Editing Bath, Somerset

{{Short description|City in Somerset, England}}
{{For|the constituency located in the city|Bath (UK Parliament constituency)}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Bath
| country = England
| type = City
| region = South West England
| static_image_name = 
| static_image_caption = [[Pulteney Bridge]]
| population = 94,092
| population_ref = (2021 Census)<ref name="bua2011">{{cite web |title=Bath |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/cities/?cityid=7096 |website=City population |access-date=25 October 2022 |archive-date=20 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120173645/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/cities/?cityid=7096 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_demonym = Bathonian
| os_grid_reference = ST750645
| map_alt = Map of Somerset, with a red dot showing the position of Bath in the north east corner
| coordinates = {{Wikidatacoord|Q22889|display=inline,title}}
| label_position = left
| post_town = Bath
| postcode_area = BA
| postcode_district = BA1, BA2
| dial_code = 01225
| constituency_westminster = [[Bath (UK Parliament constituency)|Bath]]
| london_distance = {{cvt|97|mi|km|0}} [[Boxing the compass|E]]
| unitary_england = [[Bath and North East Somerset]]
| lieutenancy_england = [[Somerset]]
| embedded = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
 |child = yes
 |Official_name = City of Bath
 |ID = 428
 |Year = 1987
 |Criteria = Cultural: i, ii, iv
 |Area = 2,900 ha
 }}{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child = yes
| Part_of = [[Great Spa Towns of Europe]]
| ID = 1613
| Year = 2021
| Criteria = Cultural: ii, iii
 }}
| static_image = Bath, England (38162201235).jpg
| static_image_2 = Bath, Somerset Panorama - April 2011.jpg
| static_image_2_caption = Skyline of Bath city centre with [[Bath Abbey]]
}}
'''Bath''' (<small>[[Received Pronunciation|RP]]:</small> {{IPAc-en|b|ɑ:|θ}},<ref>{{cite LPD|3 }}</ref> {{IPA|en|ba(ː)θ|generic=yes|local}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Altendorf |first1=Ulrike |last2=Watt |first2=Dominic |year=2004 |chapter=The dialects in the South of England: phonology |editor-last1=Schneider |editor-first1=Edgar W. |editor-last2=Burridge |editor-first2=Kate |editor-last3=Kortmann |editor-first3=Bernd |editor-last4=Mesthrie |editor-first4=Rajend |editor-last5=Upton |editor-first5=Clive |title=A Handbook of Varieties of English |volume=1: Phonology |publisher=Mouton de Gruyter |pages=178–203 |isbn=978-3-11-017532-5}} Page 199.</ref>) is a city in [[Somerset]], England, known for and named after its [[Roman Baths (Bath)|Roman-built baths]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=4 May 2019 |title=100 Largest Cities and Towns in the UK by Population |url=https://www.thegeographist.com/uk-cities-population-100/ |access-date=5 January 2022 |website=The Geographist |language=en-GB |archive-date=5 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105223111/https://www.thegeographist.com/uk-cities-population-100/ |url-status=usurped }}</ref> At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092.<ref name="bua2011"/> Bath is in the valley of the [[River Avon, Bristol|River Avon]], {{convert|97|mi|km|0}} west of London and {{convert|11|mi|km|0}} southeast of [[Bristol]]. The city became a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] in 1987, and was later added to the transnational World Heritage Site known as the "[[Great Spa Towns of Europe]]" in 2021. Bath is also the largest city and settlement in Somerset.

The city became a [[spa]] with the [[Latin]] name ''{{lang|la|[[Aquae Sulis]]}}'' ("the waters of [[Sulis]]") {{circa}} 60&nbsp;AD when the Romans built [[Roman Baths (Bath)|baths]] and a temple in the valley of the River Avon, although [[List of geothermal springs in the United Kingdom|hot springs]] were known even before then. [[Bath Abbey]] was founded in the 7th century and became a religious centre; the building was rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries. In the 17th century, claims were made for the curative properties of water from the springs, and Bath became popular as a [[spa town]] in the [[Georgian era]]. [[Georgian architecture]], crafted from [[Bath Stone]], includes the [[Royal Crescent]], [[The Circus, Bath|Circus]], [[Pump Room]], and the [[Bath Assembly Rooms|Assembly Rooms]], where [[Beau Nash]] presided over the city's social life from 1705 until his death in 1761.

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 (county)|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,<ref>{{cite web |title=Visitors and tourists: Bath and North East Somerset Council |url=https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/journey-net-zero-public-consultation-january-2022/visitors-and-tourists |website=beta.bathnes.gov.uk |access-date=6 January 2023 |date=19 January 2022 |archive-date=6 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106174339/https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/journey-net-zero-public-consultation-january-2022/visitors-and-tourists |url-status=live }}</ref> making it [[Tourism in England#Cities|one of the ten English cities visited most by overseas tourists]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Travel trends – Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/leisureandtourism/articles/traveltrends/2019 |access-date=17 December 2020 |website=www.ons.gov.uk |archive-date=10 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201210074504/https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/leisureandtourism/articles/traveltrends/2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Experience Bath – Tailor-made visits to Bath |url=https://www.experiencebath.com/ |access-date=16 December 2020 |language=en-GB |archive-date=25 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125025042/https://www.experiencebath.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Attractions include the spas, canal boat tours, Royal Crescent, [[Bath Skyline]], [[Parade Gardens]] and [[Royal Victoria Park, Bath|Royal Victoria Park]] which hosts [[carnival]]s and seasonal events. Shopping areas include [[SouthGate, Bath|SouthGate shopping centre]], [[The Corridor, Bath|the Corridor]] [[Arcade (architecture)|arcade]] and artisan shops at [[Walcot, Bath|Walcot]], [[Milsom Street, Bath|Milsom]], [[Stall Street, Bath|Stall]] and York Streets. There are theatres, including the [[Theatre Royal, Bath|Theatre Royal]], as well as several museums including the [[Museum of Bath Architecture]], the [[Victoria Art Gallery]], the [[Museum of East Asian Art, Bath|Museum of East Asian Art]], the [[Herschel Museum of Astronomy]], [[Fashion Museum, Bath|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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wessex Archaeology |title=Archaeological Desk- based Assessment |url=http://www.bath.ac.uk/estates/docs/Appendix_F_Archaeology.pdf |work=University of Bath, Masterplan Development Proposal 2008 |publisher=Bath University |access-date=4 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150902082459/http://www.bath.ac.uk/estates/docs/Appendix_F_Archaeology.pdf |archive-date=2 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Monument No. 204162 |url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=204162 |work=PastScape |publisher=Historic England |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504193813/http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=204162 |archive-date=4 May 2015 }}</ref> Several [[Bronze Age]] [[round barrow]]s were opened by [[John Skinner (archaeologist)|John Skinner]] in the 18th century.<ref>{{cite book |last=Thomas |first=Rod |title=A Sacred landscape: The prehistory of Bathampton Down |year=2008 |publisher=Millstream Books |location=Bath |isbn=978-0-948975-86-8 |page=21 }}</ref> A [[long barrow]] site believed to be from the [[Bronze Age Europe|Early Bronze Age]] [[Beaker people]] was flattened to make way for [[RAF Charmy Down]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Beaker people and the Bronze Age |url=http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Beakpeop.htm |publisher=[[Somerset County Council]] |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814192140/http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Beakpeop.htm |archive-date=14 August 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Charmy Down |url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=203301 |website=Pastscape |publisher=Historic England |access-date=22 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822223846/http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=203301 |archive-date=22 August 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Solsbury Hill]] overlooking the current city was an [[Iron Age]] [[hill fort]] and the adjacent Bathampton Camp may also have been one.<ref>{{cite book |last=Thomas |first=Rod |title=A Sacred landscape: The prehistory of Bathampton Down |year=2008 |publisher=Millstream Books |location=Bath |isbn=978-0-948975-86-8 |pages=46–48 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bathampton Camp |work=PastScape |url=http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=203244 |publisher=Historic England |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504193819/http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=203244 |archive-date=4 May 2015 }}</ref>

===Roman baths and town===
{{main|Aquae Sulis}}
[[File:Roman Baths c1900 2.jpg|thumb|alt=A late-nineteenth-century Photochrom of the Great Bath at the Roman Baths. Pillars tower over the water, and the spires of Bath Abbey&nbsp;– restored in the early sixteenth century&nbsp;– are visible in the background.|19th-century [[photochrom]] of the Great Bath at the [[Roman Baths (Bath)|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 (Bath)|Roman baths']] main spring may have been treated as a shrine by the [[British Iron Age|Britons]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://visitbath.co.uk/spa-and-wellbeing/history-of-baths-spa |title=History of Bath's Spa |publisher=Bath Tourism Plus |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315003815/http://visitbath.co.uk/spa-and-wellbeing/history-of-baths-spa |archive-date=15 March 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Page |first1=William |title=Romano-British Somerset: Part 2, Bath |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/som/vol1/pp219-288 |website=British History Online |publisher=Victoria County History |access-date=3 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930191857/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/som/vol1/pp219-288 |archive-date=30 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> and was dedicated to the goddess [[Sulis]], whom the [[Roman mythology|Romans]] identified with [[Minerva]]; the name Sulis continued to be used after the Roman invasion, appearing in the town's [[List of Roman place names in Britain|Roman name]], ''{{lang|la|Aquae Sulis}}'' (literally, "the waters of Sulis").<ref>A L Rowse, ''Heritage of Britain'', 1995, Treasure of London, {{ISBN|978-0-907407-58-4}}, 184 pages, Page 15</ref> Messages to her scratched onto metal, known as [[Bath curse tablets|curse tablets]], have been recovered from the sacred spring by archaeologists.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.csad.ox.ac.uk/RIB/RIBIV/jp4.htm |title=A Corpus of Writing-Tablets from Roman Britain |work=Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents, Oxford |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828220302/http://www.csad.ox.ac.uk/RIB/RIBIV/jp4.htm |archive-date=28 August 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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&nbsp;60–70, and a bathing complex was built up over the next 300&nbsp;years.<ref name="worldheritageplan">{{cite web |url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/worldheritage/2.3Des.htm |title=City of Bath World Heritage Site Management Plan |work=Bath and North East Somerset |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614100836/http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/worldheritage/2.3Des.htm |archive-date=14 June 2007 |access-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref> 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).<ref name="timetravel">{{cite web |url=http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/stones/romanbaths.shtml |title=The Roman Baths |work=TimeTravel Britain |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409020816/http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/stones/romanbaths.shtml |archive-date=9 April 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The town was later given [[Bath city walls|defensive walls]], probably in the 3rd century.<ref name="Alfreds Borough">{{cite web |url=http://www.buildinghistory.org/bath/saxon/alfredsborough.shtml |title=Alfreds Borough |work=Bath Past |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611024156/http://www.buildinghistory.org/bath/saxon/alfredsborough.shtml |archive-date=11 June 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Southern |first1=Patricia |title=The Story of Roman Bath |date=2012 |publisher=Amberley |isbn=978-1445610900 |pages=202–203 }}</ref>

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 {{cvt|150|m|ft}} from the Roman baths.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hough |first1=Andrew |title=Hoard of 30,000 silver Roman coins discovered in Bath |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/9161483/Hoard-of-30000-silver-Roman-coins-discovered-in-Bath.html |access-date=4 May 2015 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=22 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504213126/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/9161483/Hoard-of-30000-silver-Roman-coins-discovered-in-Bath.html |archive-date=4 May 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Post-Roman and medieval===
[[File:Bath Abbey Exterior, Somerset, UK - Diliff.jpg|alt=Yellow stone building with large arched windows and a tower.|thumb|left|upright|[[Bath Abbey]]]]

Bath may have been the site of the [[Battle of Badon]] ({{circa}} 500&nbsp;AD), in which [[King Arthur|Arthur]], the hero of later legends, is said to have defeated the [[Anglo-Saxons]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.buildinghistory.org/bath/saxon/dobunni.shtml#Gildas |title=Dobunni to Hwicce |work=Bath past |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923195110/http://www.buildinghistory.org/bath/saxon/dobunni.shtml#Gildas |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> The town was captured by the [[History of Anglo-Saxon England|West Saxons]] in 577 after the [[Battle of Deorham]];<ref name="myeng">{{cite web |url=http://www.myenglandtravel.com/history-of-bath-england.html |title=History of Bath England, Roman Bath history |work=My England Travel Guide |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220181930/http://www.myenglandtravel.com/history-of-bath-england.html |archive-date=20 February 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> the Anglo-Saxon poem ''[[The Ruin]]'' may describe the appearance of the Roman site about this time.<ref>{{cite book |last=Klinck |first=Anne |title=The Old English Elegies: A Critical Edition and Genre Study |year=1992 |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |location=Montreal |page=61 }}</ref> A monastery was founded at an early date&nbsp;– reputedly by [[Saint David]] although more probably in 675 by [[Osric, king of the Hwicce|Osric]], King of the [[Hwicce]],<ref>{{cite book |last=Davenport |first=Peter |title=Medieval Bath Uncovered |year=2002 |publisher=Tempus |location=Stroud |isbn=978-0752419657 |pages=31–34 }}</ref> perhaps using the [[Bath city walls|walled area]] as its precinct.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/towns/bathtime.shtml |title=Timeline Bath |work=Time Travel Britain |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403054732/http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/towns/bathtime.shtml |archive-date=3 April 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.100welshheroes.com/en/biography/saint%20david |title=Saint David |work=100 Welsh Heroes |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010050612/http://www.100welshheroes.com/en/biography/saint%20david |archive-date=10 October 2012 }}</ref> [[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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Campbell |first1=James |last2=John |first2=Eric |last3=Wormald |first3=Patrick |title=The Anglo-Saxons |date=1991 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0140143959 |pages=40–41 }}</ref> [[King Offa]] of [[Mercia]] gained control of the monastery in 781 and rebuilt the church, which was dedicated to [[St. Peter]].<ref name="Poliquin">{{cite web |title=Bath Abbey |url=http://www.uquebec.ca/musique/orgues/angleterre/batha.html#English |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621205423/http://www.uquebec.ca/musique/orgues/angleterre/batha.html |archive-date=21 June 2013 |work=Robert Poliquin's Music and Musicians |publisher=Quebec University |access-date=18 September 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Early English Church |url=https://archive.org/details/earlyenglishchu01churgoog |last=Churton |first=Edward |author-link=Edward Churton |year=1841 |publisher=James Burns |edition=2nd |location=London |page=102 }}</ref>

