Бат, Сомерсет

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Ванна
Город
Пултени Бридж
Горизонт центра города Бат с Батским аббатством
Bath Location within Somerset
Population	94,092 (2021 Census)
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	South Western
UK Parliament	Bath
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	City of Bath
Criteria	Cultural: i, ii, iv
Reference	428
Inscription	1987 (11th Session)
Area	2,900 ha
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part of	Great Spa Towns of Europe
Criteria	Cultural: ii, iii
Reference	1613
Inscription	2021 (44th Session)

Ванна ( RP : / b ɑː θ / ; местное произношение: [ba(ː)θ] — город в церемониальном графстве Сомерсет ) в Англии, известный и названный в честь построенных римлянами бань . По переписи 2021 года население составляло 94 092 человека. Бат находится в долине реки Эйвон , в 97 милях (156 км) к западу от Лондона и в 11 милях (18 км) к юго-востоку от Бристоля . Город стал ЮНЕСКО объектом Всемирного наследия в 1987 году, а позже был добавлен к транснациональному объекту Всемирного наследия, известному как « Великие курортные города Европы » в 2021 году. Бат также является крупнейшим городом и поселением в Сомерсете.

Город стал курортом с латинским названием Aquae Sulis («воды Сулиса ») ок. 60 г. н.э., когда римляне построили бани и храм в долине реки Эйвон, хотя горячие источники были известны и раньше. Батское аббатство было основано в VII веке и стало религиозным центром; здание было перестроено в 12 и 16 веках. В 17 веке были заявлены о целебных свойствах воды из источников, и Бат стал популярным как курортный город в георгианскую эпоху . Георгианская архитектура , созданная из батского камня , включает в себя Королевский полумесяц , цирк , бювет и актовые залы , где Бо Нэш руководил общественной жизнью города с 1705 года до своей смерти в 1761 году.

Many of the streets and squares were laid out by John Wood, the Elder, and in the 18th century the city became fashionable and the population grew. Jane Austen lived in Bath in the early 19th century. Further building was undertaken in the 19th century and following the Bath Blitz in World War II. Bath became part of the county of Avon in 1974, and, following Avon's abolition in 1996, has been the principal centre of Bath and North East Somerset.

Bath has over 6 million yearly visitors, making it one of ten English cities visited most by overseas tourists. Attractions include the spas, canal boat tours, Royal Crescent, Bath Skyline, Parade Gardens and Royal Victoria Park which hosts carnivals and seasonal events. Shopping areas include SouthGate shopping centre, the Corridor arcade and artisan shops at Walcot, Milsom, Stall and York Streets. There are theatres, including the Theatre Royal, as well as several museums including the Museum of Bath Architecture, the Victoria Art Gallery, the Museum of East Asian Art, the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, Fashion Museum, and the Holburne Museum. The city has two universities – the University of Bath and Bath Spa University – with Bath College providing further education. Sporting clubs from the city include Bath Rugby and Bath City.

History

See also: Timeline of Bath, Somerset

Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages

The hills in the locality such as Bathampton Down saw human activity from the Mesolithic period. Several Bronze Age round barrows were opened by John Skinner in the 18th century. A long barrow site believed to be from the Early Bronze Age Beaker people was flattened to make way for RAF Charmy Down. Solsbury Hill overlooking the current city was an Iron Age hill fort and the adjacent Bathampton Camp may also have been one.

Roman baths and town

Main article: Aquae Sulis

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.

Archaeological evidence shows that the site of the Roman baths' main spring may have been treated as a shrine by the Britons, and was dedicated to the goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with Minerva; the name Sulis continued to be used after the Roman invasion, appearing in the town's Roman name, Aquae Sulis (literally, "the waters of Sulis"). Messages to her scratched onto metal, known as curse tablets, have been recovered from the sacred spring by archaeologists. The tablets were written in Latin, and laid curses on personal enemies. For example, if a citizen had his clothes stolen at the baths, he might write a curse against the suspects on a tablet to be read by the goddess.

A temple was constructed in AD 60–70, and a bathing complex was built up over the next 300 years. Engineers drove oak piles into the mud to provide a stable foundation, and surrounded the spring with an irregular stone chamber lined with lead. In the 2nd century, the spring was enclosed within a wooden barrel-vaulted structure that housed the caldarium (hot bath), tepidarium (warm bath), and frigidarium (cold bath).

The town was later given defensive walls, probably in the 3rd century. After the failure of Roman authority in the first decade of the 5th century, the baths fell into disrepair and were eventually lost as a result of rising water levels and silting.

In March 2012, a hoard of 30,000 silver Roman coins, one of the largest discovered in Britain, was unearthed in an archaeological dig. The coins, believed to date from the 3rd century, were found about 150 m (490 ft) from the Roman baths.

Post-Roman and medieval

Bath Abbey

Bath may have been the site of the Battle of Badon (c. 500 AD), in which Arthur, the hero of later legends, is said to have defeated the Anglo-Saxons. The town was captured by the West Saxons in 577 after the Battle of Deorham; the Anglo-Saxon poem The Ruin may describe the appearance of the Roman site about this time. A monastery was founded at an early date – reputedly by Saint David although more probably in 675 by Osric, King of the Hwicce, perhaps using the walled area as its precinct. Nennius, a 9th-century historian, mentions a "Hot Lake" in the land of the Hwicce along the River Severn, and adds "It is surrounded by a wall, made of brick and stone, and men may go there to bathe at any time, and every man can have the kind of bath he likes. If he wants, it will be a cold bath; and if he wants a hot bath, it will be hot". Bede described hot baths in the geographical introduction to the Ecclesiastical History in terms very similar to those of Nennius. King Offa of Mercia gained control of the monastery in 781 and rebuilt the church, which was dedicated to St. Peter.

According to the Victorian churchman Edward Churton, during the Anglo-Saxon era Bath was known as Acemannesceastre ('Akemanchester'), or 'aching men's city', on account of the reputation these springs had for healing the sick.

Map of Bath by John Speed published in 1610

By the 9th century, the old Roman street pattern was lost and Bath was a royal possession. King Alfred laid out the town afresh, leaving its south-eastern quadrant as the abbey precinct. In the Burghal Hidage, Bath is recorded as a burh (borough) and is described as having walls of 1,375 yards (1,257 m) and was allocated 1000 men for defence. During the reign of Edward the Elder coins were minted in Bath based on a design from the Winchester mint but with 'BAD' on the obverse relating to the Anglo-Saxon name for the town, Baðum, Baðan or Baðon, meaning "at the baths", and this was the source of the present name. Edgar of England was crowned king of England in Bath Abbey in 973, in a ceremony that formed the basis of all future English coronations.

William Rufus granted the town, abbey and mint to a royal physician, John of Tours, who became Bishop of Wells and Abbot of Bath, following the sacking of the town during the Rebellion of 1088. It was papal policy for bishops to move to more urban seats, and John of Tours translated his own from Wells to Bath. The bishop planned and began a much larger church as his cathedral, to which was attached a priory, with the bishop's palace beside it. New baths were built around the three springs. Later bishops returned the episcopal seat to Wells while retaining the name Bath in the title, Bishop of Bath and Wells. St John's Hospital was founded around 1180 by Bishop Reginald Fitz Jocelin and is among the oldest almshouses in England. The 'hospital of the baths' was built beside the hot springs of the Cross Bath, for their health-giving properties and to provide shelter for the poor infirm.

