well.
Two architects were given the job of reconstructing the city John Woods the elder and John Woods the younger, a father and son team. Much of what you see in the above picture and indeed the city if you visit was designed by these two men. The natural lime stone used in the construction of the town came from the local stone mines in combe down. They were owned by one of Baths most famous business men and residents Ralph Allen.
In the 18th century we see the creation of the Theater Royal and the Assembly rooms were people from the higher end of society would come to eat, drink and indeed be merry. This does included many royal visits over the hundred year Georgian period of time.
Moving on to more modern times Bath was subject to Hitlers bombing raids and many of the city's wonderful buildings were destroyed during that time, some were reconstructed after the war but unfortunately some were not due to the countries financial situation. Today we see the lower half of city having a new shopping centre built which will look amazing once it is finished as it has been designed to match the looks of the old city. All that remains to say is please come and have a look for yourself.