[[File:Speed baths.jpg|thumb|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.<ref name="Alfreds Borough"/> In the [[Burghal Hidage]], Bath is recorded as a [[burh]] (borough) and is described as having walls of {{convert|1375|yd|m}} and was allocated 1000 men for defence.<ref>{{cite book |last=Davenport |first=Peter |title=Medieval Bath Uncovered |year=2002 |publisher=Tempus |location=Stroud |isbn=978-0752419657 |pages=40–42 }}</ref> During the reign of [[Edward the Elder]] coins were [[Mint (coin)|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",<ref>{{cite book |last=Davenport |first=Peter |title=Medieval Bath Uncovered |year=2002 |publisher=Tempus |location=Stroud |isbn=978-0752419657 |pages=50–51 }}</ref> 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 [[Coronation of the British monarch|English coronations]].<ref name="Edgar">{{cite web |url=http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/saxon_12.htm |title=Edgar the Peaceful |work=English Monarchs&nbsp;– Kings and Queens of England |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701165135/http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/saxon_12.htm |archive-date=1 July 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[William Rufus]] granted the town, abbey and mint to a royal physician, [[John of Tours]], who became Bishop of [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]] and Abbot of Bath,<ref>{{cite book |last=Powicke |first=Maurice |author-link=F. M. Powicke |year=1939 |title=Handbook of British Chronology |isbn=978-0-901050-17-5 |page=137 |publisher=Offices of the Royal Historical Society }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Barlow |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Barlow (historian) |title=William Rufus |page=182 |publisher=Yale University Press |date=March 2000 |isbn=978-0-300-08291-3 }}</ref> following the sacking of the town during the [[Rebellion of 1088]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Davenport |first=Peter |title=Medieval Bath Uncovered |year=2002 |publisher=Tempus |location=Stroud |isbn=978-0752419657 |page=71 }}</ref> It was papal policy for bishops to move to more urban seats, and John of Tours [[Translation (ecclesiastical)|translated]] his own from Wells to Bath.<ref name=Huscroft128>{{cite book |last1=Huscroft |first1=Richard |title=Ruling England, 1042–1217 |date=2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0582848825 |page=128 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Ann |title=Bath Abbey 1499-1999 |date=1999 |publisher=Bath Abbey |page=3 }}</ref> 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, Bath|St John's Hospital]] was founded around 1180 by Bishop [[Reginald Fitz Jocelin]] and is among the oldest [[almshouse]]s in England.<ref name="soc">{{cite web |url=http://www.buildinghistory.org/jean/spiritofcare.shtml |title=The eight-hundred-year story of St John's Hospital, Bath |work=Spirit of Care |publisher=Jean Manco |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821173938/http://www.buildinghistory.org/jean/spiritofcare.shtml |archive-date=21 August 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref name="sioa">{{cite web |url=http://www.buildinghistory.org/bath/medieval/shelter.shtml |title=Shelter in old age |last=Manco |first=Jean |publisher=Bath Past |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923195109/http://www.buildinghistory.org/bath/medieval/shelter.shtml |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Administrative systems fell within the [[Hundred (county division)|hundreds]]. The [[Bath Forum|Bath Hundred]] had various names including the Hundred of Le&nbsp;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 [[guild]]s to gain influence. They built the first [[guildhall]] probably in the 13th century. Around 1200, the [[List of Mayors of Bath|first mayor]] was appointed.<ref>{{cite book |last=Davenport |first=Peter |title=Medieval Bath Uncovered |year=2002 |publisher=Tempus |location=Stroud |isbn=978-0752419657 |pages=97–98 }}</ref>

===Early modern===
[[File:Prospect of Bath in 1673.jpg|thumb|The South Prospect of Bath as depicted in Millerd's 1673 map of Bristol]]

By the 15th century, Bath's abbey church was dilapidated<ref>{{cite web |url=http://visitbath.co.uk/things-to-do/bath-abbey-p24001 |title=Bath Abbey |work=Visit Bath |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711142912/http://visitbath.co.uk/things-to-do/bath-abbey-p24001 |archive-date=11 July 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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 [[Dissolution of the Monasteries|dissolved]] in 1539 by [[Henry VIII]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mayorofbath.co.uk/renaissance-bath |title=Renaissance Bath |access-date=9 December 2007 |work=City of Bath |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114061225/http://www.mayorofbath.co.uk/renaissance-bath |archive-date=14 January 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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 in the United Kingdom|city status]].<ref name = "bath_insignia">{{cite web |url=http://www.mayorofbath.co.uk/civic-insignia |title=Civic Insignia |access-date=10 December 2007 |work=City of Bath |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114051609/http://www.mayorofbath.co.uk/civic-insignia |archive-date=14 January 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stout |first=Adam |year=2020 |title=Glastonbury Holy Thorn: Story of a Legend |pages=28–29 |isbn=9781916268616 |publisher=Green & Pleasant Publishing }}</ref> [[Anne of Denmark and the spa at Bath|Anne of Denmark]] came to Bath in 1613 and 1615.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Emanuel |last=Green |title=The Visits to Bath of Two Queens |journal=Proceedings of the Bath Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club |volume=7 |year=1893 |page=224 }}</ref> By the beginning of the [[English Civil War]], the city was a first-class resort. However, it lost much of this trade in 1642; with the outbreak of war, fiddlers, "ladies who are there", and ale-house guides, lost their customers.<ref>History of England during the Reigns of the Royal House of Stuart. John Oldmixon, 1730 pp208-212, as quoted in: An unhappy civil war. The experiences of ordinary people in Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire, 1642-1646. John Wroughton. Lansdown Press, Bath, 1999. Chapter 4, Forced to improvise. pp165-166</ref>

The city was initially garrisoned for [[Charles I of England|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]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=A tour through the whole island of Great Britain; Divided into Journeys. Interspersed with Useful Observations; Particularly Calculated for the Use of Those who are Desirous of Travelling over England & Scotland |first=Clement |last=Crutwell |pages=387–388 |volume=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7n5HAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA387 |year=1801 |access-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref> Bath was retaken by the royalists in July 1643 following the [[Battle of Lansdowne]] and occupied for two years until 1645.<ref>{{cite book |title=Battles and Generals of the Civil Wars |last=Rodgers |first=Colonel Hugh Cuthbert Basset |year=1968 |publisher=Seeley Service & Co. |asin=B000HJ9TUG |page=81 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Wroughton |first=John |title=Stuart Bath: Life in the Forgotten City 1603–1714 |publisher=The Lansdown Press |year=2004 |pages=156, 158, 161–2, 174 }}</ref> The city was spared widespread destruction of property, overcrowding, bubonic plague, or starvation of its inhabitants, etc, unlike nearby Bristol and [[Gloucester]], and it had good water piped in from its surrounding hills. Still, soldiers who were billeted in private houses contributed to disorder and vandalism, though this never caused the general destruction and plundering seen in [[Marlborough, Wiltshire|Marlborough]] and other towns. Bath remained a health resort, often for wounded soldiers, its markets continued open and well-regulated, and its shopkeepers and craftsmen continued busy.<ref>An unhappy civil war. The experiences of ordinary people in Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire, 1642-1646. John Wroughton. Lansdown Press, Bath, 1999. Chapter 4, Forced to improvise. pp165-167</ref> Nevertheless, council spending, rents and grants all decreased and the finances of the Bath City Council were seriously affected.<ref name=":1" /> 

Normality to the city quickly recovered after the war when the city council achieved a healthy budget surplus.<ref name=":1" /> [[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.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Burns |first=D. Thorburn |title=Thomas Guidott (1638–1705): Physician and Chymist, contributor to the analysis of mineral waters |journal=Analytical Proceedings |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=2–6 |doi=10.1039/AP9811800002 |year=1981 }}</ref>
[[File:BathRoyalCrescentAirial morecontrast.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Aerial photograph of semicircular terrace of stone buildings with large expanse of grass in front and to the left. Also shows surrounding terraces of buildings.|[[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.]]

[[File:the.circus.bath.arp.jpg|thumb|alt=Semicircular terrace of 3-storey buildings with matching windows and roofs, stone bands run the length of the terrace.|right|[[The Circus, Bath|The Circus]]]]

Several areas of the city were developed in the [[House of Stuart|Stuart]] period, and more building took place during [[Georgian era|Georgian]] times in response to the increasing number of visitors who required accommodation.<ref>{{cite book |title=The English Spa, 1560–1815: A Social History |last=Hembury |first=Phylis May |year=1990 |publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-8386-3391-5 |pages=114–121 }}</ref> Architects [[John Wood the Elder]] and [[John Wood, the Younger|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathmuseum.co.uk/biography.htm |title=John Wood and the Creation of Georgian Bath |work=Building of Bath Museum |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113094712/http://www.bathmuseum.co.uk/biography.htm |archive-date=13 November 2007 |url-status=dead |access-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref> 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).<ref name="rabiog">{{cite web |url=http://www.bathpostalmuseum.co.uk/ralph-allen.html |title=Ralph Allen Biography |work=Bath Postal Museum |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004234025/http://www.bathpostalmuseum.co.uk/ralph-allen.html |archive-date=4 October 2013 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="rabiog"/> Allen was responsible for improving and expanding the postal service in western England, for which he held the contract for more than forty years.<ref name="rabiog"/> 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.<ref name="rabiog"/>

In the early 18th century, Bath acquired its first purpose-built theatre, the [[Old Orchard Street Theatre]]. It was rebuilt as the [[Theatre Royal, Bath|Theatre Royal]], along with the [[Grand Pump Room]] attached to the Roman Baths and [[Bath Assembly Rooms|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.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Imaginary Autocrat: Beau Nash and the invention of Bath |last=Eglin |first=John |year=2005 |publisher=Profile |isbn=978-1-86197-302-3 |page=7 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.millar-project.ed.ac.uk/manuscripts/html_output/4.html |title=The manuscripts, Letter from Andrew Millar to Thomas Cadell, 16 July, 1765. Andrew Millar Project. University of Edinburgh. |website=millar-project.ed.ac.uk |access-date=3 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115053142/http://www.millar-project.ed.ac.uk/manuscripts/html_output/4.html |archive-date=15 January 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thorn |first=sir William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JEgVAAAAQAAJ |title=A memoir of major-general sir R.R. Gillespie [by W. Thorn.]. |date=1816 |language=en }}</ref>
{{Clear}}

===Late modern===
[[File:Milson street, Bath (4052079943).jpg|upright|thumb|An 1850s photograph of Green Street]]
[[File:Bathwick Hill, Bath, Somerset, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|right|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10167607 |title=A vision of Bath |work=Britain through time |publisher=University of Portsmouth |access-date=4 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012162314/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10167607 |archive-date=12 October 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[William Thomas Beckford]] bought a house in [[Lansdown Crescent, Bath|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, Bath|Lansdown Hill]], he created a garden more than {{convert|1/2|mi|m}} in length and built [[Beckford's Tower]] at the top.<ref>{{cite web |title=Beckford's Tower & Mortuary Chapel, Lansdown Cemetery |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442844 |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428181721/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442844 |archive-date=28 April 2015 }}</ref>

Emperor [[Haile Selassie]] of Ethiopia spent four years in exile, from 1936 to 1940, at [[Fairfield House, Bath|Fairfield House]] in Bath.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://anglo-ethiopian.org/publications/articles.php?type=O&reference=publications/occasionalpapers/papers/haileselassiebath.php |title=The Emperor Haile Selassie I in Bath 1936–1940 |work=Anglo-Ethiopian Society |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080130085518/http://anglo-ethiopian.org/publications/articles.php?type=O&reference=publications%2Foccasionalpapers%2Fpapers%2Fhaileselassiebath.php |archive-date=30 January 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royalcrescentbath.com/HistoryBathatWar.htm |title=History&nbsp;– Bath at War |access-date=9 December 2007 |work=Royal Crescent Society, Bath |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080131165317/http://www.royalcrescentbath.com/HistoryBathatWar.htm |archive-date=31 January 2008 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

Houses in [[Royal Crescent]], [[The Circus, Bath|Circus]] and [[The Paragon, Bath|Paragon]] were burnt out along with the [[Bath Assembly Rooms|Assembly Rooms]].<ref name=SpenceBlitz/><ref name=RCBomb/> A {{convert|500|kg|adj=on}} [[Explosive material|high explosive]] bomb landed on the east side of [[Queen Square (Bath)|Queen Square]], resulting in houses on the south side being damaged and the [[Francis Hotel, Bath|Francis Hotel]] losing {{convert|24|m}} of its frontage.<ref name=SpenceBlitz>{{cite book |last=Spence |first=Cathryn |title=Bath in the Blitz: Then and Now |year=2012 |publisher=The History Press |location=Stroud |isbn=978-0-7524-6639-2 |page=55 }}</ref> The buildings have all been restored although there are still signs of the bombing.<ref name=SpenceBlitz/><ref name=RCBomb>{{cite web |url=http://www.royalcrescentbath.com/HistoryRoyalCrescent%202.htm#The_Day_Bombs_fell_on_Bath |title=Royal Crescent History: The Day Bombs fell on Bath |access-date=9 December 2007 |work=Royal Crescent Society, Bath |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080131165322/http://www.royalcrescentbath.com/HistoryRoyalCrescent%202.htm |archive-date=31 January 2008 }}</ref>