Administrative systems fell within the hundreds. The Bath Hundred had various names including the Hundred of Le Buri. The Bath Foreign Hundred or Forinsecum covered the area outside the city and was later combined into the Bath Forum Hundred. Wealthy merchants had no status within the hundred courts and formed guilds to gain influence. They built the first guildhall probably in the 13th century. Around 1200, the first mayor was appointed.

Early modern

The South Prospect of Bath as depicted in Millerd's 1673 map of Bristol

By the 15th century, Bath's abbey church was dilapidated and Oliver King, Bishop of Bath and Wells, decided to rebuild it on a smaller scale in 1500. The new church was completed just a few years before Bath Priory was dissolved in 1539 by Henry VIII. The abbey church became derelict before being restored as the city's parish church in the Elizabethan era, when the city experienced a revival as a spa. The baths were improved and the city began to attract the aristocracy. A Royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1590 confirmed city status. James Montagu, Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1608, spent considerable sums in restoring Bath Abbey and actively supported the Baths themselves, aware that the ‘towne liveth wholly by them’. In 1613, perhaps at his behest, Queen Anne visited the town to take the waters: the Queen’s Bath was named after her. The cue for the visit may have been the completion of the restoration work to Bath Abbey, the last instalment of which had been paid for two years previously. Anne of Denmark came to Bath in 1613 and 1615.

During the English Civil War, the city was garrisoned for Charles I. Seven thousand pounds was spent on fortifications, but on the appearance of parliamentary forces the gates were thrown open and the city surrendered. It became a significant post for the Western Association army under William Waller. Bath was retaken by the royalists in July 1643 following the Battle of Lansdowne and occupied for two years until 1645. Luckily, the city was spared the destruction of property and starvation of its inhabitants unlike nearby Bristol and Gloucester. During the occupation, the finances of the Bath City Council took a drubbing with council spending, rents and grants all falling. The billeting of soldiers in private houses also contributed to disorder and vandalism.

Normality to the city quickly recovered after the war when the city council achieved a healthy budget surplus. Thomas Guidott, a student of chemistry and medicine at Wadham College, Oxford, set up a practice in the city in 1668. He was interested in the curative properties of the waters, and he wrote A discourse of Bathe, and the hot waters there. Also, Some Enquiries into the Nature of the water in 1676. It brought the health-giving properties of the hot mineral waters to the attention of the country, and the aristocracy arrived to partake in them.

Royal Crescent and Circus from the air (connected by link road, thus creating the famous "question mark" formation). Georgian taste favoured the regularity of Bath's streets and squares and the contrast with adjacent rural nature.

The Circus

Several areas of the city were developed in the Stuart period, and more building took place during Georgian times in response to the increasing number of visitors who required accommodation. Architects John Wood the Elder and his son laid out the new quarters in streets and squares, the identical façades of which gave an impression of palatial scale and classical decorum. Much of the creamy gold Bath stone, a type of limestone used for construction in the city, was obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines owned by Ralph Allen (1694–1764). Allen, to advertise the quality of his quarried limestone, commissioned the elder John Wood to build a country house on his Prior Park estate between the city and the mines. Allen was responsible for improving and expanding the postal service in western England, for which he held the contract for more than forty years. Although not fond of politics, Allen was a civic-minded man and a member of Bath Corporation for many years. He was elected mayor for a single term in 1742.

In the early 18th century, Bath acquired its first purpose-built theatre, the Old Orchard Street Theatre. It was rebuilt as the Theatre Royal, along with the Grand Pump Room attached to the Roman Baths and assembly rooms. Master of ceremonies Beau Nash, who presided over the city's social life from 1704 until his death in 1761, drew up a code of behaviour for public entertainments. Bath had become perhaps the most fashionable of the rapidly developing British spa towns, attracting many notable visitors such as the wealthy London bookseller Andrew Millar and his wife, who both made long visits. In 1816, it was described as "a seat of amusement and dissipation", where "scenes of extravagance in this receptacle of the wealthy and the idle, the weak and designing" were habitual.

Late modern

An 1850s photograph of Green Street

Looking north-west from Bathwick Hill towards the northern suburbs, showing the variety of housing typical of Bath

The population of the city was 40,020 at the 1801 census, making it one of the largest cities in Britain. William Thomas Beckford bought a house in Lansdown Crescent in 1822, and subsequently two adjacent houses to form his residence. Having acquired all the land between his home and the top of Lansdown Hill, he created a garden more than 1⁄2 mile (800 m) in length and built Beckford's Tower at the top.

Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia spent four years in exile, from 1936 to 1940, at Fairfield House in Bath. During World War II, between the evening of 25 April and the early morning of 27 April 1942, Bath suffered three air raids in reprisal for RAF raids on the German cities of Lübeck and Rostock, part of the Luftwaffe campaign popularly known as the Baedeker Blitz. During the Bath Blitz, more than 400 people were killed, and more than 19,000 buildings damaged or destroyed.

Houses in Royal Crescent, Circus and Paragon were burnt out along with the Assembly Rooms. A 500-kilogram (1,100 lb) high explosive bomb landed on the east side of Queen Square, resulting in houses on the south side being damaged and the Francis Hotel losing 24 metres (79 ft) of its frontage. The buildings have all been restored although there are still signs of the bombing.

A postwar review of inadequate housing led to the clearance and redevelopment of areas of the city in a postwar style, often at variance with the local Georgian style. In the 1950s, the nearby villages of Combe Down, Twerton and Weston were incorporated into the city to enable the development of housing, much of it council housing. In 1965, town planner Colin Buchanan published Bath: A Planning and Transport Study, which to a large degree sought to better accommodate the motor car, including the idea of a traffic tunnel underneath the centre of Bath. Though criticised by conservationists, some parts of the plan were implemented.

In the 1970s and 1980s, it was recognised that conservation of historic buildings was inadequate, leading to more care and reuse of buildings and open spaces. In 1987, the city was selected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, recognising its international cultural significance.

Between 1991 and 2000, Bath was the scene of a series of rapes committed by an unidentified man dubbed the "Batman rapist". The attacker remains at large and is the subject of Britain's longest-running serial rape investigation. He is said to have a tights fetish, have a scar below his bottom lip and resides in the Bath area or knows it very well. He has also been linked to the unsolved murder of Melanie Hall, which occurred in the city in 1996. Although the offender's DNA is known and several thousand men in Bath were DNA tested, the attacker continues to evade police.

Since 2000, major developments have included the Thermae Bath Spa, the SouthGate shopping centre, the residential Western Riverside project on the Stothert & Pitt factory site, and the riverside Bath Quays office and business development. In 2021, Bath become part of a second UNESCO World Heritage Site, a group of spa towns across Europe known as the "Great Spas of Europe". This makes it one of the only places to be formally recognised twice as a World Heritage site.

Government

The Guildhall

Since 1996, the city has had a single tier of local government — Bath and North East Somerset Council.

Historical development

Bath had long been an ancient borough, having that status since 878 when it became a royal borough (burh) of Alfred the Great, and was reformed into a municipal borough in 1835. It has formed part of the county of Somerset since 878, when ceded to Wessex, having previously been in Mercia (the River Avon had acted as the border between the two kingdoms since 628). However, Bath was made a county borough in 1889, independent of the newly created administrative county and Somerset County Council. Bath became part of Avon when the non-metropolitan county was created in 1974, resulting in its abolition as a county borough, and instead became a non-metropolitan district with borough status.

