Roman Baths Bath

Roman Baths, Bath

The hot spring that feeds the Roman Baths produces around one million litres of water per day at a constant 46 degrees Celsius. It has been doing this continuously for at least two millennia, and probably longer – archaeological evidence suggests prehistoric use before the Romans arrived. The Romans built a temple to Sulis Minerva (a fusion of the local deity with the Roman one) and a bathing complex whose lead-lined main pool still holds the original stonework. What you’re looking at when you stand at the edge of the Great Bath is engineering and water management that has functioned without interruption for 1,900 years.

You cannot bathe in the Roman pool. The colour is dark jade rather than turquoise – algae grow in the mineral-rich water, a detail that reproduction photographs tend to flatten into a generic “ancient water” colour. The Roman drainage channels and lead pipes visible in the lower sections of the excavation are the unglamorous parts that archaeology guides correctly argue are as important as the showpiece pool.

Visiting

Entry is around GBP 25 for adults. The audio guide, included, is one of the better archaeological audio guides in the UK – it’s narrated in part by a constructed Roman voice that sounds gimmicky and works better than it should. Allow two hours. The viewing platforms at different levels give different perspectives on the excavated layers beneath the modern city.

Thermae Bath Spa

The Thermae Bath Spa, 200 metres away on Bath Street, uses the same spring water in a modern spa facility. Rooftop open-air pool entry from around GBP 40 for two hours. If the premise of visiting Bath is bathing in thermal water, this is where you do it. Booking ahead is advisable; the rooftop pool at dusk with views over the Georgian city is the combination most people come for.

The Georgian City

Bath’s distinctive character comes from the 18th century rather than the Roman period. The Royal Crescent – 30 Georgian townhouses arranged in a perfect curve, built 1767 to 1775 by John Wood the Younger – is the architectural set piece. No. 1 Royal Crescent is a museum (entry GBP 12.50) restored to 18th-century appearance. The Circus, a circular arrangement of 30 Georgian houses completed 1768 by Wood’s father, is five minutes’ walk away. These two together make one of the most complete Georgian urban compositions surviving in Britain.

The Pump Room adjacent to the Roman Baths operates as a tearoom. Afternoon tea with views of the Great Bath below costs around GBP 35 per person. This is the right way to end a visit to the baths: the Roman engineers and the Georgian tea-drinkers, separated by 1,700 years, using the same water.

Getting There

Bath Spa station is the main terminus. Direct trains from London Paddington take approximately 1 hour 25 minutes. The station is 10 minutes’ walk from the Roman Baths. Bristol is 15 minutes by train.