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, Bath|Weston]] were incorporated into the city to enable the development of housing, much of it [[council house|council housing]].<ref name="BANES-history"/><ref name=moba-2013>{{cite web |url=http://museumofbatharchitecture.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Bath-History-of-Social-Housing-booklet.pdf |title=Council Housing in Bath 1945–2013 – a social history |website=Museum of Bath at Work |year=2013 |access-date=27 August 2023 |archive-date=26 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426190835/http://museumofbatharchitecture.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Bath-History-of-Social-Housing-booklet.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1965, town planner [[Colin Buchanan (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.<ref name="BANES-history">{{Cite book |title=Bath City-Wide Character Appraisal |chapter=Cultural and historical development of Bath |date=31 August 2005 |publisher=Bath & North East Somerset Council |chapter-url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/supplementary-planning-documents-spds/bath-ci |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427084454/http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/supplementary-planning-documents-spds/bath-ci |archive-date=27 April 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=brutalbath>{{cite web |url=http://museumofbatharchitecture.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Brutal-Bath-trail-leaflet.pdf |title=Brutal Bath |publisher=Museum of Bath Architecture |year=2014 |access-date=30 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130202159/http://museumofbatharchitecture.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Brutal-Bath-trail-leaflet.pdf |archive-date=30 November 2018 }}</ref> In 1987, the city was selected by [[UNESCO]] as a [[World Heritage Site]], recognising its international cultural significance.<ref name="BANES-whs">{{cite web |title=Why is Bath a World Heritage Site? |work=City of Bath World Heritage Site |date=7 November 2014 |url=http://www.bathworldheritage.org.uk/why-bath-world-heritage-site |publisher=Bath and North East Somerset |access-date=3 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609225133/http://www.bathworldheritage.org.uk/why-bath-world-heritage-site |archive-date=9 June 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Between 1991 and 2000, Bath was the scene of a series of rapes committed by an unidentified man dubbed the "[[Batman rapist]]".<ref name="Batman">{{cite news |title=The Batman Rapist: What we know about the shocking serial attacker who terrorised women in Bath |url=https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/in-your-area/batman-rapist-what-know-shocking-3210972 |access-date=15 June 2022 |work=Somerset Live |date=1 August 2020 |archive-date=15 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615143815/https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/in-your-area/batman-rapist-what-know-shocking-3210972 |url-status=live }}</ref> The attacker remains at large and is the subject of Britain's longest-running serial rape investigation.<ref name="Batman" /> He is said to have a [[tights]] [[sexual fetish|fetish]], have a scar below his bottom lip and resides in the Bath area or knows it very well.<ref name="Batman" /> He has also been linked to the unsolved [[murder of Melanie Hall]], which occurred in the city in 1996.<ref>{{cite news |title=Parents plead for answers in 13-year-old murder case |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/parents-plead-for-answers-in-13yearold-murder-case-1799966.html |access-date=15 June 2022 |work=The Independent |date=9 October 2009 |archive-date=15 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615151414/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/parents-plead-for-answers-in-13yearold-murder-case-1799966.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Although the offender's DNA is known and several thousand men in Bath were DNA tested, the attacker continues to evade police.<ref name="Batman" />

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southgatebath.com/ |title=South Gate Bath |access-date=8 December 2007 |work=Morley |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026101629/http://www.southgatebath.com/ |archive-date=26 October 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="bathchron-20160611">{{cite news |url=http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/12million-bath-quays-regeneration-project/story-29370279-detail/story.html |title=£12million for Bath Quays regeneration project is approved |author=James Crawley |newspaper=Bath Chronicle |date=11 June 2016 |access-date=22 July 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160930210909/http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/12million-bath-quays-regeneration-project/story-29370279-detail/story.html |archive-date=30 September 2016 }}</ref> 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]]".<ref name="DPA-whs"/> This makes it one of the only places to be formally recognised twice as a [[World Heritage]] site.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bath World Heritage Site {{!}} The City of Bath is exceptional in having two UNESCO inscriptions. |url=https://www.bathworldheritage.org.uk/ |access-date=18 May 2024 |website=www.bathworldheritage.org.uk |language=en |archive-date=18 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518081051/https://www.bathworldheritage.org.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Government==
[[File:Galería de Arte Victoria, Bath, Inglaterra, 2014-08-12, DD 54.JPG|thumb|left|[[Guildhall, Bath|The Guildhall]]]]
Since 1996, the city has had a [[unitary authorities in England|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 ([[Burghal Hidage|burh]]) of [[Alfred the Great]], and was reformed into a [[municipal borough]] in 1835. It has formed part of the [[Historic counties of England|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).<ref>[http://www.mayorofbath.co.uk/saxon-bath Mayor of Bath] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151101202023/http://www.mayorofbath.co.uk/saxon-bath |date=1 November 2015 }} Saxon Bath</ref> However, Bath was made a [[county borough]] in 1889, independent of the newly created [[Administrative counties of England|administrative county]] and [[Somerset County Council]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Keane |first=Patrick |title=An English County and Education: Somerset, 1889–1902 |journal=The English Historical Review |volume=88 |issue=347 |pages=286–311 |doi=10.1093/ehr/LXXXVIII.CCCXLVII.286 |year=1973 }}</ref> Bath became part of [[Avon (county)|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).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/493/contents/made |title=The Avon (Structural Change) Order 1995 |access-date=3 May 2015 |work=HMSO |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113203448/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/493/contents/made |archive-date=13 November 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> The unitary district included also the [[Wansdyke (district)|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, Bath|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 [[Districts of England|district]] of Bath, and there is no longer a [[Parish councils in England|parish council]] for the city. The City of Bath's ceremonial functions, including its [[City status in the United Kingdom|formal status]] as a city, [[#Twinning|its twinning]] arrangements,<ref name=bathnestwins>[http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/tourism-and-heritage/twinning Bath and North East Somerset Council] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017203511/http://bathnes.gov.uk/services/tourism-and-heritage/twinning |date=17 October 2016 }} Twinning</ref> [[List of Mayors of Bath|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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mayorofbath.co.uk/the-charter-trustees-of-the-city-of-bath |title=The Charter Trustees of the City of Bath |access-date=2 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602072939/http://www.mayorofbath.co.uk/the-charter-trustees-of-the-city-of-bath |archive-date=2 June 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The councillors elected by the electoral wards that cover Bath ([[#Electoral wards|see below]]) are the trustees, and they elect one of their number as their chair and mayor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/263/regulation/3/made |title=The Charter Trustees Regulations 1996 |publisher=National Archives |access-date=4 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018190704/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/263/regulation/3/made |archive-date=18 October 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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 797th mayor, who began her office on 3 June 2024, is Michelle O'Doherty. A deputy mayor is also elected.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://mayorofbath.co.uk/the-mayoralty/ |title=The Mayoralty |publisher=The Mayor of Bath |access-date=6 May 2025 }}</ref>

===Coat of arms===
The coat of arms includes a depiction of the [[Bath city walls|city wall]], and two silver stripes representing the [[River Avon, Bristol|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 [[acorn]]s, 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).<ref>{{cite web |title=Arms of The City of Bath |work=The City of Bath |url=http://www.mayorofbath.co.uk/city-arms |access-date=15 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114044117/http://www.mayorofbath.co.uk/city-arms |archive-date=14 January 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> A [[mural crown]], indicating a [[city status in the United Kingdom|city]], is alternatively used instead of the helmet and Edgar's crown.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bath_Guildhall,_Council_chamber,_toward_chair.jpg |title=File:Bath Guildhall, Council chamber, toward chair.jpg – Wikimedia Commons |date=12 April 2011 |publisher=Commons.wikimedia.org |access-date=30 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013144206/https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bath_Guildhall,_Council_chamber,_toward_chair.jpg |archive-date=13 October 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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).

{{Infobox COA wide
|image = Bath_Coat_of_Arms.svg
|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.
|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.
|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.heraldry-wiki.com/heraldrywiki/index.php/Bath_(England) |title=Bath (England) |date=9 September 2022 |publisher=Heraldry of the World |access-date=18 April 2023 |archive-date=18 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418150608/https://www.heraldry-wiki.com/heraldrywiki/index.php/Bath_%28England%29 }}</ref>
|notes = Granted 1971.
}}

===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.<ref>[https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/neighbourhoods-and-community-safety/connecting-communities/bath-city-forum Bath and North East Somerset Council] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404155403/https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/neighbourhoods-and-community-safety/connecting-communities/bath-city-forum |date=4 April 2019 }} Bath City Forum</ref> In 2021, this was re-launched as the Bath Area Forum.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bathnewseum.com/2021/08/25/bath-forum-launched/ |title=Bath Newseum |access-date=28 August 2021 |archive-date=28 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828161921/https://bathnewseum.com/2021/08/25/bath-forum-launched/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Parliamentary elections===
{{See also|Bath (UK Parliament constituency)}}
Bath is one of the oldest extant [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.election.demon.co.uk/prereform.html |title=Parliamentary Constituencies in the unreformed House |work=United Kingdom Election Results |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071105102205/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/prereform.html |archive-date=5 November 2007 |url-status=dead |access-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref> 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 Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] [[Wera Hobhouse]] who beat [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Ben Howlett (politician)|Ben Howlett]] at the [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017 general election]] and retained her seat at the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election.]] Howlett had replaced the retiring [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] [[Don Foster (politician)|Don Foster]] at the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]]. Foster's election was a notable result of the [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992 general election]], as [[Chris Patten]], the previous Member (and [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bath MP Don Foster says he will not stand at 2015 electionk |url=http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/Bath-MP-Don-Foster-says-stand-2015-election/story-20414942-detail/story.html |access-date=3 May 2015 |work=Bath Chronicle |date=9 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518105830/http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/Bath-MP-Don-Foster-says-stand-2015-election/story-20414942-detail/story.html |archive-date=18 May 2015 }}</ref>

===Electoral wards===
The fifteen [[electoral wards]] of Bath are: [[Bathwick]], [[Combe Down]], [[Kingsmead, Bath|Kingsmead]], Lambridge, [[Lansdown, Bath|Lansdown]], Moorlands, [[Newbridge, Bath|Newbridge]], [[Odd Down]], Oldfield Park, Southdown, [[Twerton]], [[Walcot, Bath|Walcot]], [[Westmoreland, Bath|Westmoreland]], [[Weston, Bath|Weston]] and [[Widcombe]] & [[Lyncombe, Bath|Lyncombe]]. These wards are co-extensive with the city, except that Newbridge includes also two parishes beyond the city boundary.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Survey |title=Election maps&nbsp;– Great Britain |access-date=2 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220103943/https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |archive-date=20 February 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 [[2023 Bath and North East Somerset Council election|elections were held on 4 May 2023]] and all wards returned [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] except for Lambridge and Westmoreland which returned [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]] and [[Independent politician|independent]] councillors respectively.

Boundary changes enacted from 2 May 2019 included the abolition of [[Abbey, Bath|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 {{convert|7|miles}} south of the city. The hills that surround and make up the city have a maximum altitude of {{convert|781|ft|0|abbr=off}} on the Lansdown plateau. Bath has an area of {{convert|11|mi2|0|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/environmentandplanning/Pollution/contaminatedland/Pages/default2.aspx |title=Published Contaminated Land Inspection of the area surrounding Bath |publisher=Bath and North East Somerset Council |access-date=25 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513102611/http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/environmentandplanning/Pollution/contaminatedland/Pages/default2.aspx |archive-date=13 May 2012 }}</ref>
[[File:Clevelandhouse.JPG|thumb|alt=A iron bridge spanning water. In the background is a yellow stone building. On the left trees reach out over the water.|right|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 {{cvt|59|ft|0}} above sea level,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://idox.bathnes.gov.uk/WAM/doc/BackGround%20Papers-92552.pdf?extension=.pdf&id=92552&location=VOLUME1&contentType=application/pdf&pageCount=1 |title=Bath Western Riverside Outline Planning Application Design Statement, April 2006, Section 2.0, Site Analysis |date=April 2006 |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810063821/http://idox.bathnes.gov.uk/WAM/doc/BackGround%20Papers-92552.pdf?extension=.pdf&id=92552&location=VOLUME1&contentType=application%2Fpdf&pageCount=1 |archive-date=10 August 2016 }}</ref> although the city centre is at an elevation of around {{convert|25|m|ft}} above sea level.<ref>[[Ordnance Survey]] mapping</ref> The river, once an unnavigable series of [[braided streams]] broken up by [[swamp]]s and ponds, has been managed by [[weir]]s 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Carr's Mill, Lower Bristol Road, Bath Flood Risk Assessment |url=http://idox.bathnes.gov.uk/WAM/doc/BackGround%20Papers-212576.pdf?extension=.pdf&id=212576&location=VOLUME1&contentType=application/pdf&pageCount=1 |publisher=Bath and North East Somerset |access-date=17 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722034626/http://idox.bathnes.gov.uk/WAM/doc/BackGround%20Papers-212576.pdf?extension=.pdf&id=212576&location=VOLUME1&contentType=application%2Fpdf&pageCount=1 |archive-date=22 July 2011 }}</ref> Kensington Meadows is an area of mixed woodland and open meadow next to the river which has been designated as a [[local nature reserve]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Kensington Meadows |url=http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=35&N=&ID=984 |publisher=Natural England |access-date=23 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074101/http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/Special/lnr/lnr_details.asp?C=35&N=&ID=984 |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref>

Water bubbling up from the ground as [[List of geothermal springs in the United Kingdom|geothermal springs]] originates as rain on the [[Mendip Hills]]. The rain percolates through limestone aquifers to a depth of between {{cvt|9000|to|14000|ft|-2}} where geothermal energy raises the water's temperature to between 64 and 96&nbsp;°C (approximately 147–205&nbsp;°F). Under pressure, the heated water rises to the surface along fissures and faults in the limestone. Hot water at a temperature of {{convert|46|°C|°F|0}} rises here at the rate of {{convert|1170000|L|impgal|0}} daily,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseAction=SM.nav&UUID=F9F320C4-1A95-4C04-AC609094E5B5DFD3 |title=Sacred Spring |access-date=31 October 2007 |publisher=Roman Baths Museum Web Site |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102122621/http://romanbaths.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseAction=SM.nav&UUID=F9F320C4-1A95-4C04-AC609094E5B5DFD3 |archive-date=2 November 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/walkthroughs/spa-water-fountain |title=Hot Water |access-date=31 October 2007 |publisher=Roman Baths Museum Web Site |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228065838/http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/walkthroughs/spa-water-fountain |archive-date=28 December 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> There is no universal definition to distinguish a [[hot spring]] from a [[Geothermal gradient|geothermal]] spring, although, by several [[Hot spring#Definitions|definitions]], the Bath springs can be considered the only hot springs in the UK. Three of the springs feed the thermal baths.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Hot Springs of Bath: Geology, geochemistry, geophysics |url=https://www.thermaebathspa.com/the-spa/natural-thermal-waters/ |format=PDF |publisher=Bath and North East Somerset |access-date=26 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113025346/http://www.thermaebathspa.com/the-spa/natural-thermal-waters/ |archive-date=13 January 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===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.<ref name="weather">{{cite web |title=South West England: climate |work=Met Office |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/regional-climates/sw |access-date=3 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060225164404/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/location/southwestengland/index.html |archive-date=25 February 2006 |url-status=live }}</ref> The annual mean temperature is approximately {{convert|10|°C|°F|1}}. 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 {{convert|21|°C|°F|1}}. In winter, mean minimum temperatures of {{convert|1|or|2|°C|°F|1}} are common.<ref name="weather"/> 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&nbsp;hours.<ref name="weather"/>