With the abolition of Avon in 1996, the non-metropolitan district and borough were abolished too, and Bath has since been part of the unitary authority district of Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES). The unitary district included also the Wansdyke district and therefore includes a wider area than the city (the 'North East Somerset' element) including Keynsham which is home to many of the council's offices, though the council meets at the Guildhall in Bath.

Bath was returned to the ceremonial county of Somerset in 1996, though as B&NES is a unitary authority, it is not part of the area covered by Somerset County Council.

Charter trustees

Bath City Council was abolished in 1996, along with the district of Bath, and there is no longer a parish council for the city. The City of Bath's ceremonial functions, including its formal status as a city, its twinning arrangements, the mayoralty of Bath– which can be traced back to 1230– and control of the city's coat of arms, are maintained by the charter trustees of the City of Bath.

The councillors elected by the electoral wards that cover Bath (see below) are the trustees, and they elect one of their number as their chair and mayor. The mayor holds office for one municipal year and in modern times the mayor begins their term in office on the first Saturday in June, at a ceremony at Bath Abbey with a civic procession from and to the Guildhall. The 794th mayor, who began her office on 6 May 2021, is June Player. A deputy mayor is also elected.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms includes a depiction of the city wall, and two silver strips representing the River Avon and the hot springs. The sword of St. Paul is a link to Bath Abbey. The supporters, a lion and a bear, stand on a bed of acorns, a link to Bladud, the subject of the Legend of Bath. The knight's helmet indicates a municipality and the crown is that of King Edgar (referencing his coronation at the Abbey). A mural crown, indicating a city, is alternatively used instead of the helmet and Edgar's crown.

The Arms bear the motto "Aqvae Svlis", the Roman name for Bath in Latin script; although not on the Arms, the motto "Floreat Bathon" is sometimes used ("may Bath flourish" in Latin).

Coat of arms of Bath, Somerset hide

Notes Granted 1971. Crest On a Wreath Argent and Azure issuant a dexter and sinister Cubit Arm habited holding aloft a representation of the Crown of King Edgar proper. Escutcheon Per fesse embattled Azure and Gules the base masoned Sable in chief two Bars wavy over all a Sword erect Argent pomel and hilt Or between in base two Crosses bottonee of the third. Supporters On the dexter side a Lion and on the sinister side a Bear each standing upon a Branch of Oak fructed proper and charged on the shoulder with a Sword in bend proper hilt and pomel enfiling two Keys in bend sinister addorsed Or.

Bath Area Forum

Bath and North East Somerset Council has established the Bath City Forum, comprising B&NES councillors representing wards in Bath and up to 13 co-opted members drawn from the communities of the city. The first meeting of the Forum was held on 13 October 2015, at the Guildhall, where the first chair and vice-chair were elected. In 2021, this was re-launched as the Bath Area Forum.

Parliamentary elections

See also: Bath (UK Parliament constituency)

Bath is one of the oldest extant parliamentary constituencies in the United Kingdom, being in continuous existence since the Model Parliament of 1295. Before the Reform Act 1832, Bath elected two members to the unreformed House of Commons, as an ancient parliamentary borough. From 1832 until 1918 it elected two MPs and then was reduced to one.

Historically the constituency covered only the city of Bath; however, it was enlarged into some outlying areas between 1997 and 2010. The constituency since 2010 once again covers exactly the city of Bath and is currently represented by Liberal Democrat Wera Hobhouse who beat Conservative Ben Howlett at the 2017 general election and retained her seat at the 2019 general election. Howlett had replaced the retiring Liberal Democrat Don Foster at the 2015 general election. Foster's election was a notable result of the 1992 general election, as Chris Patten, the previous Member (and Cabinet Minister) played a major part, as Chairman of the Conservative Party, in re-electing the government of John Major, but failed to defend his marginal seat.

Electoral wards

The fifteen electoral wards of Bath are: Bathwick, Combe Down, Kingsmead, Lambridge, Lansdown, Moorlands, Newbridge, Odd Down, Oldfield Park, Southdown, Twerton, Walcot, Westmoreland, Weston and Widcombe & Lyncombe. These wards are co-extensive with the city, except that Newbridge includes also two parishes beyond the city boundary.

These wards return a total of 28 councillors to Bath and North East Somerset Council; all except two wards return two councillors (Moorlands and Oldfield Park return one each). The most recent elections were held on 4 May 2023 and all wards returned Liberal Democrats except for Lambridge and Westmoreland which returned Green Party and independent councillors respectively.

Boundary changes enacted from 2 May 2019 included the abolition of Abbey ward, the merger of Lyncombe and Widcombe wards, the creation of Moorlands ward, and the replacement of Oldfield with Oldfield Park, as well as considerable changes to boundaries affecting all wards.

Geography and environment

Physical geography

Bath is in the Avon Valley and is surrounded by limestone hills as it is near the southern edge of the Cotswolds, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the Mendip Hills rise around 7 miles (11 km) south of the city. The hills that surround and make up the city have a maximum altitude of 781 feet (238 metres) on the Lansdown plateau. Bath has an area of 11 square miles (28 square kilometres).

Cleveland House and the cast iron bridges of Sydney Gardens over the Kennet and Avon Canal

The floodplain of the Avon has an altitude of about 59 ft (18 m) above sea level, although the city centre is at an elevation of around 25 metres (82 ft) above sea level. The river, once an unnavigable series of braided streams broken up by swamps and ponds, has been managed by weirs into a single channel. Periodic flooding, which shortened the life of many buildings in the lowest part of the city, was normal until major flood control works were completed in the 1970s. Kensington Meadows is an area of mixed woodland and open meadow next to the river which has been designated as a local nature reserve.

Water bubbling up from the ground as geothermal springs originates as rain on the Mendip Hills. The rain percolates through limestone aquifers to a depth of between 9,000 to 14,000 ft (2,700 to 4,300 m) where geothermal energy raises the water's temperature to between 64 and 96 °C (approximately 147–205 °F). Under pressure, the heated water rises to the surface along fissures and faults in the limestone. Hot water at a temperature of 46 °C (115 °F) rises here at the rate of 1,170,000 litres (257,364 imp gal) daily, from the Pennyquick geological fault.

In 1983, a new spa-water bore-hole was sunk, providing a clean and safe supply for drinking in the Pump Room. There is no universal definition to distinguish a hot spring from a geothermal spring, although, by several definitions, the Bath springs can be considered the only hot springs in the UK. Three of the springs feed the thermal baths.

Climate

See also: Climate of south-west England

Along with the rest of South West England, Bath has a temperate climate which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is approximately 10 °C (50.0 °F). Seasonal temperature variation is less extreme than most of the United Kingdom because of the adjacent sea temperatures. The summer months of July and August are the warmest, with mean daily maxima of approximately 21 °C (69.8 °F). In winter, mean minimum temperatures of 1 or 2 °C (33.8 or 35.6 °F) are common. In the summer, the Azores high pressure affects the south-west of England bringing fair weather; however, convective cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. Annual sunshine rates are slightly less than the regional average of 1,600 hours.

