day 29

Day 29

BATH

First morning in Bath, it was raining and grey. Not a good day to stroll around. I had to leave my visit to Solsbury Hill for tomorrow and concentrate to the city’s (plentiful) attractions. First a good walk for recognizing. Although I’ve been in Bath in 1998, I could not explore it at that time so it was the time. When you are traveling it’s good to know, sometimes there’s no other chance. I’ve been to the Abbey, which is important part of the history of Bath, and to a museum nearby in the underground of a house that been demolished.

medieval Bath

There it’s possible to explore the medieval history of the city, and recognize the Georgian period too.Bath is an English city with a solid Italian architecture influence along the centuries, notably around the XVIII century. It is a pioneer into excavations and preserving sites since then, and hundreds of these founds are at display while there’s still excavations being hold until nowadays.

Bath Abbey

medieval bath

The other main attraction of the city is the Roman Baths. The other time I’ve been here I did wanted to enter there, although I should. The Baths been turned into that kind of museum that are always crowded all the time, and with the rain probably everyone had the same brilliant idea in visiting the place.

So I’ve been in that inglorious line during most of the time there. The baths are surprisingly well preserved, and it is said to be the best roman baths preserved, mainly because it was restored several times since the Romans left Acqua Sulis, its former name.

the sacred spring

The Romans invaded the South of England in the early years of the first century. Bath was already a visited center at that time, and apparently the hot springs were noticed a long time ago, and it was considered a sacred place for the people which been there before. “These” people are the ones I am interested. They’ve been around Bath from the 300 BC to 100 BC, this meaning, they have probably never met the Romans that arrived around 43 AD and settled in the area around the 75 BD. There is an Iron age fort quite close to the city called Solsbury Hill, which has a privileged view of the city. I think it is possible that Solsbury Hill was a settlement from which it was possible to take control of the surroundings of the hot springs before the Roman times.

frontispiece of the temple

The Romans used the name of the Celt god Sulis to name the springs, and declared it sacred ground. They built a temple for the Goddess Minerva (which was related to Sulis) and built the baths around the main spring. When they left around 450, the city been abandoned and the temple fell into ruins. it took a while until it was restored in 1100, to turn into the King’s Baths. Mostly of what we see today is from the XVIII and XIX centuries.

Sulis Minerva

Unfortunately it is not possible to use that as a bath anymore, which actually disappointed me. It is that kind of place that lost all of its original use and now is just a mere reproduction of itself. Apart of being such touristic place, there’s good information there and of course worth a visit. I could find some hints of the ancient people from Bath over there, before the Romans. Again, the iron age villagers, have noticed the extraordinary site they were in.

iron age villagers remains

After that, I noticed it is necessary to understand who were these people, and how they live, where they come from, and from this I started a new point in researching, besides finding other spots for the Leys. I am trying to establish the links between the places of the ancient sacred places, and why they were chosen. But this is another history.