Bath, Somerset
Bath is a city in the county of Somerset in England. It is 97 miles (156 km) west of London, and 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Bristol.
Bath | |
Pulteney Bridge |
|
York Street, south to The Roman Baths |
|
Population | 88,859 [1] |
---|---|
Demonym | Bathonian |
OS grid reference | ST750645 |
- London | 97 miles (156 km) E |
Unitary authority | Bath and North East Somerset |
Ceremonial county | Somerset |
Region | South West |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BATH |
Postcode district | BA1, BA2 |
Dialling code | 01225 |
Police | Avon and Somerset |
Fire | Avon |
Ambulance | Great Western |
EU Parliament | South West England |
UK Parliament | Bath |
Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[2] The city has preserved some of its Roman remains and its 18th century architecture.
History
The city gets its name from the famous Roman baths in the town. The Romans built the baths as part of a spa, in the year 43 BC. They called it Aquae Sulis, which means "The waters of Sulis". Sulis was a local goddess.[2]
During the Middle Ages, it was an important city for buying and selling wool.[2]
Bath became a city in 1585, when Queen Elizabeth I declared it to be one.
Bath has two universities and several schools and colleges.
Bath is where Roald Dahl's short story "The Landlady" takes place. The city is also mentioned in many of Jane Austen's books, like Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice.
Gallery
Bath, Somerset Media
19th-century photochrom of the Great Bath at the Roman Baths. The entire structure above the level of the pillar bases is a later construction and was not a feature of the building in Roman days.
Map of Bath by John Speed published in 1610
Looking north-west from Bathwick Hill towards the northern suburbs, showing the variety of housing typical of Bath
Cleveland House and the cast iron bridges of Sydney Gardens over the Kennet and Avon Canal
References
- ↑ Bath is a constituency and unparished area; at the time of the 2011 census the city was exactly co-extensive with 16 wards https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/asv2htm.aspx Archived 30 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 UNESCO, "City of Bath"; retrieved 2012-4-19.
Other websites
- Media related to Bath, Somerset at Wikimedia Commons