In December 1998 there were 20 days without sun recorded at Yeovilton. Most of the rainfall in the south-west is caused by Atlantic depressions or by convection. In summer, a large proportion of the rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground, leading to convection and to showers and thunderstorms. Average rainfall is around 700 mm (28 in). About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, and June to August have the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the southwest.

hideClimate data for Bath (1991–2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	8.0 (46.4)	8.5 (47.3)	10.8 (51.4)	13.9 (57.0)	17.0 (62.6)	19.9 (67.8)	21.8 (71.2)	21.6 (70.9)	19.0 (66.2)	14.9 (58.8)	11.1 (52.0)	8.5 (47.3)	14.6 (58.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	2.2 (36.0)	2.2 (36.0)	3.5 (38.3)	5.0 (41.0)	7.8 (46.0)	10.6 (51.1)	12.6 (54.7)	12.5 (54.5)	10.3 (50.5)	7.9 (46.2)	4.9 (40.8)	2.5 (36.5)	6.8 (44.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	83.2 (3.28)	56.9 (2.24)	58.0 (2.28)	57.8 (2.28)	58.7 (2.31)	54.5 (2.15)	57.7 (2.27)	73.9 (2.91)	63.0 (2.48)	86.4 (3.40)	88.7 (3.49)	90.6 (3.57)	829.9 (32.67)
Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm)	13.2	10.8	10.1	10.0	9.9	9.4	9.6	10.6	9.5	12.1	13.6	13.5	132.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours	56.1	68.2	128.7	161.2	197.3	192.1	210.9	198.0	146.6	104.0	67.0	51.1	1,581.9
Source: Met Office

Green belt

Further information: Avon Green Belt

Bath is fully enclosed by green belt as a part of a wider environmental and planning policy first designated in the late 1950s, and this extends into much of the surrounding district and beyond, helping to maintain local green space, prevent further urban sprawl and unplanned expansion towards Bristol and Bradford-on-Avon, as well as protecting smaller villages in between. Suburbs of the city bordering the green belt include Batheaston, Bathford, Bathampton, the University of Bath campus, Ensleigh, Twerton, Upper Weston, Odd Down, and Combe Down.

Parts of the Cotswolds AONB southern extent overlap the green belt north of the city, with other nearby landscape features and facilities within the green belt including the River Avon, Kennet and Avon Canal, Bath Racecourse, Bath Golf Club, Bathampton Down, Bathampton Meadow Nature Reserve, Bristol and Bath Railway Path, the Cotswold Way, Limestone Link route, Pennyquick Park, Little Solsbury Hill, and Primrose Hill.

Demography

District

Christadelphian Hall, New King Street

According to the 2011 census, Bath, together with North East Somerset, which includes areas around Bath as far as the Chew Valley, had a population of 176,015. Demography shows according to the same statistics, the district is overwhelmingly populated by people of a white background at 94.6% – significantly higher than the national average of 87.17%. Other ethnic groups in the district, in order of population size, are multiracial at 1.6%, Asian at 2.6% and black at 0.8% (the national averages are 1.98%, 6.92% and 3.01%, respectively).

The district is largely Christian at 56.5%, with no other religion reaching more than 0.7%. These figures generally compare with the national averages, though the non-religious, at 32.7%, are significantly more prevalent than the national 25.67%. 83.9% of residents rated their health as good or very good, higher than the national level (81.40%). Nationally, 18% of people describe themselves as having a long-term illness; in Bath it is 16.10%.

City

The 2011 census recorded a population of 94,782 for the Bath built-up area and 88,859 for the city, with the latter exactly corresponding to the boundaries of the parliament constituency. The Bath built-up area extends slightly beyond the boundaries of the city itself, taking in areas to the northeast such as Bathampton and Bathford. The 2001 census figure for the city was 83,992. By 2019, the population was estimated at 90,000.

An inhabitant of Bath is known as a Bathonian.

The table below compares the city of Bath with the unitary authority district as a whole (including the city) and South West England.

Ethnic groups 2011	Bath city	Bath and North East Somerset	South West England
White British	85.0%	90.1%	91.8%
Asian	4.2%	2.6%	2.0%
Black	1.2%	0.7%	0.9%
Other White	4.7%	4.4%	3.6%

Economy

Industry

Bath once had an important manufacturing sector, particularly in crane manufacture, furniture manufacture, printing, brass foundries, quarries, dye works and Plasticine manufacture, as well as many mills. Significant Bath companies included Stothert & Pitt, Bath Cabinet Makers and Bath & Portland Stone.

During and after World War II Bath was a major location of Ministry of Defence offices, with three major sites on the outskirts of Bath (Ensleigh, Foxhill and Warminster Road) and a number of smaller central offices including the Empire Hotel. After the Cold War staff numbers declined, and from 2010 to 2013 about 2,600 remaining staff were moved to MoD Abbey Wood in Bristol. In 2013 the three major sites were sold for the development of over 1,000 new houses.

Nowadays, manufacturing is in decline, but the city boasts strong software, publishing and service-oriented industries, and the international manufacturing company Rotork has its headquarters in the city. The city's attraction to tourists has also led to a significant number of jobs in tourism-related industries. Important economic sectors in Bath include education and health (30,000 jobs), retail, tourism and leisure (14,000 jobs) and business and professional services (10,000 jobs).

Major employers are the National Health Service, the city's two universities, and Bath and North East Somerset Council. Growing employment sectors include information and communication technologies and creative and cultural industries where Bath is one of the recognised national centres for publishing, with the magazine and digital publisher Future plc employing around 650 people. Others include Buro Happold (400) and IPL Information Processing Limited (250). The city boasts over 400 retail shops, half of which are run by independent specialist retailers, and around 100 restaurants and cafes primarily supported by tourism.

Tourism

Bath is popular with tourists all year round. An entertainer is performing in front of Bath Abbey; the Roman Baths are to the right.

One of Bath's principal industries is tourism, with annually more than one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors. The visits mainly fall into the categories of heritage tourism and cultural tourism, aided by the city's selection in 1987 as a World Heritage Site in recognition of its international cultural importance. All significant stages of the history of England are represented within the city, from the Roman Baths (including their significant Celtic presence), to Bath Abbey and the Royal Crescent, to the more recent Thermae Bath Spa.

The size of the tourist industry is reflected in the almost 300 places of accommodation – including more than 80 hotels, two of which have 'five-star' ratings, over 180 bed and breakfasts – many of which are located in Georgian buildings, and two campsites located on the western edge of the city. The city also has about 100 restaurants and a similar number of pubs and bars.

Several companies offer open top bus tours around the city, as well as tours on foot and on the river. Since the opening of Thermae Bath Spa in 2006, the city has attempted to recapture its historical position as the only town or city in the United Kingdom offering visitors the opportunity to bathe in naturally heated spring waters.

In the 2010 Google Street View Best Streets Awards, the Royal Crescent took second place in the "Britain's Most Picturesque Street" award, first place being given to The Shambles in York. Milsom Street was also awarded "Britain's Best Fashion Street" in the 11,000-strong vote.

Architecture

Main article: Buildings and architecture of Bath

There are many Roman archaeological sites throughout the central area of the city. The baths themselves are about 6 metres (20 ft) below the present city street level. Around the hot springs, Roman foundations, pillar bases, and baths can still be seen; however, all the stonework above the level of the baths is from more recent periods.

