The GBR Project Ch. 2. An idea is born. Further research needed!
An idea was born. The genie was out of the bottle urging me on in its mischievous way! The idea was simple; to travel between Bath and London on The Great Bath Road as they had done in Georgian times. There would naturally have to be some variations! I would not be travelling by horse power but by a combination of electric and pedal power. I would not be travelling on the same route as the Georgians -this was now predominately the busy A4 or M4 and would therefore be most unpleasant (or illegal!). I wanted the trip to be as joyous and physically undemanding as possible. No masochist me! There would however be many similarities: I would be going at approximately the same speed. I could visit not only the same towns as they did in the 18th century but on occasion take the exact same route and stay in the same coaching inns. Sometimes I’d vary the route by a few miles but the Georgians themselves did this depending on the weather and their inclination. My way would be no different. I would simply choose the route I preferred. However it was important not to diverge too far from the GBR and I would ensure that where possible I went to the same villages that they passed through and I would take B roads and cycle tracks to get there. Ideas are all well and good but how feasible was it? What did I need to do? How much would it cost? Are there any cycle tracks to London? I had literally no idea apart from the all important fact that I wanted very much to do it. Such a wilful child! I already had a bike which I had bought during Lockdown and was a start but further research was clearly needed. I started to read around the subject (I had plenty of Covid-given time on my hands!) and found that naturally there was a plethora of books on travel to Bath and the history of coaching and maps. These, especially those books with pictures inspired me even further!
The Georgians lived in a rural society that was at peace with itself
Some Serious Research was needed!
Firstly I needed to find out:
a) The historical background to Bath and travel in the 18th century
b) The route taken by the Georgians when following The Great Bath Road.
c) Which cycle tracks or quiet roads I needed to follow and towns to visit to closely follow the GBR.
a) The 18th C was a period of great change and prosperity in England. It was also Bath’s century and it saw the modernisation of the city from a sleepy medieval town into the country’s hub for gambling, match making and pleasure. Beau Nash, Ralph Allen and John Wood together masterminded this change. All 3, brought together in this one place, were creative entrepreneurs in different fields. Beau Nash was the social genius who managed all the events that attracted the gentry. Under his guidance the gambling, dancing and music became safe and respectable. Ralph Allen improved the postal system and consequently became immensely rich. This wealth allowed him to make a second fortune selling Bath stone used in the rebuilding of the city. John Wood in turn used this pliable white coloured and accessible material to fashion beautifully deigned buildings in the new classical style initiated by Inigo Jones.
Consequent to the energy and individual focus of these 3 innovators Bath arose phoenix like from the old town and then ‘spread’ around the undulating hills. It is hard now to imagine the impact these radical changes had on Bath and the excitement they stirred in the country. Town planning and design would never be the same again. These 3 charismatic men literally changed the English cultural landscape for ever and made Bath an unavoidable magnet for the gentry. In 1765 three princes, 4 dukes, 24 earls, 14 viscounts and 12 barons visited the Roman Spa. Maybe there was even a partridge in a pear tree. For so many reasons - personal, medical or social Bath was the place to visit. It was not easily done however. It was far riskier and took far longer than it would now take to visit Australia!
So what was it like this hazardous journey?
A Strip Map by Thomas Gardner. This one is very similar to those drawn by John Ogilby
b) It is an undeniable truth that roads before the civil war in the 17thc were terrible. There were certainly no maps. Or even roads! Most of the roads were just local tracks made by drovers or used by farmers to take produce to market. The Roman roads made centuries earlier had all but disappeared. 17th c travellers like Leland, Harrison or Camden went piecemeal from town to town or used local guides. The average speed on horseback or coach in the 18thc was about 30 miles per day and took about a week to travel from London to Norwich or 4 days to Bath. Early Georgian travellers and curious tourists frequently and unsurprisingly got lost. There were few road signs and milestones didn’t appear until 1663. Conditions in winter were frankly treacherous and journeys would have taken even longer and at a risk to life. There are many stories of passengers freezing to death when their coaches got stuck or snowstorms impeded their progress.
Journeys were full of difficulties and hazards
By the beginning of the 18th century the speed and condition of roads began to improve due to parliamentary reforms especially the Turnpike Acts. The introduction of stagecoaches from 1640 onwards and the better maintenance of roads saw massive improvements in speed, security and comfort. Reformers of the road network included Metcalf, McAdam (as in the eponymous tar) and Palmer the mail coach entrepreneur. The great map makers Camden and Ogilby also revolutionised travel within the British Isles. Ogilby’s maps that appeared in 1675 Were published in the form of ‘strips’ and illustrated specific routes (From London to Bristol say) with individual towns marked out along the route. By the end of the 18th century transportation was big business and included coach fares, the hire and care of horses, mail or parcel delivery and accommodation. It was the era of ‘the romance of the road’ and as the century progressed attitudes to travel and the countryside changed. Where once the country was described as ‘scary, barren and wild’ by the 1780s it was found to be picturesque and ‘romantic’. Late 18th Century poets like Coleridge and Wordsworth expressed their passion for ‘sublime’ landscapes and nature. This new sensibility literally transformed the way the English saw their country.
The route from Bristol to Stonehenge. Displayed in a pub along the way!