Most of the rainfall in the south-west is caused by [[Low-pressure area|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 {{cvt|830|mm}}. 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.<ref name="weather"/>
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|metric first = y
|single line = y
|collapsed = Y
|location = Bath (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1959–2005)
|Jan record high C = 14.5
|Feb record high C = 18.4
|Mar record high C = 20.6
|Apr record high C = 25.5
|May record high C = 26.7
|Jun record high C = 32.2
|Jul record high C = 33.0
|Aug record high C = 34.2
|Sep record high C = 27.3
|Oct record high C = 25.0
|Nov record high C = 17.2
|Dec record high C = 15.0
|Jan record low C = -14.0
|Feb record low C = -9.0
|Mar record low C = -6.8
|Apr record low C = -5.0
|May record low C = -0.6
|Jun record low C = 1.1
|Jul record low C = 4.4
|Aug record low C = 4.9
|Sep record low C = -0.1
|Oct record low C = -3.2
|Nov record low C = -7.2
|Dec record low C = -10.0
|Jan high C = 8.0
|Feb high C = 8.5
|Mar high C = 10.9
|Apr high C = 14.0
|May high C = 17.1
|Jun high C = 20.0
|Jul high C = 21.8
|Aug high C = 21.6
|Sep high C = 19.1
|Oct high C = 14.9
|Nov high C = 11.2
|Dec high C = 8.5
| year high C = 14.7
|Jan mean C = 5.1
|Feb mean C = 5.4
|Mar mean C = 7.2
|Apr mean C = 9.6
|May mean C = 12.5
|Jun mean C = 15.3
|Jul mean C = 17.3
|Aug mean C = 17.1
|Sep mean C = 14.8
|Oct mean C = 11.4
|Nov mean C = 8.1
|Dec mean C = 5.5
| year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 2.2
|Feb low C = 2.2
|Mar low C = 3.5
|Apr low C = 5.1
|May low C = 7.8
|Jun low C = 10.6
|Jul low C = 12.7
|Aug low C = 12.6
|Sep low C = 10.4
|Oct low C = 7.9
|Nov low C = 4.9
|Dec low C = 2.5
| year low C = 6.9
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 83.3
|Feb precipitation mm = 57.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 58.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 57.8
|May precipitation mm = 58.8
|Jun precipitation mm = 54.6
|Jul precipitation mm = 57.7
|Aug precipitation mm = 73.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 63.0
|Oct precipitation mm = 86.5
|Nov precipitation mm = 88.7
|Dec precipitation mm = 90.7
|year precipitation mm = 829.9
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 13.2
| Feb precipitation days = 10.8
| Mar precipitation days = 10.2
| Apr precipitation days = 10.0
| May precipitation days = 10.0
| Jun precipitation days = 9.5
| Jul precipitation days = 9.7
| Aug precipitation days = 10.7
| Sep precipitation days = 9.5
| Oct precipitation days = 12.2
| Nov precipitation days = 13.7
| Dec precipitation days = 13.6
| year precipitation days =132.9
|Jan sun = 56.2
|Feb sun = 68.3
|Mar sun = 128.8
|Apr sun = 161.3
|May sun = 197.3
|Jun sun = 192.2
|Jul sun = 210.1
|Aug sun = 198.0
|Sep sun = 146.7
|Oct sun = 104.1
|Nov sun = 67.0
|Dec sun = 51.2
|year sun = 1582.0
| source 1 = [[Met Office]]<ref name="MetOffice">{{cite web |url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/location-specific-long-term-averages/gcnk62de6 |title=Station: Bath, Beechen Cliff School Climate period: 1991–2020 |publisher=Met Office |access-date=15 December 2024 |archive-date=19 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219002356/https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/location-specific-long-term-averages/gcnk62de6 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| source 2 = Starlings Roost Weather<ref>{{cite web |url=http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/ukobs/temp_month_record_tmax_map.php |title=Monthly Extreme Maximum Temperature, Monthly Extreme Minimum Temperature |publisher=Starlings Roost Weather |access-date=16 December 2024 |archive-date=1 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201173843/http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/ukobs/temp_month_record_tmax_map.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}

=== Green belt ===
{{further|Avon Green Belt}}
Bath is fully enclosed by [[Green belt (United Kingdom)|green belt]] as a part of a wider environmental and planning policy first designated in the late 1950s,<ref name="Avon-Green-Belt">{{cite web |title=Bath & North East Somerset Green Belt Review – Stage 1 Report April 2013 – Green Belt history and policy origins |url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sitedocuments/Planning-and-Building-Control/Planning-Policy/Evidence-Base/Environment/gbr_stage1_report.pdf |website=bathnes.gov.uk |access-date=14 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918163736/http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sitedocuments/Planning-and-Building-Control/Planning-Policy/Evidence-Base/Environment/gbr_stage1_report.pdf |archive-date=18 September 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Avon-Green-Belt"/> 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.<ref name="Avon-Green-Belt"/>

==Demography==
===District===
[[File:Christadelphian Hall (Bath).JPG|thumb|alt=Rectangular yellow stone building with flat roof and arched doorway.|upright|right|[[Christadelphians|Christadelphian]] Hall, New King Street]]
According to the [[United Kingdom Census 2021|2021 census]], Bath, together with North East Somerset, which includes areas around Bath as far as the [[Chew Valley]], had a population of 193,400 (up 9.9% from 2011).<ref name="ONS2021">{{cite web |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censusareachanges/E06000022/ |title=How life has changed in Bath and North East Somerset: Census 2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics (ONS) |access-date=1 September 2024 |archive-date=1 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901205529/https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censusareachanges/E06000022/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The district is largely [[non-religious]] and Christian at 47.9% and 42.2%, respectively, with no other religion reaching more than 1%. These figures generally compare with the national averages, though the non-religious, at 47.9%, are significantly more prevalent than the national 36.7%. 84.5% of residents rated their health as good or very good, higher than the national level (81.7%). Nationally, 17.7% of people identified as being disabled; in Bath it is 16.2%.<ref name="ONS2021"/>

The table below compares the unitary authority district as a whole (including the city) and [[South West England]] and contrasts changes since the 2011 census. More detailed updated information, including figures specifically for the city of Bath, appear to be unavailable.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Ethnic groups || Bath and North East Somerset (2011) || Bath and North East Somerset (2021) || South West England (2011) || South West England (2021)
|-
| White || 94.6% || 92.2% || 95.4% || 93.1%
|-
| Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh || 2.6% || 3.3% || 2.0% || 2.8%
|-
| Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African || 0.8% || 1.0% || 0.9% || 1.2%
|-
| Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups || 1.6% || 2.7% || 1.4% || 2.0%
|-
| Other ethnic groups || 0.4% || 0.8% || 0.3% || 0.9%
|}
<ref name="ONS2021"/>

===City===
{{update section|2024|date=March 2024}}
The [[United Kingdom Census 2011|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.<ref name="nomisweb.co.uk">{{cite web |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/asv2htm.aspx |title=official labour market statistics |publisher=Nomisweb.co.uk |access-date=30 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930205650/https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/asv2htm.aspx |archive-date=30 September 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sitedocuments/Planning-and-Building-Control/Planning-Policy/Evidence-Base/Recreation-Cultural-and-Services/BathandNorthEastSomersetCulturalStrategy2011-2026.pdf Bath and North East Somerset Council] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150921203252/http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sitedocuments/Planning-and-Building-Control/Planning-Policy/Evidence-Base/Recreation-Cultural-and-Services/BathandNorthEastSomersetCulturalStrategy2011-2026.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/sites/default/files/sitedocuments/Planning-and-Building-Control/Planning-Policy/Evidence-Base/Recreation-Cultural-and-Services/BathandNorthEastSomersetCulturalStrategy2011-2026.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |date=21 September 2015 }} Bath and North East Somerset Cultural Strategy 2011– 2026 – page 40</ref> By 2019, the population was estimated at 90,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/24/bath-bans-coaches-complaints-day-trippers-bring-pollution/ |title=Bath bans coaches, over complaints day-trippers only bring pollution |website=The Telegraph |date=24 December 2019 |access-date=12 June 2020 |archive-date=28 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128215330/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/24/bath-bans-coaches-complaints-day-trippers-bring-pollution/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

An inhabitant of Bath is known as a Bathonian.<ref>{{cite web |title='Bathonian' entry |url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bathonian |work=Collins English Dictionary |publisher=Collins |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404143253/http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/bathonian |archive-date=4 April 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! 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%<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/british-population/national-and-regional-populations/regional-ethnic-diversity/latest |title=Regional ethnic diversity |website=gov.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909035735/https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/british-population/national-and-regional-populations/regional-ethnic-diversity/latest |archive-date=9 September 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|}

<ref name="nomisweb.co.uk"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/south-west-e12000009#sthash.t3QU83dX.sLskmX3b.dpbs |title=South West – UK Census Data 2011 |first=Good Stuff IT |last=Services |website=UK Census Data |access-date=28 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528083536/http://www.ukcensusdata.com/south-west-e12000009#sthash.t3QU83dX.sLskmX3b.dpbs |archive-date=28 May 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/bath-and-north-east-somerset-e06000022#sthash.wwOanMKH.dpbs |title=Bath and North East Somerset – UK Census Data 2011 |first=Good Stuff IT |last=Services |website=UK Census Data |access-date=28 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710190201/http://www.ukcensusdata.com/bath-and-north-east-somerset-e06000022#sthash.wwOanMKH.dpbs |archive-date=10 July 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==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.<ref name="bathchron-20110428">{{cite news |url=http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/s-integral-role-city-s-rich-industrial-heritage/story-11346714-detail/story.html |title=Mill's integral role in city's rich industrial heritage |newspaper=Bath Chronicle |date=28 April 2011 |access-date=2 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009040146/http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/s-integral-role-city-s-rich-industrial-heritage/story-11346714-detail/story.html |archive-date=9 October 2015 }}</ref> Significant Bath companies included [[Stothert & Pitt]], [[Bath Cabinet Makers]] and [[Portland stone#History of use|Bath & Portland Stone]].

During and after [[World War II]] Bath was a major location of [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|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, Bath|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.<ref name=bbc-20081001>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7646368.stm |title=Abbey Wood expansion to commence |work=BBC News |date=1 October 2008 |access-date=27 August 2023 }}</ref><ref name=bbc-20130330>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-21975758 |title=MoD sells off sites in Bath for housing |work=BBC News |date=30 March 2013 |access-date=27 August 2023 }}</ref>

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.<ref>[https://www.rotork.com/en/contact-us Rotork] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423215316/https://www.rotork.com/en/contact-us |date=23 April 2024 }} Head Office Contact Details</ref> 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).<ref name="jobs">{{cite web |url=http://www.business-matters.biz/site.aspx?i=pg64 |title=Bath in Focus |access-date=12 December 2007 |work=Business Matters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301081407/http://www.business-matters.biz/site.aspx?i=pg64 |archive-date=1 March 2012 }}</ref>

Major employers are the [[National Health Service]], [[Bath Spa University]], the [[University of Bath]], 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,<ref name="jobs"/> with the magazine and digital publisher [[Future plc]] employing around 650 people. Others include [[Buro Happold]] (400) and IPL Information Processing Limited (250).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.business-matters.biz/site.aspx?i=pg46 |title=Economic Profile |access-date=21 November 2009 |format=PDF |work=Bath and North East Somerset |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301081414/http://www.business-matters.biz/site.aspx?i=pg46 |archive-date=1 March 2012 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="jobs"/>

===Tourism===
[[File:Bath Abbey and Entertainer - July 2006.jpg|thumb|alt=Gray paved area with lots of people around brightly dressed performer. To the right is a yellow stone building and in the background the tower of the abbey. |right|Bath is popular with tourists all year round. An entertainer is performing in front of [[Bath Abbey]]; the [[Roman Baths (Bath)|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&nbsp;million day visitors.<ref name="jobs"/> 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.<ref name="BANES-history"/> All significant stages of the [[history of England]] are represented within the city, from the Roman Baths (including their significant [[Celts|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&nbsp;– including more than 80 hotels, two of which have 'five-star' ratings,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/310563/aa-listed-five-star-hotelsl |title=AA-listed five-star hotels |access-date=3 May 2015 |work=Caterer Search |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129053048/https://www.thecaterer.com/articles/310563/aa-listed-five-star-hotelsl |archive-date=29 November 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> over 180 [[bed and breakfast]]s&nbsp;– many of which are located in [[Georgian architecture|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 [[pub]]s 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome |url=http://www.thermaebathspa.com/ |publisher=Thermae Bath Spa |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428224522/http://www.thermaebathspa.com/ |archive-date=28 April 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.google.com/landing/beststreetsuk/index.html |title=Google Street View Awards 2010 |access-date=8 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211140451/https://www.google.com/landing/beststreetsuk/index.html |archive-date=11 February 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8554388.stm |title=The Shambles, York, named Britain's 'most picturesque' |work=BBC News |date=8 March 2010 |access-date=8 March 2010 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123225452/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8554388.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Architecture==
{{Main|Buildings and architecture of Bath}}
There are many Roman [[archaeological]] sites throughout the central area of the city. The [[Roman Baths (Bath)|baths]] themselves are about {{convert|6|m|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.<ref name="appx3">{{cite web |url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/worldheritage/3Append.htm |title=City of Bath World Heritage Site Management Plan&nbsp;– Appendix 3 |work=Bath and North East Somerset Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070804014112/http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/worldheritage/3Append.htm |archive-date=4 August 2007 |access-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref>