Bath Abbey was a Norman church built on earlier foundations. The present building dates from the early 16th century and shows a late Perpendicular style with flying buttresses and crocketed pinnacles decorating a crenellated and pierced parapet. The choir and transepts have a fan vault by Robert and William Vertue. A matching vault was added to the nave in the 19th century. The building is lit by 52 windows.

Bath Abbey seen from the east

Most buildings in Bath are made from the local, golden-coloured Bath stone, and many date from the 18th and 19th century. The dominant style of architecture in Central Bath is Georgian; this style evolved from the Palladian revival style that became popular in the early 18th century. Many of the prominent architects of the day were employed in the development of the city. The original purpose of much of Bath's architecture is concealed by the honey-coloured classical façades; in an era before the advent of the luxury hotel, these apparently elegant residences were frequently purpose-built lodging houses, where visitors could hire a room, a floor, or (according to their means) an entire house for the duration of their visit, and be waited on by the house's communal servants. The masons Reeves of Bath were prominent in the city from the 1770s to 1860s.

The Circus consists of three long, curved terraces designed by the elder John Wood to form a circular space or theatre intended for civic functions and games. The games give a clue to the design, the inspiration behind which was the Colosseum in Rome. Like the Colosseum, the three façades have a different order of architecture on each floor: Doric on the ground level, then Ionic on the piano nobile, and finishing with Corinthian on the upper floor, the style of the building thus becoming progressively more ornate as it rises. Wood never lived to see his unique example of town planning completed as he died five days after personally laying the foundation stone on 18 May 1754.

Fan vaulting over the nave at Bath Abbey

The most spectacular of Bath's terraces is the Royal Crescent, built between 1767 and 1774 and designed by the younger John Wood. Wood designed the great curved façade of what appears to be about 30 houses with Ionic columns on a rusticated ground floor, but that was the extent of his input: each purchaser bought a certain length of the façade, and then employed their own architect to build a house to their own specifications behind it; hence what appears to be two houses is in some cases just one. This system of town planning is betrayed at the rear of the crescent: while the front is completely uniform and symmetrical, the rear is a mixture of differing roof heights, juxtapositions and fenestration. The "Queen Anne fronts and Mary-Anne backs" architecture occurs repeatedly in Bath and was designed to keep hired women at the back of the house. Other fine terraces elsewhere in the city include Lansdown Crescent and Somerset Place on the northern hill.

Around 1770 the neoclassical architect Robert Adam designed Pulteney Bridge, using as the prototype for the three-arched bridge spanning the Avon an original, but unused, design by Andrea Palladio for the Rialto Bridge in Venice. Thus, Pulteney Bridge became not just a means of crossing the river, but also a shopping arcade. Along with the Rialto Bridge and the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, which it resembles, it is one of the very few surviving bridges in Europe to serve this dual purpose. It has been substantially altered since it was built. The bridge was named after Frances and William Pulteney, the owners of the Bathwick estate for which the bridge provided a link to the rest of Bath. The Georgian streets in the vicinity of the river tended to be built high above the original ground level to avoid flooding, with the carriageways supported on vaults extending in front of the houses. This can be seen in the multi-storey cellars around Laura Place south of Pulteney Bridge, in the colonnades below Grand Parade, and in the grated coal holes in the pavement of North Parade. In some parts of the city, such as George Street, and London Road near Cleveland Bridge, the developers of the opposite side of the road did not match this pattern, leaving raised pavements with the ends of the vaults exposed to a lower street below.

The heart of the Georgian city was the Pump Room, which, together with its associated Lower Assembly Rooms, was designed by Thomas Baldwin, a local builder responsible for many other buildings in the city, including the terraces in Argyle Street and the Guildhall. Baldwin rose rapidly, becoming a leader in Bath's architectural history.

In 1776, he was made the chief City Surveyor, and Bath City Architect. Great Pulteney Street, where he eventually lived, is another of his works: this wide boulevard, constructed around 1789 and over 1,000 feet (305 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) wide, is lined on both sides by Georgian terraces.

In the 1960s and early 1970s some parts of Bath were unsympathetically redeveloped, resulting in the loss of some 18th- and 19th-century buildings. This process was largely halted by a popular campaign which drew strength from the publication of Adam Fergusson's The Sack of Bath. Controversy has revived periodically, most recently with the demolition of the 1930s Churchill House, a neo-Georgian municipal building originally housing the Electricity Board, to make way for a new bus station. This is part of the Southgate redevelopment in which an ill-favoured 1960s shopping precinct, bus station and multi-storey car park were demolished and replaced by a new area of neo-Georgian shopping streets.

As a result of this and other changes, notably plans for abandoned industrial land along the Avon, the city's status as a World Heritage Site was reviewed by UNESCO in 2009. The decision was made to let Bath keep its status, but UNESCO asked to be consulted on future phases of the Riverside development, saying that the density and volume of buildings in the second and third phases of the development need to be reconsidered. It also demanded Bath do more to attract world-class architecture in new developments.

In 2021, Bath received its second UNESCO World Heritage inscription, becoming part of a group of 11 spa towns across seven countries that were listed by UNESCO as the "Great Spas of Europe".

Panoramic view of the Royal Crescent

Culture

18th-century Pulteney Bridge, designed by Robert Adam

Bath became the centre of fashionable life in England during the 18th century when its Old Orchard Street Theatre and architectural developments such as Lansdown Crescent, the Royal Crescent, The Circus, and Pulteney Bridge were built.

Bath's five theatres – Theatre Royal, Ustinov Studio, the Egg, the Rondo Theatre, and the Mission Theatre – attract internationally renowned companies and directors and an annual season by Sir Peter Hall. The city has a long-standing musical tradition; Bath Abbey, home to the Klais Organ and the largest concert venue in the city, stages about 20 concerts and 26 organ recitals each year. Another concert venue, the 1,600-seat art deco The Forum, originated as a cinema. The city holds the annual Bath International Music Festival and Mozartfest, the annual Bath Literature Festival (and its counterpart for children), the Bath Film Festival, the Bath Digital Festival. the Bath Fringe Festival, the Bath Beer Festival and the Bath Chilli Festival. The Bach Festivals occur at two and a half-year intervals. An annual Bard of Bath competition aims to find the best poet, singer or storyteller.

The city is home to the Victoria Art Gallery, the Museum of East Asian Art, and Holburne Museum, numerous commercial art galleries and antique shops, as well as a number of other museums, among them Bath Postal Museum, the Fashion Museum, the Jane Austen Centre, the Herschel Museum of Astronomy and the Roman Baths. The Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI) in Queen Square was founded in 1824 from the Society for the encouragement of Agriculture, Planting, Manufactures, Commerce and the Fine Arts founded in 1777. In September 1864, BRLSI hosted the 34th annual meeting of the British Science Association, which was attended by explorers David Livingstone, Sir Richard Francis Burton, and John Hanning Speke. The history of the city is displayed at the Museum of Bath Architecture, which is housed in a building built in 1765 as the Trinity Presbyterian Church. It was also known as the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel, as she lived in the attached house from 1707 to 1791.

The arts

Holburne Museum

During the 18th century Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Thomas Lawrence lived and worked in Bath. John Maggs, a painter best known for coaching scenes, was born and lived in Bath with his artistic family.

