Bath in Somerset
We did not spend much time in Bath, more's the pity, but it is immediately obvious what a great area for photographs it is. Perhaps a revisit some time to do it justice.
It is a town set in the rolling countryside of southwest England, known for its natural hot springs and 18th-century Georgian architecture.The city became a World Heritage Site in 1987, largely because of its architectural history
One of the most photographed examples of Georgian architecture in the city and one of only four bridges in the world to have shops across its full span on both sides, Pulteney Bridge was designed in 1769 by Robert Adam.
The bridge is named after Frances Pulteney, wife of William Johnstone Pulteney. William was an important man in Georgian Bath, owning a lot of land in the surrounding area. He had grand plans to create a 'new town' to rival that of John Wood's on the west side of the city. His grand scheme needed a new bridge and he didn't want just any old bridge, he wanted a spectacular bridge, one which everyone would talk about.
The shops are small and the roadway is not wide, but when the bridge opened in 1770 it was a revelation.
Unfortunately, my image of the bridge does not do it justice. I feel a return visit is in order!
The Circus is a historic street of large townhouses forming a circle with three entrances. It must be one of the most iconic images of Bath. Designed by the prominent 18th-century Georgian architecture architect John Wood, the Elder.
View of the Abbey from Parade Gardens. Honey-coloured Bath stone has been used extensively in the town’s architecture, including at Bath Abbey, noted for its fan-vaulting, tower and large stained-glass windows.
Another images taken in Parade gardens
Copied from the official BathAbbey site:
In 1088, John of Tours was made Bishop of Wells, which at this time was the seat of the Bishop and home to his cathedral. A few years later John was granted the city of Bath, the abbey and its monastic buildings and lands by King William Rufus and so was able to fulfil his desire to move the bishopric to Bath. As the Bishop of Bath, John by the early 1090s had set in hand an extensive building programme, which included plans for more monastic buildings, a Bishop’s palace, and most importantly, a vast new cathedral to replace the Anglo-Saxon abbey. By the time of John’s death in 1122 most of the lower walls of the new cathedral had been built; but the majority of the building work was masterminded by his successor, Bishop Robert of Lewes. The cathedral was probably completed and consecrated by the beginning of the 1160s.
The Norman cathedral would have been a very different size and shape from the Abbey as we see it now. The present building takes up the space occupied by just the nave of Bishop John’s cathedral. The building would have had a similar cruciform shape, but probably had a much more elaborate east end with additional towers and chapels which would have extended out far beyond the boundary of today’s abbey. Surrounding the cathedral would have been the monastic buildings and gardens, the Bishop’s palace and burial grounds.
The difference in floor levels between the Norman cathedral and the present building means that the evidence for the Norman building is to be found below the floor of today’s Abbey and the pavements outside. In the floor of the Alphege chapel there is a grille through which the remains of Norman pillars can be seen. In the Gethsemane chapel at the north east end of the Abbey, a rounded Norman window arch, built into the structure of the present wall, is clearly visible (depicted above). There are many other remnants of the old cathedral which are not so easily accessible, and can only be uncovered by archaeological excavation. Recent works revealed the remains of a Norman pavement around the south side of the Abbey.
During the 13th century Bath’s importance declined, as the Bishops moved their seat back to Wells. By this time the monastery in Bath housed about 40 monks, who made a living from the wool trade, but it was difficult to maintain the huge cathedral and all of the monastic buildings. After 1398 when the Black Death had halved the monks’ numbers the task became impossible. By the time Oliver King became the new Bishop of Bath and Wells in 1495, the splendid Norman cathedral was in a desperate state of decay.
The High Altar in Bath Abbey with its beautiful altar cloth
The Vaulted Ceiling of Bath Abbey
The stone vaulting above the Abbey's Chancel dates from the early 1500s. It was built by Master architects Robert and William Vertue and is considered one of the finest example of fan vaulting in the country. When the Abbey was restored in the 17th century work to the vaulting over the choir was paid for by the citizens and inhabitants of Bath.
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