Bath Abbey was a [[Norman architecture|Norman]] church built on earlier foundations. The present building dates from the early 16th century and shows a [[Perpendicular Gothic|late Perpendicular]] style with [[flying buttress]]es and [[crocket]]ed [[pinnacle]]s decorating a [[crenellated]] and pierced [[parapet]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Bath Abbey |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442109 |access-date=4 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428135539/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442109 |archive-date=28 April 2015 }}</ref> The choir and transepts have a [[fan vault]] by [[Robert Vertue|Robert]] and [[William Vertue]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.buildinghistory.org/bath/abbey/vertue.shtml |title=A Building of Vertue |work=Bath Past |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090510081753/http://www.buildinghistory.org/bath/abbey/vertue.shtml |archive-date=10 May 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> A matching vault was added to the nave in the 19th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.planetware.com/bath/bath-abbey-eng-av-baabb.htm |title=Bath Abbey |access-date=9 December 2007 |work=Planet Ware |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012195250/http://www.planetware.com/bath/bath-abbey-eng-av-baabb.htm |archive-date=12 October 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> The building is lit by 52 windows.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sacred-destinations.com/england/bath-abbey |title=Bath Abbey |access-date=27 September 2007 |work=Sacred destinations |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018141230/http://www.sacred-destinations.com/england/bath-abbey |archive-date=18 October 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:bath abbey from the east arp.jpg|thumb|alt=Ornate yellow stone building with tower, partially obscured by trees.|left|[[Bath Abbey]] seen from the east]]
Most buildings in Bath are made from the local, golden-coloured Bath stone,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Bath-England |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica |title=Bath, England |access-date=24 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402182714/https://www.britannica.com/place/Bath-England |archive-date=2 April 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> and many date from the 18th and 19th century. The dominant style of architecture in Central Bath is Georgian;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.essential-architecture.com/STYLE/STY-E02.htm |title=Georgian architecture |access-date=12 December 2007 |work=Essential Architecture.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113112203/http://www.essential-architecture.com/STYLE/STY-E02.htm |archive-date=13 November 2007 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Social Decline and Slum Conditions: Irish migrants in Bath's History |last=David |first=Graham |year=2000 |journal=Bath History Vol VIII |publisher=[[Bath Spa University]] |pages=134–147 }}</ref> The masons [[Reeves of Bath]] were prominent in the city from the 1770s to 1860s.<ref>{{cite web |title=St Mary's Churchyard |url=http://bathwickparishes.org/stmarys/ |publisher=Friends of St Mary's Churchyard |access-date=26 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630124706/http://bathwickparishes.org/stmarys/ |archive-date=30 June 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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.<ref name="gadd">{{cite book |last1=Gadd |first1=David |title=Georgian Summer: Rise and Development of Bath |date=1987 |publisher=Countryside Books |isbn=978-0905392608 |edition=2 |page=50 }}</ref> Like the Colosseum, the three façades have a different order of architecture on each floor: [[Doric order|Doric]] on the ground level, then [[Ionic order|Ionic]] on the [[piano nobile]], and finishing with [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]] on the upper floor, the style of the building thus becoming progressively more ornate as it rises.<ref name="gadd"/> 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.<ref name="gadd"/>
[[File:Bath Abbey Nave Fan Vaulting, Somerset, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Fan vault]]ing 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Royal Crescent |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=447275 |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219035854/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=447275 |archive-date=19 December 2007 }}</ref> Wood designed the great curved façade of what appears to be about 30 houses with Ionic [[column]]s 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.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gogarty |first1=Paul |title=Bath: Georgian on my mind |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/722542/Bath-Georgian-on-my-mind.html |access-date=4 April 2017 |work=Telegraph |date=1 July 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404220410/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/722542/Bath-Georgian-on-my-mind.html |archive-date=4 April 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Forsyth |first1=Michael |title=Pevsner Architectural Guides: Bath |date=2003 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0300101775 |page=148 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Subjects and Citizens: Nation, Race, and Gender from Oroonoko to Anita Hill |last1=Moon |first1=Michael |first2=Cathy N. |last2=Davidson |year=1995 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0-8223-1539-1 |page=405 }}</ref> Other fine terraces elsewhere in the city include Lansdown Crescent<ref>{{cite web |title=1 to 20 Lansdown Crescent |work=Images of England |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=442760 |publisher=Historic England |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502233639/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442760 |archive-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref> and [[Somerset Place, Bath|Somerset Place]] on the northern hill.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=443615 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018004620/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=443615 |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 October 2012 |title=Nos 5–20, Somerset Place, Bath |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |access-date=10 January 2009 }}</ref>

Around 1770 the [[neoclassicism|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.<ref name="pultney">{{cite journal |last=Manco |first=Jean |year=1995 |title=Pulteney Bridge |journal=[[Architectural History (journal)|Architectural History]] |volume=38 |pages=129–145 |doi=10.2307/1568625 |jstor=1568625 |publisher=SAHGB Publications Limited |s2cid=246044781 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="pultney"/> It has been substantially altered since it was built. The bridge was named after Frances and [[Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet|William Pulteney]], the owners of the Bathwick estate for which the bridge provided a link to the rest of Bath.<ref name="pultney"/> 
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 (architect)|Thomas Baldwin]], a local builder responsible for many other buildings in the city, including the terraces in Argyle Street<ref>{{cite book |title=A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840 |last=Colvin |first=Howard |author-link=Howard Colvin |isbn=978-0-300-07207-5 |year=1997 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven |edition=3rd |page=97 }}</ref> and the [[Guildhall, Bath|Guildhall]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442118 |title=Guildhall |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |access-date=25 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531182450/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442118 |archive-date=31 May 2012 }}</ref> Baldwin rose rapidly, becoming a leader in Bath's architectural history.

In 1776, he was made the chief [[Bath City Surveyor|City Surveyor]], and [[Bath City Architect]].<ref>{{cite book |title=A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600–1840 |last=Colvin |first=Howard |author-link=Howard Colvin |isbn=978-0-300-07207-5 |year=1997 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven |edition=3rd |page=96 }}</ref> [[Great Pulteney Street]], where he eventually lived, is another of his works: this wide [[boulevard]], constructed around 1789 and over {{convert|1000|ft|m|0}} long and {{convert|100|ft|m|0}} wide, is lined on both sides by Georgian terraces.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442581 |title=Nos 1 to 7 (consec), Nos 8 to 10 (consec), 10A, ll to 20 (consec), No 21, Nos 22 to 3O (consec), Nos 31 to 34 (consec), Nos 35 & 36, No 37 and Nos 38 to 40 (consec) Great Pulteney Street |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |access-date=19 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006184816/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442581 |archive-date=6 October 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442583 |title=No 41A Nos 42 to 77 Great Pulteney Street |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |access-date=19 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006233335/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442583 |archive-date=6 October 2010 }}</ref>

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''.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Image of Georgian Bath, 1700–2000: Towns, Heritage, and History |last=Borsay |first=Peter |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-820265-3 |page=191 }}</ref> 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 [[Bath bus station|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 [[mock-Georgian|neo-Georgian]] shopping streets.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southgatebath.com/ |title=SouthGate Official Website |access-date=1 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026101629/http://www.southgatebath.com/ |archive-date=26 October 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathheritagewatchdog.org/churchill.htm |title=Bath Heritage Watchdog |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007122032/http://www.bathheritagewatchdog.org/churchill.htm |archive-date=7 October 2008 |url-status=live |access-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/apr/06/bath-heritage-architecture |title=Will Bath lose its World Heritage status? |last=Glancey |first=Jonathan |date=6 April 2009 |work=The Guardian |location=UK |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409064044/http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/apr/06/bath-heritage-architecture |archive-date=9 April 2009 |url-status=live |access-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref> The decision was made to let Bath keep its status, but UNESCO asked to be consulted on future phases of the Riverside development,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/8119528.stm |title=Bath keeps world heritage status |date=25 June 2009 |work=BBC News |access-date=13 September 2009 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123225453/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/8119528.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> saying that the density and volume of buildings in the second and third phases of the development need to be reconsidered.<ref name=bptjune09>{{cite web |url=http://www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk/index.php?s=file_download&id=118 |format=PDF |title=UNESCO demand for enhanced protection of Bath's surrounding landscape 'urgent and timely', says Bath Preservation Trust |publisher=[[Bath Preservation Trust]] |date=25 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830190103/http://www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk/index.php?s=file_download&id=118 |archive-date=30 August 2009 |url-status=live |access-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref> It also demanded Bath do more to attract world-class architecture in new developments.<ref name=bptjune09/>

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]]".<ref name="DPA-whs">{{cite news |url=https://www.dpa-international.com/topic/great-spas-europe-awarded-unesco-world-heritage-status-urn%3Anewsml%3Adpa.com%3A20090101%3A210724-99-511232 |title='Great Spas of Europe' awarded UNESCO World Heritage status |first=Andreas |last=Landwehr |work=Deutsche Presse-Agentur |date=24 July 2021 |access-date=25 July 2021 |archive-date=25 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725045739/https://www.dpa-international.com/topic/great-spas-europe-awarded-unesco-world-heritage-status-urn%3Anewsml%3Adpa.com%3A20090101%3A210724-99-511232 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{{Clear}}
{{wide image|Royal Crescent in Bath, England - July 2006.jpg|1000px|alt=Wide image of a symmetrical semicircular terrace of yellow stone buildings. Grass in the foreground.|Panoramic view of the [[Royal Crescent]]}}

==Culture==
[[File:Pulteney Bridge, Bath 2.jpg|thumb|alt=Yellow/Gray stone bridge with three arches over water which reflects the bridge and the church spire behind. A weir is on the left with other yellow stone buildings behind.|upright|right|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,<ref>{{cite web |title=1 to 20 Lansdown Crescent |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442760 |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502233639/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442760 |archive-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref> the Royal Crescent,<ref>{{cite web |title=Royal Crescent |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=443488 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103232721/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=443488 |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 November 2007 |access-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref> [[The Circus (Bath)|The Circus]], and Pulteney Bridge were built.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pulteney Bridge |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=443316 |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428134233/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=443316 |archive-date=28 April 2015 }}</ref>

Bath's five theatres&nbsp;– [[Theatre Royal, Bath|Theatre Royal]], [[Ustinov Studio]], [[The egg, Bath|the Egg]], the [[Rondo Theatre]], and the [[Mission Theatre]]&nbsp;– attract internationally renowned companies and directors and an annual season by [[Peter Hall (director)|Sir Peter Hall]]. The city has a long-standing musical tradition; Bath Abbey, home to the [[Klais Orgelbau|Klais Organ]] and the largest concert venue in the city,<ref>{{cite web |title=Abbey Church |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442109 |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428135539/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442109 |archive-date=28 April 2015 }}</ref> stages about 20 concerts and 26 organ recitals each year. Another concert venue, the 1,600-seat [[art deco]] [[The Forum, Bath|The Forum]], originated as a cinema. The city holds the annual [[Bath International Music Festival]] and Mozartfest, the annual [[Bath Literature Festival]] (and its [[Bath Festival of Children's Literature|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sites.google.com/site/bardofbath/ |title=Bard of Bath |publisher=Bard of Bath |access-date=10 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408165026/http://sites.google.com/site/bardofbath/ |archive-date=8 April 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The city is home to the [[Victoria Art Gallery]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Victoria Art Gallery |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442375 |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615202324/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=442375 |archive-date=15 June 2009 }}</ref> the [[Museum of East Asian Art, Bath|Museum of East Asian Art]], and [[Holburne Museum]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Holburne of Menstrie Museum |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=443742 |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428181731/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=443742 |archive-date=28 April 2015 }}</ref> numerous commercial art galleries and antique shops, as well as a number of other museums, among them [[Bath Postal Museum]], the [[Fashion Museum, Bath|Fashion Museum]], the [[Jane Austen Centre]], the [[Herschel Museum of Astronomy]] and the Roman Baths.<ref>{{cite web |title=Roman Baths Treatment Centre |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=442194 |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615202319/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=442194 |archive-date=15 June 2009 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Library and archives |url=http://www.brlsi.org/library-archives |publisher=Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721171510/http://www.brlsi.org/library-archives |archive-date=21 July 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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 [[Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon|Countess of Huntingdon]]'s Chapel, as she lived in the attached house from 1707 to 1791.<ref>{{cite web |title=Trinity Presbyterian Church (Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel) and Chapel House, forecourt wall, gatepiers and gates |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=443914 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022003255/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=443914 |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 October 2012 |access-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref>

===The arts===
[[File:Holbornemuseum.jpg|thumb|[[Holburne Museum]]]]
During the 18th century [[Thomas Gainsborough]] and [[Sir Thomas Lawrence]] lived and worked in Bath.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.artchive.com/artchive/G/gainsborough.html |title=Thomas Gainsborough |access-date=9 December 2007 |work=The Artchive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214172531/http://www.artchive.com/artchive/G/gainsborough.html |archive-date=14 December 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.histclo.com/art/artist-law.html |title=Artists Illustrating Boys' Fashions: Sir Thomas Lawrence (England, 1769–1830) |work=Historical Boys Clothing |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924030255/http://www.histclo.com/art/artist-law.html |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[John Maggs]], a painter best known for coaching scenes, was born and lived in Bath with his artistic family.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arthistoryclub.com/art_history/John_Maggs |title=John Maggs |publisher=Art History Club |access-date=27 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213144132/http://www.arthistoryclub.com/art_history/John_Maggs |archive-date=13 February 2012 }}</ref>