Jane Austen lived there from 1801 with her father, mother and sister Cassandra, and the family resided at four different addresses until 1806. Jane Austen never liked the city, and wrote to Cassandra, "It will be two years tomorrow since we left Bath for Clifton, with what happy feelings of escape." Bath has honoured her name with the Jane Austen Centre and a city walk. Austen's Northanger Abbey and Persuasion are set in the city and describe taking the waters, social life, and music recitals.

William Friese-Greene experimented with celluloid and motion pictures in his studio in the 1870s, developing some of the earliest movie camera technology. He is credited as being one of the inventors of cinematography.

Satirist and political journalist William Hone was born in Bath in 1780.

Taking the waters is described in Charles Dickens' novel The Pickwick Papers in which Pickwick's servant, Sam Weller, comments that the water has "a very strong flavour o' warm flat irons". The Royal Crescent is the venue for a chase between two characters, Dowler and Winkle. Moyra Caldecott's novel The Waters of Sul is set in Roman Bath in AD 72, and The Regency Detective, by David Lassman and Terence James, revolves around the exploits of Jack Swann investigating deaths in the city during the early 19th century. Ричарда Бринсли Шеридана Действие пьесы «Соперники» происходит в городе. как и Роальда Даля пугающий рассказ « Хозяйка ».

Многие фильмы и телевизионные программы были сняты с использованием его архитектуры в качестве фона, в том числе фильм Теккерея » 2004 года «Ярмарка тщеславия . Герцогиня (2008), Неуловимый Пимпернель (1950) и «Удар молнии Титфилда» (1953). В 2012 году Пултени Вейр использовался в качестве запасной локации во время постпродакшена экранизации « Отверженных» . Кадры с трюками были сняты в октябре 2012 года после того, как в кадрах, снятых в основной период съемок, были обнаружены ошибки. Действие полицейской драмы ITV «Макдональд и Доддс» происходит и в основном снимается в Бате с использованием многих известных мест города.

В августе 2003 года «Три тенора» пели на концерте, посвященном открытию спа-центра Thermae Bath Spa, нового спа-центра с горячей водой в центре города, но задержки в реализации проекта привели к тому, что спа-центр фактически открылся три года спустя, 7 августа 2006 года. В 2008 году 104 украшенные свиньи были выставлены по всему городу на арт-мероприятии под названием «Свиньи короля Бладуда в Бате». Он прославлял город, его происхождение и художников. Украшенные скульптуры свиней выставлялись в течение всего лета и были проданы с аукциона для сбора средств для проекта Two Tunnels Greenway .

Парки

Парадные сады и отель «Империя» .

Королевский парк Виктории , расположенный в нескольких минутах ходьбы от центра города, был открыт в 1830 году 11-летней принцессой Викторией и стал первым парком, носящим ее имя. Общественный парк с видом на Королевский полумесяц занимает площадь 23 гектара (57 акров). Он имеет , скейт-парк теннисные корты, площадка для боулинга , лужайка для гольфа, поле для гольфа на 12 и 18 лунок, пруд, концерты под открытым небом, ежегодная передвижная ярмарка на Пасху, и детская игровая площадка. Большую часть его площади занимает газон ; Примечательной особенностью является ха-ха, которая отделяет его от Королевского полумесяца, создавая при этом впечатление от Полумесяца непрерывных лугов через парк до Королевской авеню. Он удостоен награды «Зеленый флаг », национального стандарта для парков и зеленых насаждений в Англии и Уэльсе, и зарегистрирован организацией «Английское наследие» как имеющий национальное историческое значение . Ботанические сады площадью 3,84 гектара (9,5 акров) были основаны в 1887 году и содержат одну из лучших коллекций растений на известняке в Западной стране .

Точная копия римского храма была построена на выставке Британской империи на Уэмбли в 1924 году, а после выставки была разобрана и перестроена в парке Виктория в Бате. В 1987 году сады были расширены и теперь включают Грейт-Делл, заброшенный карьер с коллекцией хвойных деревьев .

Другие парки включают парк Александры на холме с видом на город; Парадные сады , вдоль реки возле аббатства в центре города; Сиднейские сады , сад развлечений 18-го века; Генриетта Парк; Хеджмид-Парк; и Элис Парк. Джейн Остин писала: «Было бы приятно находиться рядом с Сиднейскими садами. Мы могли бы заходить в Лабиринт каждый день». Парки Александры, Алисы и Генриетты были построены в растущем городе среди жилых комплексов. Линейный парк построен на старой линии совместной железной дороги Сомерсет и Дорсет . и соединяется с Зеленой дорогой двух туннелей , в которой находится самый длинный велосипедный и пешеходный туннель в Великобритании. Кливлендские бассейны были построены около 1815 года недалеко от реки Эйвон. теперь самый старый сохранившийся общественный пляж под открытым небом в Англии. Реставрация была завершена в 2023 году, после 20-летней кампании по сбору средств, и 10 сентября пляж открылся впервые за 40 лет.

Королева Виктория

Художественная галерея Виктории и Королевский парк Виктории названы в честь королевы Виктории , которая в 1837 году написала в своем дневнике: «Люди действительно слишком добры ко мне». Жители Бата, похоже, ответили взаимностью на это чувство: «Лорд Джеймс О'Брайен принес рисунок предполагаемой колонны, которую жители Бата так любезно установили в ознаменование моего 18-летия».

Еда

Салли Ланн, дом булочки Салли Ланн

Некоторые продукты питания ассоциируются с городом. Булочки Салли Ланн (разновидность чайного пирога ) издавна пекли в Бате. Впервые они были упомянуты по имени в стихах, напечатанных в « Батских хрониках» , в 1772 году. В то время их ели горячими на общественных завтраках в Спринг Гарденс. Их можно есть со сладкими или солеными начинками, и иногда их путают с булочками для бани , которые меньшего размера, круглые, очень сладкие и очень сочные. Они были связаны с городом после Великой выставки . Изначально булочки для ванны покрывались измельченными конфетами, которые получали путем неоднократного погружения семян тмина в кипящий сахар; но сегодня семена добавляются в «Лондонскую банную булочку» (отсылка к рекламе и продаже булочки на Большой выставке). Семена можно заменить измельченными сахарными гранулами или крупками.

Бат дал свое название еще одному уникальному рецепту — Бат Оливерс — сухому печенью, изобретенному доктором Уильямом Оливером, врачом больницы минеральных вод в 1740 году. Оливер был активистом кампании по борьбе с ожирением и автором «Практического эссе по использованию и злоупотреблению теплыми ваннами в случаях клейкости» . В последние годы усилия Оливера были оклеветаны появлением версии печенья с простой шоколадной глазурью. Банные кусочки , соленые и копченые щеки и челюсти свиньи, получили свое название от города. Его можно приобрести в ларьке на ежедневном крытом рынке. Пивоварня Bath Ales расположена в Уормли , а Abbey Ales варят в городе.

Твиннинг

Бат является побратимом четырех других городов Европы. За создание твиннинга отвечают попечители Хартии, и каждое твиннинговое соглашение управляется Ассоциацией твиннинга.

Существует также историческая связь с Мэнли, Новый Южный Уэльс , Австралия, который называют городом-побратимом; соглашение о партнерстве с Беппу , префектура Оита , Япония; and friendship agreement with Oleksandriia , Кировоградская область , Украина.

