Historic city in Avon, England; Industries include printing, plastics, and engineering.
features
Hot springs; the ruins of the baths after which it is named, as well as a great temple, are the finest Roman remains in Britain. Excavations 1979 revealed thousands of coins and “curses”, offered at a place which was thought to be the link between the upper and lower worlds. The Gothic Bath Abbey has an unusually decorated west front and fan vaulting. There is much 18th-century architecture, notably the Royal Crescent by John Wood. The Assembly Rooms 1771 were destroyed in an air raid 1942 but reconstructed 1963. The Bath Festival Orchestra is based here.
history
The Roman spa town of Aquae Sulis (“waters of Sul”—the British goddess of wisdom) was built in the first 20 years after the Roman invasion. In medieval times the hot springs were crown property, administered by the church, but the city was transformed in the 18th century to a fashionable spa, presided over by “Beau” Nash. At his home here the astronomer William Herschel discovered Uranus 1781. Visitors included the novelists Tobias Smollett, Henry Fielding, and Jane Austen.
1. A tub in which ones soaks one's body.
2. The act of soaking one's body in order to clean it.
3. A vessel in which something is immersed to maintain it at a constant temperature or to process or lubricate it.
4. An ancient Hebrew liquid measure equal to about 10 gallons.