[[Jane Austen]] lived there from 1801 with her father, mother and sister Cassandra, and the family resided at four different addresses until 1806.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.janeausten.co.uk/ |title=Jane Austen Centre |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526093209/http://www.janeausten.co.uk/ |archive-date=26 May 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite book |title=Jane Austen: A Life |last=David |first=David |year=1998 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-21606-8 |page=264 }}</ref> Bath has honoured her name with the Jane Austen Centre and a city walk. Austen's ''[[Northanger Abbey]]'' and ''[[Persuasion (novel)|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]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.victorian-cinema.net/friesegreene.htm |title=William Friese Greene |access-date=9 December 2007 |work=Who's Who of Victorian Cinema |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018232840/http://www.victorian-cinema.net/friesegreene.htm |archive-date=18 October 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 (character)|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dickens-literature.com/The_Pickwick_Papers/ |title=The Pickwick Papers |access-date=10 December 2007 |work=Complete works of Charles Dickens |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207011018/http://www.dickens-literature.com/The_Pickwick_Papers/ |archive-date=7 December 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Moyra Caldecott]]'s novel ''The Waters of Sul'' is set in Roman Bath in AD&nbsp;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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pageturners |url=http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/Pageturners/story-19340352-detail/story.html |access-date=4 May 2015 |work=Bath Chronicle |date=20 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923192528/http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/Pageturners/story-19340352-detail/story.html |archive-date=23 September 2015 }}</ref> [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan]]'s play ''[[The Rivals]]'' takes place in the city,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theatrehistory.com/irish/rivals.html |title=The Rivals: A synopsis of the play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan |work=Theatre History.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130135018/http://www.theatrehistory.com/irish/rivals.html |archive-date=30 November 2007 |url-status=live |access-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref> as does [[Roald Dahl]]'s chilling short story, [[The Landlady (short story)|''The Landlady'']].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/britlit/landlady |format=PDF |title=The Landlady by Roald Dahl |access-date=21 November 2009 |work=Teaching English |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012042247/http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/britlit/landlady |archive-date=12 October 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Many films and television programmes have been filmed using its architecture as the backdrop, including the 2004 [[Vanity Fair (2004 film)|film]] of [[William Makepeace Thackeray|Thackeray]]'s ''[[Vanity Fair (novel)|Vanity Fair]]'',<ref name="imdb"/> ''[[The Duchess (film)|The Duchess]]'' (2008),<ref name="imdb"/> ''[[The Elusive Pimpernel (1950 film)|The Elusive Pimpernel]]'' (1950)<ref name="imdb"/> and ''[[The Titfield Thunderbolt]]'' (1953).<ref name="imdb">{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/search/title?endings=on&&locations=Bath,%20Somerset,%20England,%20UK&&heading=18;with+locations+including;Bath,%20Somerset,%20England,%20UK |title=Titles with locations including Bath, Somerset |access-date=10 December 2007 |publisher=Internet Movie Database |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123225454/https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?endings=on&locations=Bath%2C+Somerset%2C+England%2C+UK&heading=18&with+locations+including=&Bath%2C+Somerset%2C+England%2C+UK= |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2012, Pulteney Weir was used as a replacement location during post production of the film adaptation of [[Les Misérables (2012 film)|''Les Misérables'']]. Stunt shots were filmed in October 2012 after footage acquired during the main filming period was found to have errors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/Hollywood-comes-Bath-Les-Miserables-filmed/story-17148621-detail/story.html |title=Movie version of West End musical Les Miserables filming in Bath |publisher=This is Bath |date=23 October 2012 |access-date=26 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023130633/http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/Hollywood-comes-Bath-Les-Miserables-filmed/story-17148621-detail/story.html |archive-date=23 October 2013 }}</ref> The ITV police drama [[McDonald & Dodds]] is set and mostly filmed in Bath using many of the city's famous sites.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Selby |first=Jenn |date=15 March 2020 |title=All the filming locations for scenic crime drama McDonald & Dodds |url=https://inews.co.uk/culture/mcdonald-and-dodds-filming-locations-where-filmed-itv-bath-bristol-drama-series-403165 |access-date=19 July 2022 |website=inews.co.uk |language=en |archive-date=19 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719123453/https://inews.co.uk/culture/mcdonald-and-dodds-filming-locations-where-filmed-itv-bath-bristol-drama-series-403165 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In August 2003 [[The Three Tenors]] sang at a concert to mark the opening of the Thermae Bath Spa, a new hot water [[Thermae|spa]] in the city centre, but delays to the project meant the spa actually opened three years later on 7 August 2006.<ref>{{cite web |last=Carey |first=Peter |title=Reviving the Cross Bath |url=http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/crossbath/crossbath.htm |publisher=Building Conservation |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923195123/http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/crossbath/crossbath.htm |archive-date=23 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2008, 104 decorated pigs were displayed around the city in a public art event called "King Bladud's Pigs in Bath". It celebrated the city, its origins and artists. Decorated pig sculptures were displayed throughout the summer and were auctioned to raise funds for [[Two Tunnels Greenway]].<ref>{{cite web |title=King Bladud's Pigs in Bath |url=http://www.kingbladudspigs.org/ |publisher=King Bladud's Pigs in Bath |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509220216/http://www.kingbladudspigs.org/ |archive-date=9 May 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Parks===
[[File:Bath - Parade Gardens - July 2006.jpg|thumb|alt=Large green area with small open- sided structure in the middle. Behind is a yellow-coloured building.|right|Parade Gardens and the [[Empire Hotel, Bath|Empire Hotel]].]]
[[Royal Victoria Park, Bath|Royal Victoria Park]], a short walk from the city centre, was opened in 1830 by the 11-year-old [[Queen Victoria|Princess Victoria]], and was the first park to carry her name.<ref>{{cite web |title=Royal Victoria Park |url=http://visitbath.co.uk/things-to-do/royal-victoria-park-p25701 |publisher=Visit Bath |access-date=4 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150314233748/http://visitbath.co.uk/things-to-do/royal-victoria-park-p25701 |archive-date=14 March 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[public park]] is overlooked by the Royal Crescent and covers {{convert|23|ha|acre}}.<ref name="vicpark">{{cite web |url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/sport-leisure-and-parks/parks-opening-times-and-locations/royal-victoria-park |title=Victoria Park |access-date=9 December 2007 |work=City of Bath |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922135221/http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/sport-leisure-and-parks/parks-opening-times-and-locations/royal-victoria-park |archive-date=22 September 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It has<ref name="vicpark"/> a [[skatepark]], tennis courts, a [[bowling green]], a putting green and a 12- and 18-hole golf course, a pond, open-air concerts, an annual [[travelling funfair]] at Easter,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/10-places-visit-Easter-Bath/story-15589562-detail/story.html |title=Here are 10 places to visit over Easter in Bath |date=22 March 2012 |newspaper=[[Bath Chronicle]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822154519/http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/10-places-visit-Easter-Bath/story-15589562-detail/story.html |archive-date=22 August 2012 |access-date=13 June 2012 }}</ref> and a children's play area. Much of its area is [[lawn]]; a notable feature is a [[ha-ha]] that segregates it from the Royal Crescent while giving the impression from the Crescent of uninterrupted grassland across the park to Royal Avenue. It has a "[[Green Flag Award]]", the national standard for parks and green spaces in England and Wales, and is registered by [[English Heritage]] as of [[Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England|National Historic Importance]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greenflagaward.org.uk/winners/GSP001022/ |title=Royal Victoria Park |access-date=25 January 2008 |work=Green Flag award |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080206023920/http://www.greenflagaward.org.uk/winners/GSP001022/ |archive-date=6 February 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The {{convert|3.84|ha|acre|adj=on}} botanical gardens were formed in 1887 and contain one of the finest collections of plants on limestone in the [[West Country]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/sport-leisure-and-parks/parks-opening-times-and-locations/botanic-gardens |title=measurement given in acres |publisher=Bathnes.gov.uk |access-date=24 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922135157/http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/sport-leisure-and-parks/parks-opening-times-and-locations/botanic-gardens |archive-date=22 September 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

A replica Roman Temple was built at the [[British Empire Exhibition]] at [[Wembley]] in 1924, and, following the exhibition, was dismantled and rebuilt in Victoria Park in Bath.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2007/06/27/royal_victoria_park_feature.shtml |title=Playing in the park |publisher=BBC Bristol |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205031448/http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2007/06/27/royal_victoria_park_feature.shtml |archive-date=5 February 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1987, the gardens were extended to include the Great Dell, a disused quarry with a collection of [[conifers]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Great Dell |url=http://visitbath.co.uk/things-to-do/the-botanical-gardens-p26041 |publisher=Bath Botanical Gardens |access-date=26 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209184614/http://visitbath.co.uk/things-to-do/the-botanical-gardens-p26041 |archive-date=9 February 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Other parks include Alexandra Park on a hill overlooking the city; [[Parade Gardens]], along the river near the abbey in the city centre; [[Sydney Gardens]], an 18th-century pleasure garden; Henrietta Park; Hedgemead Park; and Alice Park. [[Jane Austen]] wrote "It would be pleasant to be near the Sydney Gardens. We could go into the Labyrinth every day."<ref>{{cite book |title=Jane Austen: Her homes & her friends |url=https://archive.org/details/janeaustenherhom00hilluoft |last=Hill |first=Constance |year=1901 |publisher=John Lane. Dodley Head Ltd }}</ref> Alexandra, Alice and Henrietta parks were built into the growing city among the housing developments.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avongardenstrust.org.uk/gardens.html |title=Local parks and gardens |access-date=21 November 2009 |work=Avon Gardens Trust |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417001818/http://www.avongardenstrust.org.uk/gardens.html |archive-date=17 April 2014 }}</ref> Linear Park is built on the old [[Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway]] line,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Linear Park {{!}} Bathnes |url=https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/sport-leisure-and-parks/parks-green-spaces/find-park/linear-park |access-date=9 November 2020 |website=www.bathnes.gov.uk |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109054119/https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/sport-leisure-and-parks/parks-green-spaces/find-park/linear-park |url-status=live }}</ref> and connects with the [[Two Tunnels Greenway]] which contains the longest cycling and walking tunnel in the UK. [[Cleveland Pools]] were built around 1815 close to the River Avon,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=445855 |title=Cleveland Baths |work=Images of England |publisher=Historic England |access-date=25 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301214737/http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=445855 |archive-date=1 March 2012 }}</ref> now the oldest surviving public outdoor [[Lido (swimming pool)|lido]] in England.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Morris |first1=Steven |title=Bath's Georgian swimming pool wins £4.5&nbsp;m towards restoration |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/aug/11/bath-georgian-swimming-pool-wins-funding-restoration |access-date=3 May 2015 |work=The Guardian |date=11 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504180019/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/aug/11/bath-georgian-swimming-pool-wins-funding-restoration |archive-date=4 May 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Restoration was completed in 2023, after a 20 year fund-raising campaign, with the lido opening for the first time in 40 years on 10 September.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Tracey |last2=Limbu |first2=Dawn |title=Cleveland Pools: Bath's Georgian lido reopens after 40 years |work=BBC News |date=10 September 2023 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-66769385 |access-date=10 September 2023 |archive-date=11 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230911002604/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-66769385 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Queen Victoria===
Victoria Art Gallery and Royal Victoria Park are named after [[Queen Victoria]], who wrote in her journal in 1837, "The people are really too kind to me."<ref name="www.queenvictoriasjournals.org displayItem">{{cite web |title=RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 27 May 1837 (Lord Esher's copies). |url=http://www.queenvictoriasjournals.org/search/displayItem.do?FormatType=fulltextimgsrc&QueryType=articles&ResultsID=2738801173692&filterSequence=0&PageNumber=1&ItemNumber=2&ItemID=qvj01737&volumeType=ESHER |access-date=24 May 2013 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123225454/http://qvj.chadwyck.com/marketing.do?FormatType=fulltextimgsrc&QueryType=articles&ResultsID=2738801173692&filterSequence=0&PageNumber=1&ItemNumber=2&ItemID=qvj01737&volumeType=ESHER |url-status=live }}</ref> This feeling seemed to have been reciprocated by the people of Bath: "Lord James O'Brien brought a drawing of the intended pillar which the people of Bath are so kind as to erect in commemoration of my 18th birthday."<ref name="www.queenvictoriasjournals.org displayItem"/>

===Food===
[[File:BathSallyLunn's.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Building with large white framed windows.|right|Sally Lunn's, home of the [[Sally Lunn bun]]]]
Several foods have an association with the city. ''[[Sally Lunn bun]]s'' (a type of [[teacake]]) have long been baked in Bath. They were first mentioned by name in verses printed in the [[Bath Chronicle]], in 1772.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/SallyLunnCake.htm |title=History of Sally Lunn Cake |access-date=10 December 2007 |work=Whats cooking America |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106085446/http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/SallyLunnCake.htm |archive-date=6 January 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> At that time they were eaten hot at public breakfasts in Spring Gardens. They can be eaten with sweet or savoury toppings and are sometimes confused with ''[[Bath bun]]s'', which are smaller, round, very sweet and very rich. They were associated with the city following [[The Great Exhibition]]. Bath buns were originally topped with crushed [[comfit]]s created by dipping [[caraway]] seeds repeatedly in boiling sugar; but today seeds are added to a 'London Bath Bun' (a reference to the bun's promotion and sale at the Great Exhibition).<ref>{{cite book |title=Oxford Companion to Food p 114 |last=Davidson |first=Alan |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-19-211579-9 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00davi_0 }}</ref> The seeds may be replaced by crushed sugar granules or 'nibs'.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bath buns |url=http://recipewise.co.uk/bath-buns |publisher=Recipewise |access-date=26 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019180701/http://recipewise.co.uk/bath-buns |archive-date=19 October 2013 }}</ref>

Bath has lent its name to one other distinctive recipe&nbsp;– ''[[Bath Oliver]]s''&nbsp;– a dry baked biscuit invented by Dr William Oliver, physician to the [[Mineral Water Hospital]] in 1740.<ref name="oliver">{{cite web |url=http://www.cornwall-calling.co.uk/famous-cornish-people/oliver.htm |title=Dr William Oliver, Bath Oliver Biscuit Inventor |access-date=9 December 2007 |work=Cornwall calling |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071116174136/http://www.cornwall-calling.co.uk/famous-cornish-people/oliver.htm |archive-date=16 November 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> Oliver was an anti-obesity campaigner and author of a ''"Practical Essay on the Use and Abuse of warm Bathing in Gluty Cases"''.<ref name="oliver"/> In more recent years, Oliver's efforts have been traduced by the introduction of a version of the biscuit with a plain chocolate coating. [[Bath chaps]], the salted and smoked cheek and jawbones of the pig, takes its name from the city<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-Bathchap.html |title=Bath chap |work=A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition, Oxford University Press |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924134217/http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-Bathchap.html |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> and is available from a stall in the daily covered market. [[Bath Ales]] brewery is located in [[Warmley]] and [[Abbey Ales]] are brewed in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abbeyales.co.uk/page.asp?id=aboutus |title=About Abbey Ales |access-date=7 January 2008 |work=Abbey Ales |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619050133/http://www.abbeyales.co.uk/page.asp?id=aboutus |archive-date=19 June 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Twinning===
[[Sister city|City twinning]] is the responsibility of the Charter Trustees and each twinning arrangement is managed by a Twinning Association.<ref name="twinning">{{cite web |url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/services/tourism-and-heritage/twinning |title=Twinning |access-date=7 May 2015 |work=Bath and North East Somerset Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017203511/http://bathnes.gov.uk/services/tourism-and-heritage/twinning |archive-date=17 October 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Bath twinnings">{{cite web |url=http://www.mayorofbath.co.uk/twinning-associations |title=Bath's Twinning Associations |access-date=15 July 2013 |work=The Mayor of Bath |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130803141431/http://www.mayorofbath.co.uk/twinning-associations |archive-date=3 August 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> Bath is twinned with four other cities in Europe:
* [[Aix-en-Provence]], France<ref name="Bath twinnings"/><ref name="Archant twinning">{{cite web |url=http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns |title=British towns twinned with French towns |work=Archant Community Media Ltd |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705094933/http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/twin-towns |archive-date=5 July 2013 }}</ref>
* [[Alkmaar]], Netherlands<ref name="Bath twinnings"/>
* [[Braunschweig]], Germany<ref name="Bath twinnings"/><ref name="Braunschweig twinnings">{{cite web |url=http://www.braunschweig.de/kultur_tourismus/stadtportraet/partnerstaedte/index.html |title=Braunschweigs Partner und Freundschaftsstädte |access-date=7 August 2013 |work=Stadt Braunschweig [[Braunschweig|City of Braunschweig]] |language=de |trans-title=Braunschweig&nbsp;– Partner and Friendship Cities |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201122754/http://www.braunschweig.de/kultur_tourismus/stadtportraet/partnerstaedte/partner_freundschaftsstaedte.html |archive-date=1 December 2012 }}</ref>
* [[Kaposvár]], Hungary<ref name="Bath twinnings"/>