Официальное побратимство

• Экс-ан-Прованс , Франция
• Алкмар , Нидерланды
• Брауншвейг , Германия
• Капошвар , Венгрия

Образование

Основная статья: Образование в Бате, Сомерсет

Университет Бата

В Бате есть два университета: Университет Бата и Университет Бат-Спа . Университет Бата, основанный в 1966 году. был назван Университетом года по версии The Sunday Times в 2011 году. Он предлагает программы по политике, языкам, физике, инженерии, математике, архитектуре, менеджменту и технологиям.

Университет Бат-Спа впервые получил право присуждать ученые степени в 1992 году как университетский колледж, а в августе 2005 года ему был присвоен статус университета. Он предлагает курсы, ведущие к получению сертификата последипломного образования в области образования . Здесь есть школы по следующим предметным областям: искусство и дизайн, образование, английский язык и творческие исследования, исторические и культурные исследования, музыка и исполнительское искусство, наука и окружающая среда и социальные науки.

Колледж Бат предлагает дальнейшее образование , а Колледж Норланд обеспечивает образование и подготовку по уходу за детьми.

Спорт

Основные статьи: Бат Регби и Бат Сити

Регби

База отдыха

Бат Регби — команда союза регби, выступающая в Премьер- лиге. Он играет в сине-бело-черной форме на городской площадке Recreation Ground , где находится с конца 19 века, после своего основания в 1865 году. Первой крупной наградой команды стала победа в Кубке Джона Плейера, который теперь спонсируется как Кубок LV и также известный как Англо-валлийский Кубок , четыре года подряд, с 1984 по 1987 год. Затем команда лидировала в лиге Courage шесть сезонов за восемь лет с 1988 по 1989 и 1995–96 годы, за это время она также выиграла переименованный Кубок Пилкингтона в 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995 и 1996 годах. Наконец, он выиграл Кубок Heineken в сезоне 1997–98 и возглавил Премьер-лигу Цюриха (ныне Премьер-лигу Галлахера) в 2003–04. команды В состав входят несколько членов, которые также играют или играли в сборной Англии , в том числе Ли Мирс , Роб Уэббер , Дэйв Эттвуд , Ник Абенданон и Мэтт Банахан . Школа Колстона в Бристоле внесла большой вклад в команду за последнее десятилетие. предоставление нескольких действующих членов отряда 1-го XV. Бывший менеджер сборной Англии по регби и бывший сборной Шотландии тренер Энди Робинсон раньше играл за команду Бата по регби, был капитаном, а затем тренером. Оба предшественника Робинсона, Клайв Вудворд и Джек Роуэлл , а также его преемник Брайан Эштон также были бывшими тренерами и менеджерами Бата.

Футбол

Твертон Парк

Bath City FC — полупрофессиональная футбольная команда. Основанный в 1889 году, клуб проводит свои домашние матчи в Твертон Парке с 1932 года. История Бат Сити полностью связана с футболом вне лиги, преимущественно в 5-м дивизионе. Бат с небольшим перевесом в несколько голосов пропустил выборы в Футбольную лигу в 1978 году. и снова в 1985 году. У клуба хорошая история выступлений в Кубке Англии, шесть раз дошедших до третьего раунда. Рекорд посещаемости стадиона (18 020 человек) был установлен в 1960 году против «Брайтона». Цвета клуба — черно-белые, а его официальное прозвище — «Римляне», восходящее к древнеримской истории Бата. Клуб иногда называют «The Stripes», имея в виду их полосатую форму.

До 2009 года футбольный клуб Team Bath действовал как филиал университетской программы легкой атлетики. В 2002 году команда Бата стала первой университетской командой, принявшей участие в Кубке Англии за 120 лет, и прошла четыре квалификационных раунда до собственно первого раунда. Команда университета была создана в 1999 году, а команда города существовала еще до 1908 года (когда она вошла в Западную лигу ). Однако в 2009 году Футбольная конференция постановила, что команда Бата не будет иметь права на переход в национальный дивизион, а также им не будет разрешено участвовать в соревнованиях на кубок Футбольной ассоциации . Это решение привело к решению клуба отказаться от участия в соревнованиях Южной конференции 2008–09. В своем последнем сезоне команда Бата заняла 11-е место в лиге.

В Бате также есть не входящие в лигу, футбольные клубы, Odd Down FC , которые играют на Мемориальном стадионе Лью Хилла. и Ларкхолл Атлетик, которые играют в Плейн Хэм.

Другие виды спорта

многие крикетные В городе базируются клубы, в том числе Bath Cricket Club , который базируется на North Parade Ground и играет в Премьер-лиге Западной Англии . В крикет также играют на площадке для отдыха, прямо напротив регбийного клуба. Рекреационная площадка также является домом для крокетного клуба Бата, который был реформирован в 1976 году и входит в состав Юго-Западной федерации крокетных клубов.

Батский полумарафон ежегодно проводится по улицам города, в нем принимают участие более 10 000 бегунов.

TeamBath — это общее название для всех спортивных команд Университета Бата, включая вышеупомянутый футбольный клуб. Другими видами спорта, которыми известна TeamBath, являются легкая атлетика , бадминтон, баскетбол, скелетон , бобслей , хоккей , дзюдо, современное пятиборье , нетбол , регби, плавание, теннис, триатлон и волейбол. Городской триатлон Бата проводится ежегодно в университете.

Bath Roller Derby Girls (BRDG) на роликовых дорожках — клуб дерби , основанный в 2012 году. они участвуют в чемпионате Великобритании по роллер-дерби, уровень 3. По состоянию на 2015 год они являются полноправными членами Ассоциации роллер-дерби Соединенного Королевства (UKRDA).

Бат является домом для Лиги настольного тенниса , состоящей из 3 дивизионов и ряда клубов, базирующихся в Бате и его окрестностях.

Транспорт

Дороги

Дизель -электрический гибридный автобус в Саутгейте на парковке и поездке.

Бат находится примерно в 11 милях (18 км) к юго-востоку от более крупного города и порта Бристоля, с которым он связан дорогой А4 , проходящей через Бат, и на таком же расстоянии к югу от автомагистрали М4 на развязке 18. Потенциальная новая развязка 18a, соединяющая автомагистраль M4 с кольцевой дорогой A4174 Avon, обеспечит дополнительный прямой маршрут из Бата на автомагистраль.

В попытке снизить уровень использования автомобилей парковки и проезда были введены схемы с площадками в Одд-Дауне, Лансдауне и Ньюбридже. Очень большое увеличение количества парковочных мест в центре города также было предусмотрено в рамках строительства нового торгового центра SouthGate, что неизбежно приведет к увеличению автомобильного движения. Кроме того, схема автобусных ворот в Нортгейте направлена ​​на сокращение использования частных автомобилей в центре города.

Исследование транспорта ( Исследование от Бристоля/Бата до Южного побережья ) было опубликовано в 2004 году по инициативе правительственного ведомства Юго-Запада и Совета Бата и Северо-Востока Сомерсета. и предпринято WSP Global в результате демонтажа в 1999 году сети магистральных дорог A36/A46. из Бата в Саутгемптон.

