Bath Facts
Population:169040 - Rakes, Romans and Rugby Players

THE BRIEF FACTS

Bath is Great Britain’s leading winter resort. It was first discovered by the Romans in the first century A.D. who named the city Aquae Solis or "Waters of the Sun." because it has the only natural hot springs in the country,

Bath is located not far from Bristol in the west country, The earliest inhabitants were believed to be the the Romans, who indulged themselves in the unique  thermal springs  Bath’s second claim to fame is its royal connection in the eighteenth century,the town was a hugely popular resort for royalty, aristocracy, rakes and gamblers. Who between not only ’taking the waters’ at the Pump Rooms and attending colourful parties and gatherings,the Georgian tourists also indulged in all manner of intrigues, the kind of lifestyle they had is documented in books by one-time resident Jane Austen.

Bath’s status as England’s best getaway city has something to do with convenience. The regular 90-minute train ride southwest from London delivers you to another world, and the relatively contained town means you can circle every photogenic square twice, even if you have less than 48 hours.

DON’T MISS

The famous Roman Baths founded in 75 A.D. which are still fed by natural mineral springs and of course after many many setbacks the Thermae Spa is now open at last. Bath has numerous interesting museums and art galleries.then there is the  18th century Royal Crescent of classically joined Georgian town houses and nearbye is the Jane Austen Centre .

The Circus was built slightly earlier,designed by John Wood’s father and finished by John Wood himself. Many famous people have lived in the Circus, including Gainsborough and Lord Clive of India.

One of the most famous landmarks in the city is, one of only two bridges in Europe to support shops, the bridge, built in 1770, is modelled on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.

Bath is also well known for it’s ghostly residents and provides guided ghost tours around the city and visits many of their haunts, the best known are the Man in the Black Hat seen around the Assembly Rooms and the jasmine-scented Grey Lady of the Theatre Royal.

Beckford’s Tower, a19th century folly in Lansdown has superb views over the city. Built in 1827 and surrounded by a Victorian cemetery, the Tower is open to visitors and includes a museum.There are 156 steps to climb the beautiful spiral staircase to the restored Belvedere and admire the panoramic views. 

FAMOUS AND INTERESTING BATHONIANS

Below is an exhaustive list of famous people born in Bath, educated there, prominent in the life of the city, or associated with the city.

Ralph Allen 1693-1764.
Ralph came to Bath at the age of 19. He was given the position of Postmaster of Bath. At the age of 27 Allen took control of the Cross and Bye Posts under a seven year contract to the Post Office. He reformed the postal service, creating a network of postal roads that did not pass through London. It is estimated that he saved the Post Office £1,500,000 over a 40 year period. Allen eventually made himself a lot of money from the development of the postal system, and invested in land and development. He acquired the stone quarries at Combe Down just as the building boom started in Bath, and from his quarries came the stone which Bath is renowned for building the Georgian city, making Allen a second fortune.- You can visit the Bath Postal Museum which houses the history of the post and details of Ralph Allen’s life.

Jane Austen - novelist

William Thomas Beckford - wrote Vathek and a series of works on travel

Charles Dickens - novelist, frequent visitor to the city and set much of the Pickwick Papers in the city

Henry Fielding - novelist
 
Morag Joss - novelist
 
Samuel Richardson - novelist, he wrote Clarissa while living in Bath

Richard Brinsley Sheridan - playwright

Tobias Smollett - physician, surgeon and novelist, partially set Humphrey Clinker in the city, wrote essay on the waters of Bath

Henry de Vere Stacpoole - novelist, wrote The Blue Lagoon.

William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham - Prime Minister and MP for Bath 1757 to 1766

William Pitt the Younger - Prime Minister

Sir Henry Cole - Civil Servant

Sir William Tite - architect and MP for Bath 1855-1873

Chris Patten - MP for Bath 1979-1992

Don Foster - MP for Bath 1992 to present

Ken Loach - film director

Bill Bailey - Comedian

Thomas Gainsborough - painter

Arnold Ridley

Sarah Siddons - 18th century actress

Leo McKern - Rumpole actor

Patricia Routledge - Hyacinth Bucket actress
 
Angelica Mandy

Anthony Head

Future Publishing

Brian Beazer- Bath entreponeur

Andrew Brownsword’s - owner of Bath Priory and businessman

Olly Barkley - England international rugby player

Roger Bannister - athlete, first man to run sub-4-minute mile

Jason Dodd - football player, former Southampton captain who holds the record for the most Premiership appearances by an English player without ever being named in an England squad

Jason Gardener - British athlete, 4 x 100m Olympic gold medallist

Jeremy Guscott - England and Bath rugby player

Andy Robinson - rugby coach, former England international team coach and Bath Rugby team coach

Clive Woodward - British Olympic Committee Director of Elite Performance, former England international team coach and Bath Rugby team coach

Jack Rowell - Bath Rugby director, former England international team coach and Bath Rugby team coach Thomas Linley - musician

Alberto Fernanco Riccardo Semprini - pianist

Peter Gabriel - musician

Goldfrapp - musical group

Naked Eyes - musical group

Van Morrison - singer

Tears for Fears - musical group

Nicolas Cage -  becomes a Bathonian - Hollywood superstar Nicolas Cage has snapped up a £4 million town house in one of Britain’s most prestigious addresses. Once the home of the Earl of Chatham, it boasts an indoor swimming pool, grand staircase, five bathrooms and six bedrooms spread over five storeys

Bath has emerged as one of the safest places to live coming fifth in a recent survey by insuarance company Endsleigh .

May 30th 2008- Data showed that People living in the South West are more likely to live to the age of 75 than those living elsewhere in England and Wales.
Men in the South West now have a 70% chance of living to 75 while Women have an 80% chance. This compares with a 62% chance for men and a 74% chance for Women living in the North East

Impressed with these facts- you should be, I did say the list was exhaustive! So if you want to know who lives where, whatson, when it’s on, why it’s on & who’s getting it on, I give you the definitive guide…your very own whatsonbath

Visit our other whatson websites..

 www.whatsonbristol.co.uk & www.whatsonwestonsupermare.co.uk