There is also a historic connection with [[Manly, New South Wales]], Australia, which is referred to as a sister city; a partnership arrangement with [[Beppu]], [[Ōita Prefecture]], Japan;<ref name="Bath twinnings"/> and a friendship agreement with [[Oleksandriia]], [[Kirovohrad Oblast]], Ukraine.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 July 2023 |title=Council signs Friendship Agreement with Ukrainian city council |url=https://newsroom.bathnes.gov.uk/news/council-signs-friendship-agreement-ukrainian-city-council |website=Bath & North East Somerset Council }}</ref>

==Education==
{{main|Education in Bath, Somerset}}
[[File:University of Bath - main campus - geograph.org.uk - 622999.jpg|thumb|[[University of Bath]]]]
Bath has two universities, the [[University of Bath]] and [[Bath Spa University]]. Established in 1966, the University of Bath<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bath.ac.uk/internal/staff/intro/history.html |title=History of the University |publisher=University of Bath |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803044206/http://www.bath.ac.uk/internal/staff/intro/history.html |archive-date=3 August 2008 |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> was named University of the Year by ''[[The Sunday Times]]'' in 2011. It offers programs in politics, languages, the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics, architecture, management and technology.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bath.ac.uk/departments/ |title=Departments |access-date=10 December 2007 |publisher=University of Bath |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211202204/http://www.bath.ac.uk/departments/ |archive-date=11 December 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Bath Spa University was first granted degree-awarding powers in 1992 as a [[university college]] before being granted university status in August 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/homepage/news/history-of-education-at-newton-park-uncovered |title=History of Education at Newton Park uncovered |publisher=Bath Spa University |date=14 February 2012 |access-date=3 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923182800/http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/homepage/news/history-of-education-at-newton-park-uncovered |archive-date=23 September 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://applications.bathspa.ac.uk/news/article.asp?article=322 |title=Inauguration of Bath Spa University |publisher=Bath Spa University |date=3 January 2006 |access-date=18 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121222203955/https://applications.bathspa.ac.uk/news/article.asp?article=322 |archive-date=22 December 2012 }}</ref> It offers courses leading to a [[Postgraduate Certificate in Education]]. It has schools in the following subject areas: Art and Design, Education, English and Creative Studies, Historical and Cultural Studies, Music and the Performing Arts, Science and the Environment and Social Sciences.<ref name="bathspa">{{cite web |url=http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209010101/http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/ |title=Bath Spa University |access-date=10 December 2007 |publisher=Bath Spa University |archive-date=9 December 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Bath College]] offers [[further education]], and [[Norland College]] provides education and training in childcare.<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact Us |url=http://www.norland.co.uk/contact |publisher=Norland College |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427092015/http://www.norland.co.uk/contact |archive-date=27 April 2015 }}</ref>

==Sport==
{{Main|Bath Rugby|Bath City F.C.}}

===Rugby===
[[File:Bath rec.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Recreation Ground (Bath)|Recreation Ground]]]]
[[Bath Rugby]] is a [[rugby union]] team in the [[English Premiership (rugby union)|Premiership]] league. It plays in blue, white and black kit at the [[Recreation Ground (Bath)|Recreation Ground]] in the city, where it has been since the late 19th century, following its establishment in 1865.<ref name="bathrughist">{{cite web |title=The story so far |url=http://www.bathrugby.com/club/history/ |publisher=Bath Rugby |access-date=17 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130924002936/http://www.bathrugby.com/club/history/ |archive-date=24 September 2013 }}</ref> The team's first major honour was winning the John Player Cup, now sponsored as the [[Liverpool Victoria|LV]] Cup and also known as the [[Anglo-Welsh Cup]], four years consecutively from 1984 until 1987.<ref name="bathrughist"/> The team then led the [[English Premiership (rugby union)|Courage league]] in six seasons in eight years between 1988 and 1989 and 1995–96, during which time it also won the renamed Pilkington Cup in 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1996.<ref name="bathrughist"/> It finally won the [[Heineken Cup]] in the 1997–98 season, and topped the Zürich Premiership (now Gallagher Premiership) in 2003–04.<ref name="bathrughist"/> The team's [[squad]] includes several members who also play, or have played in the [[England national rugby union team|English national team]], including [[Lee Mears]], [[Rob Webber]], [[Dave Attwood]], [[Nick Abendanon]] and [[Matt Banahan]]. [[Colston's School]], Bristol, has had a large input in the team over the past decade,{{vague|reason=which decade?|date=September 2022}} providing several current 1st XV squad members.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} The former England Rugby Team Manager and former [[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland national]] coach [[Andy Robinson]] used to play for Bath Rugby team and was captain and later coach. Both of Robinson's predecessors, [[Clive Woodward]] and [[Jack Rowell]], as well as his successor [[Brian Ashton (rugby union)|Brian Ashton]], were also former Bath coaches and managers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gallagher |first=Brendan |title=Rowell blessing for Ashton to take up England post |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/2335580/Rowell-blessing-for-Ashton-to-take-up-England-post.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=19 April 2006 |access-date=2 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505004719/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/2335580/Rowell-blessing-for-Ashton-to-take-up-England-post.html |archive-date=5 May 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Football===
[[File:Twerton Park in 2017.png|thumb|[[Twerton Park]]]]
[[Bath City F.C.]] is the semi-professional [[Association football|football]] team. Founded in 1889, the club has played their home matches at [[Twerton Park]] since 1932. Bath City's history is entirely in non-league football, predominantly in the 5th tier. Bath narrowly missed out on election to the Football League by a few votes in 1978<ref>{{cite web |title=Bath City Football Club |url=http://www.cityofbath.co.uk/Sport___L/body_footballclub.html |publisher=City of Bath |access-date=9 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130716062020/http://www.cityofbath.co.uk/Sport___L/body_footballclub.html |archive-date=16 July 2013 }}</ref> and again in 1985. The club have a good history in the FA Cup, reaching the third round six times. The record attendance, 18,020, at the ground was in 1960 against Brighton.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bath City FC {{!}} Twerton Park {{!}} Football Ground Guide |url=https://footballgroundguide.com/leagues/conference/conference-south/bath-city-twerton-park.html |access-date=26 September 2022 |website=footballgroundguide.com |date=September 2010 |language=en-US |archive-date=26 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926124002/https://footballgroundguide.com/leagues/conference/conference-south/bath-city-twerton-park.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Russwwfc |date=12 June 2011 |title=The Wycombe Wanderer: Bath City – Twerton Park |url=http://footygrounds.blogspot.com/2011/06/bath-city-twerton-park.html |access-date=26 September 2022 |website=The Wycombe Wanderer |archive-date=26 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926124004/http://footygrounds.blogspot.com/2011/06/bath-city-twerton-park.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The club's colours are black and white and their official nickname is "The Romans", stemming from Bath's Ancient Roman history.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bath |url=https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Bath/ |access-date=26 September 2022 |website=Historic UK |language=en-GB |archive-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922044147/https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Bath/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The club is sometimes called "The Stripes", referring to their striped kit.

Until 2009 [[Team Bath F.C.]] operated as an affiliate to the University Athletics programme. In 2002, Team Bath became the first university team to enter the [[FA Cup]] in 120&nbsp;years, and advanced through four qualifying rounds to the first round proper.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.teambath.com/2011/05/07/paul-tisdale/ |title=Paul Tisdale |access-date=3 May 2015 |work=Team Bath |date=7 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505040659/http://www.teambath.com/2011/05/07/paul-tisdale/ |archive-date=5 May 2015 |url-status=live |author1=Admin }}</ref> The university's team was established in 1999 while the city team has existed since before 1908 (when it entered the [[Western Football League|Western League]]).<ref name="bathcityhist">{{cite web |url=https://www.fchd.info/BATHC.HTM |title=Bath City |access-date=9 December 2007 |work=Football Club History Database |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501071526/http://www.fchd.info/BATHC.HTM |archive-date=1 May 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, in 2009, the [[Football Conference]] ruled that Team Bath would not be eligible to gain promotion to a National division, nor were they allowed to participate in [[Football Association]] cup competitions. This ruling led to the decision by the club to fold at the end of the 2008–09 Conference South competition. In their final season, Team Bath F.C. finished 11th in the league.<ref>{{cite web |title=Team Bath FC |url=http://www.nonleaguefooty.co.uk/club_001000221012 |publisher=Conference South |access-date=26 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618211527/http://www.nonleaguefooty.co.uk/club_001000221012 |archive-date=18 June 2013 }}</ref>

Bath also has [[Non-League football]] clubs [[Odd Down F.C.]] who play at the Lew Hill Memorial Ground<ref>{{cite web |title=Location |url=http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/odddownafc/location/ |publisher=Odd Down AFC |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505003708/http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/odddownafc/location/ |archive-date=5 May 2015 }}</ref> and [[Larkhall Athletic F.C.]] who play at Plain Ham.

===Other sports===
Many [[cricket]] clubs are based in the city, including [[Bath Cricket Club]], who are based at the North Parade Ground and play in the [[West of England Premier League]]. Cricket is also played on the Recreation Ground, just across from the rugby club. The Recreation Ground is also home to Bath Croquet Club, which was re-formed in 1976 and is affiliated with the South West Federation of [[Croquet]] Clubs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathcroquet.com |title=Bath Croquet Club |access-date=9 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071125162239/http://www.bathcroquet.com/ |archive-date=25 November 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Bath Half Marathon]] is run annually through the city streets, with over 10,000 runners.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.runninghigh.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ho0 |title=Bath Half Marathon |access-date=9 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206182839/http://www.runninghigh.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ho0 |archive-date=6 December 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[TeamBath]] is the umbrella name for all of the University of Bath sports teams, including the aforementioned football club. Other sports for which TeamBath is noted are [[Track and field|athletics]], badminton, basketball, [[bob skeleton]], [[bobsleigh]], [[field hockey|hockey]], judo, [[modern pentathlon]], [[netball]], rugby union, swimming, tennis, [[triathlon]] and volleyball. The City of Bath Triathlon takes place annually at the university.<ref>{{cite web |title=Race Pack |url=http://www.bathamphibians.co.uk/docs/City_of_Bath_Triathlon_Race_Pack_2012.pdf |publisher=Bath Amphibians |access-date=2 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616042646/http://www.bathamphibians.co.uk/docs/City_of_Bath_Triathlon_Race_Pack_2012.pdf |archive-date=16 June 2013 }}</ref>

[[Bath Roller Derby Girls|Bath Roller Derby Girls (BRDG)]] is a flat track [[roller derby]] club, founded in 2012,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathrollerderbygirls.co.uk/blog/join-our-first-training-session |title=Bath Roller Derby Girls Founded |website=Bath Roller Derby Girls |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170603191607/http://www.bathrollerderbygirls.co.uk/blog/join-our-first-training-session |archive-date=3 June 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> they compete in the British Roller Derby Championships Tier 3.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishchamps.com/teams/ |title=British Roller Derby Championships 2017 |website=British Roller Derby Championships |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522224709/http://www.britishchamps.com/teams/ |archive-date=22 May 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> As of 2015, they are full members of the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA.)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ukrda.org.uk/member-leagues/ |title=UKRDA Member List |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523200409/http://ukrda.org.uk/member-leagues/ |archive-date=23 May 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Bath is home to a table tennis League, made up of 3 divisions and a number of clubs based in Bath and the surrounding area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bath Table Tennis League {{!}} TT Leagues |url=https://bath.ttleagues.com/ |access-date=11 September 2020 |website=bath.ttleagues.com |archive-date=25 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925223245/https://bath.ttleagues.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Transport==
===Railways===
[[File:2008 at Bath Spa station - view from Widecombe.jpg|thumb|Bath Spa station]]

The city is served by [[Bath Spa railway station]], designed by [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]], which is on the [[Great Western Main Line]]. Services are provided by [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]] on the following routes:<ref> {{Cite web |work=Great Western Railway |title=Train Times |date=15 December 2024 |access-date=4 April 2025 |url= https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/train-times}}</ref>
* {{rws|London Paddington}} to {{rws|Bristol Temple Meads}}, {{rws|Weston-super-Mare}} and {{rws|Taunton}}
* Bristol Temple Meads to {{rws|Salisbury}}
* Bristol Temple Meads to {{rws|Frome}}
* {{rws|Portsmouth Harbour}} to {{rws|Cardiff Central}}
* {{rws|Gloucester}} to {{rws|Westbury}}.

There is a suburban station on the main line, {{rws|Oldfield Park}}, which has a limited commuter service to Bristol.