Зона чистого воздуха в Бате была открыта в центре Бата 15 марта 2021 года. Это зона класса C, в которой с наиболее загрязняющих окружающую среду коммерческих автомобилей взимается плата в размере 9 фунтов стерлингов в день (и до 100 фунтов стерлингов в день для автобусов и грузовых автомобилей ). Это первая в Великобритании зона взимания платы за загрязнение дорог за пределами Лондона, благодаря которой за следующие два года уровень диоксида азота в городе снизился на 26%, что соответствует правовым стандартам.

Автобусы

National Express осуществляет автобусные перевозки от автовокзала Бата до ряда городов. В Бате есть сеть автобусных маршрутов, которыми управляет компания First West of England , с рейсами в близлежащие города и поселки, такие как Бристоль , Коршам , Чиппенхем , Девизес , Солсбери , Фром и Уэллс . Автобусы Faresaver Buses также обслуживают близлежащие города. Компания Bath Bus Company организует туры по городу на двухэтажных автобусах с открытым верхом, а также частые рейсы в аэропорт Бристоля . Дилижанс Вест также обслуживает Тетбери и Южный Котсуолдс. Пригород Бата также обслуживается службой WESTlink по запросу , доступной с понедельника по субботу.

Велоспорт

Бат находится на национальном велосипедном маршруте 4 в Великобритании , с одной из первых велосипедных дорожек , железнодорожным маршрутом Бристоль и Бат , на западе, и восточным маршрутом в сторону Лондона по тропе канала. Бат находится примерно в 20 милях (30 км) от аэропорта Бристоля . В Бате также есть несколько дорог и обходных путей.

Реки и каналы

Город соединен с Бристолем и морем рекой Эйвон, судоходство по которой осуществляется через шлюзы на небольших лодках. Река была соединена с Темзой и Лондоном каналом Кеннет и Эйвон в 1810 году через шлюзы Бата ; этот водный путь, закрытый в течение многих лет, но восстановленный в последние годы 20-го века, теперь популярен среди пользователей узких лодок .

железные дороги

Железнодорожная станция Бат-Спа

Бат обслуживается железнодорожной станцией Бат-Спа (спроектированной Изамбардом Кингдом Брюнелем ), которая имеет регулярное сообщение с лондонским Паддингтоном , Бристоль Темпл-Мидс , Кардифф-Сентрал , Челтенхэмом , Эксетером , Плимутом и Пензансом (см. Главную линию Грейт-Вестерн ), а также Вестбери. , Уорминстер , Уэймут , Солсбери , Саутгемптон , Портсмут и Брайтон (см. Главную линию Уэссекса ). Услуги предоставляются компанией Great Western Railway . На главной линии есть пригородная станция Oldfield Park , от которой ограничено пригородное сообщение с Бристолем, а также с другими направлениями.

Станция Грин-Парк когда-то была конечной станцией Мидлендской железной дороги . и узел совместной железной дороги Сомерсета и Дорсета , линия которой, всегда перевозимая паром, проходила через туннель Девоншира (под Уэллсуэем, церковью Святого Луки и Девонширским гербом), через туннель Комб-Даун и поднималась через Мендипс, чтобы обслуживать многие города. и деревни на его 71-мильной (114 км) трассе до Борнмута . Этот пример английской сельской линии был закрыт Бичингом в марте 1966 года. В его здании станции Бат, которое сейчас отреставрировано, расположены магазины, малые предприятия, субботний фермерский рынок Бата и парковка для супермаркета, а на маршрутах Сомерсета и Дорсета внутри Бата был повторно использован для строительства Зеленой дороги с двумя туннелями, пути общего пользования, который простирается до национального велосипедного маршрута 24 в город.

Трамваи

Исторический

Компания Bath Tramways была основана в конце 19 века и открылась 24 декабря 1880 года. Вагоны с колеей 4 фута ( 1219 мм ) ехали на конной тяге по маршруту от Лондон-роуд до железнодорожной станции Бат-Спа, но система закрылась в 1902 году. Его заменили электрические трамвайные вагоны на значительно расширенные. Система колеи 4 фута 8 + 1 ⁄ дюйма ) , ( 1435 мм открывшаяся в 1904 году. В конечном итоге она расширилась до 18 миль (29 км) с маршрутами в Комб-Даун, Олдфилд-парк, Твертон, Ньютон-Сент-Ло , Уэстон и Батфорд . Парк насчитывал 40 вагонов, все, кроме шести, были двухэтажными. Первая закрывшаяся линия была заменена автобусным сообщением в 1938 году, а последняя - 6 мая 1939 года.

Возможное повторное введение

В 2005 году был создан и представлен совету подробный план возобновления движения трамваев в Бате, но этот план не был реализован, как сообщается, из-за того, что совет сосредоточил внимание на поддерживаемом правительством автобусном маршруте, который планировалось пройти от парка Ньюбридж и поехать в центр города. Частично обоснованием предложенного плана восстановления трамвая было загрязнение окружающей среды транспортными средствами в городе, которое вдвое превышало установленный законом уровень, а также сильные пробки на дорогах из-за интенсивного использования автомобилей. В 2015 году другая группа, Bath Trams, опираясь на более ранние предложения трамвайной группы, вызвала интерес к идее повторного внедрения трамваев с помощью нескольких общественных собраний и встреч с советом. В 2017 году Совет Бата и Северо-Восточного Сомерсета объявил о технико-экономическом обосновании, которое должно быть опубликовано к марту 2018 года. , во внедрение в городе системы легкорельсового транспорта или трамвая.

В ноябре 2016 года Партнерство местных предприятий Западной Англии начало процесс консультаций по своему сводному документу о транспортном видении, в котором описываются потенциальные маршруты легкорельсового транспорта и трамвая в регионе, одним из которых является маршрут из центра Бристоля по дороге А4 в Бат ослабить нагрузку на автобусное и железнодорожное сообщение между двумя городами.

СМИ

Местная газета Бата — Bath Chronicle , принадлежащая Local World . Издаваемая с 1760 года « Хроника» была ежедневной газетой до середины сентября 2007 года, когда она стала еженедельной. С 2018 года его веб-сайтом управляет Trinity Mirror компании платформа Somerset Live .

На веб-сайте BBC Bristol освещаются новости и события в Бате с 2003 года.

Что касается телевидения, Бат обслуживают BBC West, студии базирующиеся в Бристоле, и ITV West Country , ранее HTV, также из студий в Бристоле.

Радиостанции, вещающие на город, включают BBC Radio Bristol , у которого есть студия на Кингсмид-сквер в центре города, BBC Radio Somerset в Тонтоне , Greatest Hits Radio Bristol & The South West на 107.9FM и Heart West , ранее GWR FM, а также при Университете Бата University Radio Bath , студенческая радиостанция, доступная на территории кампуса, а также в Интернете. запущенная в 2019 году, BA1 Radio, представляет собой общественную онлайн -радиостанцию .

См. также

• Батский . век (168,3 – 166,1 млн лет назад), юрский период геологического времени, названный в честь Бата
• Памятники архитектуры I степени в Бате и северо-восточном Сомерсете.
• Список людей из Бата
• Список курортных городов Соединенного Королевства
• Бат, Онтарио , назван в честь Бата, Сомерсет, и теперь является частью лоялистов, Онтарио.

Внешние ссылки

• Путеводитель по Бату от Wikivoyage
• Официальная туристическая информация
• Мэр Бата
• Баня в Керли
• Ванна в книге Судного дня