Our guide to visiting the Roman Baths
Steeped in history, the 2000 year old Roman Baths are a must-see for anyone visiting the elegant city of Bath.
Located in the unique and quintessentially English town of Bath, but once considered to be one of the staple visitor destinations of the Roman Empire, the Roman Baths are steeped in history and remain a must-see for tourists in Britain two thousand years after their construction.
The baths date back to the first century AD when hot water springs were discovered in the English countryside; the water originates in the Mendip hills and trickles through an ancient system of aquifers, collecting minerals along the way before emerging in the Somerset countryside. The invading Romans discovered this source of hot-water and, believing it to have healing qualities, began the construction of a temple dedicated to the “magical waters”.
Claimed to be a fabled ‘healing-water’, there have been many tales told of how the Roman Baths have cured diseases such as leprosy and were visited by peoples from across the empire to bathe in the warm English water. The temple became more elaborate with stunning mosaics and carvings dedicated to the Roman goddess Minerva. Finally, with the retreat of the empire the temple fell out of use and disappeared from the map for hundreds of years.
Rediscovered in the 18th century by local workmen in Bath, the original roman temple was excavated and once again became a fashionable attraction for the rich and affluent. With little medical knowledge, the wealthy once again sought the healing and health properties provided by the waters and began flooding the area to visit and live throughout the Georgian Era. The elegant and opulent city of Bath grew up around the baths and the Georgians developed the now famous pump rooms.
The site has now been carefully restored with large parts of the original Roman Baths and temple remaining intact and open to public viewing offering a truly unique insight in to an ancient history. Likewise, the opulent Georgian pump rooms now offer an elegant location in which to enjoy a traditional afternoon tea and where you can still sample the once coveted ‘healing-water’. In fact, today the Baths remain one of the most highly prestigious visitor destinations in England and make up a key part of the city of Bath which is a designated World Heritage City.
Uniquely combining ancient Roman history and 19th century Georgian redevelopment, the Roman Baths of Bath City should be on your list of highlights for any driving tour of England or longer tour of Britain. To include admission to this intriguing, historic attraction simply ask your adeo Travel agent to add flexible admission tickets to your England vacation package.