[[Bath Green Park railway station|Bath Green Park station]] was once the terminus of the [[Midland Railway]],<ref>[http://www.bristolbathrailwaypath.org.uk/theoldrailway.shtml Bristol and Bath Railway Path: ''The Midland Railway''] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128175422/http://www.bristolbathrailwaypath.org.uk/theoldrailway.shtml |date=28 November 2011 }}. Retrieved 8 August 2009</ref> and junction for the [[Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway]], whose line, always steam hauled, went through the Devonshire tunnel (under the Wellsway, St Luke's Church and the Devonshire Arms), through the [[Combe Down Tunnel]] and climbed over the [[Mendips]] to serve many towns and villages on its {{convert|71|mi|km|0|adj=on}} run to [[Bournemouth]]. This example of an English rural line was closed as part of the [[Beeching cuts]] in March 1966. Its Bath station building, now restored, houses shops, small businesses, a Saturday farmers' market and parking for a supermarket, while the route of the Somerset and Dorset through the suburbs to [[Midford]] has been reused for the [[Two Tunnels Greenway]], a shared use path that extends [[National Cycle Route 24]] into the city.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bath, Two Tunnels |url=http://www.sustrans.org.uk/news/thousands-join-us-celebrate-opening-two-tunnels-greenway-bath |publisher=Sustrans |access-date=3 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505003713/http://www.sustrans.org.uk/news/thousands-join-us-celebrate-opening-two-tunnels-greenway-bath |archive-date=5 May 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Buses===
[[File:Bath First 39000 LJ07ECE hybrid bus.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Hybrid electric bus|diesel/electric hybrid bus]] in SouthGate on a Park and Ride service in 2010]]

Bath has a network of bus routes, operated by [[First West of England]], with services to surrounding towns and cities, such as [[Bristol]], [[Trowbridge]], [[Frome]] and [[Wells, Somerset|Wells]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Bath & Somerset |url=https://www.firstbus.co.uk/bristol-bath-and-west/routes-and-maps/route-maps |website=First South and West |access-date=22 April 2025}}</ref>

Faresaver Buses also operate services to surrounding towns. The [[Bath Bus Company]] runs open-top double-decker bus tours around the city,<ref>{{cite web |title=Bath Open-Top Bus Tours |url=http://www.beautifulbath.co.uk/tourbus.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219015607/http://www.beautifulbath.co.uk/tourbus.html |archive-date=19 December 2013 |access-date=26 August 2012 |publisher=Beautiful Bath}}</ref> as well as frequent services to [[Bristol Airport]]. [[Stagecoach West]] also provides services to [[Tetbury]] and the South Cotswolds. The suburbs of Bath are also served by the [[WESTlink (on-demand bus)|WESTlink on demand service]], available Monday to Saturday.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://travelwest.info/westlink/#where |access-date=5 June 2023 |website=WESTlink |language=en-US |archive-date=5 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605093728/https://travelwest.info/westlink/#where |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[National Express Coaches|National Express]] operates inter-city [[Coach (bus)|coach]] services from [[Bath bus station]].

===Roads===
Bath is approximately {{convert|11|mi|km|0}} south-east of the larger city and port of Bristol, to which it is linked by the [[A4 road (England)|A4 road]] and is a similar distance south of the [[M4 motorway]] at junction 18. The potential new junction 18a linking the M4 with the A4174 [[Avon Ring Road]] could provide an additional direct route from Bath to the motorway.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/news/new-m4-junction-near-bath-1330697.amp |title=Location of a possible new M4 junction near Bath approved |date=12 March 2018 |access-date=10 August 2020 |archive-date=13 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313022051/https://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/news/new-m4-junction-near-bath-1330697.amp |url-status=live }}</ref>

In an attempt to reduce the level of car use, [[park and ride]] schemes have been introduced, with sites at Odd Down, Lansdown and Newbridge. A large increase in city centre parking was provided under the 2010 [[SouthGate]] shopping centre development, which introduced more car traffic. A [[bus gate]] scheme in Northgate aims to reduce private car use in the city centre.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/BathNES/transportandstreets/transportpolicy/plansandstrategies/bathpackage/ |title=Bath Transport Package&nbsp;– Major Scheme Bid |work=Bath and North East Somerset |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027135101/http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/BathNES/transportandstreets/transportpolicy/plansandstrategies/bathpackage/ |archive-date=27 October 2007 |access-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref>

A [[transportation study|transport study]] (the [[Bristol/Bath to South Coast Study]]) was published in 2004, after being initiated by the [[Government Office for the South West]] and [[Bath and North East Somerset Council]]<ref name="gov-news 2004">{{cite news |url=http://www.gov-news.org/gov/uk/news/bristolbath_to_south_coast_study_final_reports/57227.html |title=Bristol/Bath to South Coast Study&nbsp;– final reports published |work=Government News |date=13 February 2004 |access-date=28 September 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130414222737/http://www.gov-news.org/gov/uk/news/bristolbath_to_south_coast_study_final_reports/57227.html |archive-date=14 April 2013  }}</ref> and undertaken by [[WSP Global]]<ref name="gov-news 2004"/> as a result of the [[Trunk road|de-trunking]] in 1999 of the A36/A46 trunk road network<ref name="hansard 2004">{{cite web |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmhansrd/vo040106/text/40106w02.htm |title=Hansard 6 Jan 2004 : Column 218W |work=[[Hansard]] |publisher=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] |date=6 January 2004 |access-date=28 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121128073008/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmhansrd/vo040106/text/40106w02.htm |archive-date=28 November 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> from Bath to Southampton.

The [[Bath Clean Air Zone]] was introduced for central Bath on 15 March 2021. A Class C zone, it charges the [[European emission standards|most polluting commercial vehicles]] £9 per day (and up to £100 per day for coaches and [[large goods vehicle|HGV]]s).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/bath-clean-air-zone |title=Bath's Clean Air Zone |access-date=23 January 2021 |archive-date=5 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105084347/https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/bath-clean-air-zone |url-status=live }}</ref> It is the first UK road pollution charging zone outside London, and reduced [[nitrogen dioxide]] levels in the city by 26% over the following two years, meeting legal standards.<ref name=bbc-20230825>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-66608299 |title=Bath air quality improves since introduction of clean air zone |last=Barltrop |first=Paul |work=BBC News |date=25 August 2023 |access-date=26 August 2023 |archive-date=26 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230826220213/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-66608299 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Cycling===
Bath is on [[National Cycle Route 4]], with one of Britain's first [[Cycling infrastructure|cycleways]], the [[Bristol and Bath Railway Path]], to the west, and an eastern route toward London on the canal towpath. Bath is about {{convert|20|mi|km|sigfig=1}} from [[Bristol Airport]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Travelling to and around Bath |url=http://visitbath.co.uk/travel-and-maps/travelling-to-bath |publisher=Visit Bath |access-date=3 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150314231449/http://visitbath.co.uk/travel-and-maps/travelling-to-bath |archive-date=14 March 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> Bath also benefits from several bridleways and byways.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rights of Way in Bath |url=https://www.whatawalk.com/map/?zoom=12.57350801910208&lat=51.38417172622144&lng=-2.357755395879167&style=outdoors-v11&footpaths=false |website=What a Walk |access-date=22 October 2022 |archive-date=22 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022071722/https://www.whatawalk.com/map/?zoom=12.57350801910208&lat=51.38417172622144&lng=-2.357755395879167&style=outdoors-v11&footpaths=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Rivers and canals===
The city is connected to Bristol and the sea by the River Avon, navigable via [[Lock (water navigation)|locks]] by small boats. The river was connected to the [[River Thames|Thames]] and London by the [[Kennet and Avon Canal]] in 1810 via [[Bath Locks]]; this waterway&nbsp;– closed for many years but restored in the last years of the 20th century&nbsp;– is now popular with [[narrowboat]] users.<ref>{{cite book |last=Allsop |first=Niall |title=The Kennet & Avon Canal |year=1987 |publisher=Millstream Book |location=Bath |isbn=978-0-948975-15-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/kennetavoncanalu0000alls/page/10 10] |url=https://archive.org/details/kennetavoncanalu0000alls/page/10 }}</ref>

===Trams===
The [[Bath Tramways Company]] began operations on 24 December 1880. The {{RailGauge|48in}} gauge cars were horse-drawn along a route from London Road to the railway station. The system closed in 1902 and was replaced by electric tramcars on a greatly expanded {{RailGauge|ussg}} gauge system that opened in 1904. This eventually extended to {{convert|18|mi|km}} with routes to Combe Down, Oldfield Park, Twerton, [[Newton St Loe]], Weston and [[Bathford]]. There was a fleet of 40 cars, all but six being double deck. The first line to close was replaced by a bus service in 1938, and the last went on 6 May 1939.<ref name=tramways>{{cite book |last=Oppitz |first=Leslie |title=Tramways Remembered: West and South West England |year=1990 |publisher=Countryside Books |isbn=978-1-85306-095-3 |page=74 }}</ref>

In 2005, a detailed plan was presented to the council to reintroduce trams to Bath, but the plan did not proceed, reportedly due to the focus by the council on the government-supported busway planned to run from the Newbridge park and ride into the city centre. Part of the justification for the plan was pollution from vehicles in the city, which was twice the legal levels, and heavy traffic congestion due to high car usage. In 2015<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/trams-work-bath/story-26246819-detail/story.html |title=Could trams work in Bath city centre? |date=28 March 2015 |last=Connolly |first=Nancy |work=Bath Chronicle |access-date=6 April 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015195452/http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/trams-work-Bath/story-26246819-detail/story.html |archive-date=15 October 2015 }}</ref> another group, Bath Trams, building on the earlier tram group proposals, created interest in the idea of reintroducing trams with several public meetings and meetings with the council.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bathtrams.uk |title=Trams for Bath – the Pros and Cons – Bath Trams |website=Bath Trams |access-date=28 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180411060328/https://bathtrams.uk/ |archive-date=11 April 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2017, [[Bath and North East Somerset Council]] announced a feasibility study{{update inline|date=April 2023}} into implementing a light rail or tram system in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/news/bath-news/council-look-whether-light-rail-127910 |title=Council to look at whether light rail tram system 'feasible' for Bath – Bath Chronicle |date=21 June 2017 |access-date=28 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623215930/http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/news/bath-news/council-look-whether-light-rail-127910 |archive-date=23 June 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2016, the [[Local enterprise partnership|West of England Local Enterprise Partnership]] began a consultation process on their Transport Vision Summary Document, outlining potential [[light rail]] or tram routes in the region, one of them a route from [[Bristol city centre]] along the [[A4 road (England)|A4 road]] to Bath to relieve pressure on bus and rail services between the two cities.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jointplanningwofe.org.uk/gf2.ti/-/757442/23234053.1/PDF/-/Joint_Transport_Study__Transport_Vision.pdf |title=West of England Joint Transport Study – Transport Vision Summary Document |access-date=16 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117144458/https://www.jointplanningwofe.org.uk/gf2.ti/-/757442/23234053.1/PDF/-/Joint_Transport_Study__Transport_Vision.pdf |archive-date=17 November 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Media==
Bath's local newspaper is the ''Bath Chronicle'', owned by [[Local World]]. Published since 1760, the ''Chronicle'' was a daily newspaper until mid-September 2007, when it became a weekly.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/aug/02/pressandpublishing2 |title=Bath daily goes weekly |work=The Guardian |location=UK |last=Brook |first=Stephen |date=2 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201080011/http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/aug/02/pressandpublishing2 |archive-date=1 February 2008 |url-status=live |access-date=2 May 2015 }}</ref> Since 2018 its website has been operated by [[Trinity Mirror]]'s ''[[Somerset Live]]'' platform.<ref name=holdthefrontpage-20180215>{{cite news |url=https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2018/news/almost-50-jobs-at-risk-as-publisher-unveils-online-rebrand-of-seven-dailies/ |title=Almost 50 jobs at risk as Trinity Mirror unveils online rebrand of seven dailies |last=Sharman |first=David |newspaper=HoldtheFrontPage |date=15 February 2018 |access-date=5 April 2018 |archive-date=5 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405215025/https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2018/news/almost-50-jobs-at-risk-as-publisher-unveils-online-rebrand-of-seven-dailies/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[BBC Bristol]] website has featured coverage of news and events within Bath since 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/england/bristol/ |title=BBC News&nbsp;– Somerset |access-date=6 December 2014 |publisher=BBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205100614/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/england/bristol/ |archive-date=5 December 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>

For television, Bath is served by the [[BBC West]] [[Broadcasting House, Bristol|studios]] based in Bristol, and by [[ITV West Country]], formerly HTV, also from studios in Bristol.<ref>{{cite web |title=Studios |url=http://www.bathroadstudios.co.uk/whos-here/ |publisher=Bristol Film Office |access-date=16 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129010615/http://www.bathroadstudios.co.uk/whos-here/ |archive-date=29 November 2014 }}</ref>

Radio stations broadcasting to the city include [[BBC Radio Bristol]] which has a studio in Kingsmead Square in the city centre, [[BBC Radio Somerset]] in [[Taunton]], [[Greatest Hits Radio Bath & The South West]] on 107.9FM and [[Heart West]], formerly GWR FM, as well as The University of Bath's [[University Radio Bath]], a student-focused radio station available on campus and also online.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uniradiobath.com |title=University Radio Bath |access-date=5 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006130055/http://uniradiobath.com/ |archive-date=6 October 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Launched in 2019, ''BA1 Radio'' is an online [[community radio station]].<ref name=bathecho-20190619>{{cite news |url=https://www.bathecho.co.uk/news/community/new-community-station-ba1-radio-open-day-84862/ |title=New local community station BA1 Radio set to hold open day this weekend |newspaper=Bath Echo |date=19 June 2019 |access-date=21 October 2021 |archive-date=21 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021192227/https://www.bathecho.co.uk/news/community/new-community-station-ba1-radio-open-day-84862/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Somerset}}
* The [[Bathonian]] Age (168.3 – 166.1&nbsp;million years ago), a [[Jurassic]] Period of geological time named after Bath
* [[Grade I listed buildings in Bath and North East Somerset]]
* [[List of people from Bath]]
* [[List of spa towns in the United Kingdom]]
* [[Bath, Ontario]], named after Bath, Somerset, and now part of [[Loyalist, Ontario]]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Bath, Somerset|Bath}}
{{EB1911 poster|Bath (England)}}
* {{Wikivoyage inline|Bath}}
* [http://visitbath.co.uk/ Official tourist information]
* [http://www.mayorofbath.co.uk/ Mayor of Bath]
* {{OpenDomesday|ST7564|bath|Bath}}

{{Bath}}
{{UK cities}}
{{World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom}}
{{The Great Spa Towns of Europe}}
{{Somerset}}
{{Portal bar|United Kingdom|Somerset}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bath, Somerset| ]]
[[Category:Cities in South West England]]
[[Category:Towns in Bath and North East Somerset]]
[[Category:Former non-metropolitan districts of Avon]]
[[Category:Spa towns in England]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in England]]
[[Category:River Avon, Bristol]]
[[Category:Bathonian| ]]
[[Category:Unparished areas in Somerset]]
[[Category:Geographical articles missing image alternative text]]
[[Category:Former boroughs in England]]
[[Category:Former civil parishes in Somerset]]