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Roman Baths This is essentially what we went to Bath to see. The Roman baths are considered the best preserved Roman ruins in England. The baths are just a part of a larger temple complex that was built around the hot springs. It's also very interesting to see how subsequent building on the site has changed and/or kept it the same. They have guided as well as audio tours. We did an audio tour although listened in on the guided tours in a couple of spots. The audio tour alone could take you a couple of hours depending on how fast you move and whether you listen to every available. Admittedly it gets a bit tiring hearing a couple minute description of every little detail around the place. Overall the audio tour was well worth it (and I think it was included for free!). The first part of the bath you see is the rectangular open-aired bath. This is one of the most impressive parts you get to see however that's due largely to the fact that it's not completely Roman (meaning it would be remarkably well preserved for Roman ruins!). This area was rebuilt in the 1800's for use by the English nobility. There is suprisingly a lot of original stone left behind including the flooring around the pool, the bottom of the pool and the base of the columns. You can see the slight change in color of stone for the columns. The terrace above the pool was made as a dining area during the 1800's renovations. You might wonder at the green water. It's green due to the algae growing in it. Originally this pool had a high ceiling and was not open to the air; at that time the water would not have been green. After you go around the terrace you delve into the bath and temple complex. As these baths were built in the 20's or so (that's 0020, not 1920!) there's been a large amount of buildup of the city. The baths are new ten or twenty feet below the current ground level. Down below there are many smaller pools that were either hot or cold baths. You also get to see the changing rooms and steam rooms. These are not particularly well preserved but one interesting thing is the piles of red bricks. These piles were the support for the flooring. Hot air was sent underneath these raised floors to heat the complex. The baths themselves were actually a part of a larger temple complex. The Romans believed that the hot spring they found on this site must suredly be tied to the gods in some way. In some of the pictures you can see pieces of what is left of the greater temple complex (all now below ground). We would certainly recommend visiting the Roman baths if you are in the area and have a few hours. While we didn't visit it, the Pump Room is an elegant restaurant adjacent to the baths. It is highly recommended for the experience, perhaps not as much for the food. It looked like a great place to have tea. |