The Great Bath Road Project. Chapter 1. 'A Love Blog'
The City of Bath from Belgrave Lodge, Camden All images on this Blog taken with a mobile phone (Sorry!)
I have lived in Bath for 35 years but feel I have just arrived! I love the place; its Georgian and Roman architecture, the beautiful surrounding countryside and the World Heritage City’s ancient, colourful history. Thousands have flocked here throughout the ages, drawn, like me, to its many attractions and pleasures. Particularly in the 18th century when Bath became the epicentre of English cultural life. The Las Vegas of its time! The aristocracy and the gentry travelled to Bath from far and wide to have a flutter, marvel at its modern architecture and enjoy its varied, hedonistic freedoms.
Bath had always been an magical place and there is ample evidence to suggest that it was a sacred location in prehistorical times. It’s natural hot springs made it special and, whatever the period or particular faith, it has always been closely connected to divinity. The Romans cleverly assimilated the local deity Sulis, worshipped locally at the time of their conquest, with their nearest equivalent God, Minerva. Still Empires come and go and by the 5th century the Romans and their soldiers had moved back to their contracting empire in Europe. Darkness fell upon our land. Or so some historians have called the centuries that followed their quick exit. What did they ever do for us after all?! It is certainly true that the achievements of the Romans were more or less destroyed, erased, burnt or covered up. This was certainly the case with the Roman Baths which declined then collapsed and were filled in or covered over with silt from the nearby river. By the 19th century the original Bath’s were completely forgotten and had disappeared from sight by the Georgian period. However there were still a bathing area as the water was unstoppable and continued to bubble up from the ground as always. The remains of the Roman Baths still remained lurking beneath the hot spring water and waiting to be discovered.
The Baths existed in some form before the original Roman Baths were discovered
The Great Bath Road Trip
I have been fascinated by the glamour and excitement of the history of my hometown for many years. In 2005 I was commissioned to produce a photographic book of Bath by Francis Lincoln. Together with the historian Kirsten Elliott we produced, by all accounts, the definitive history and guide to Bath. It was called by one critic a ‘Love letter to the city’. In so many ways this was true as the beauty of bath is unsurpassed by any other town in the UK and I have always had an infatuation with it (or should I say her!). I appreciate this is a personal opinion but I feel Bath’s unspoilt landscape, Roman history, elegant Georgian crescents, houses built uniformly with the creamy oolite stone have all pulled at my heart strings. They have created an unsurpassed mix of classic urban design and picturesque beauty. I conducted my own research around Georgian history to help me choose photographic subjects for my three books on Bath and inform me about their meaning and significance. So for instance it was important to photograph Landsdown crescent not only emphasising its serpentine ‘line of beauty’ but also to show it in a rural setting. I just had to include the grazing sheep!
The concept of a palatial crescent set in the countryside was a Georgian idea
Both concepts were important factors in the setting and design of the crescent. The undulating classical forms set amidst a romantic Claudian landscape were the very essence of the Picturesque Movement and the context to John Woods design. John Wood the elder and younger created in Bath a revolutionary style that was the fascination of the age. The Roman concept of Urbs in Arcadia (the town in the country) was modern and compelling. Thousands flocked from all over the country to see, feel and experience this new phenomenon. They either came on horseback or by coach, it was these journeys that began to fascinate me and especially the main route between London and Bath along which most of the gentry came. I discovered that the coach journey took about 3 days and passengers would simply stay in accommodation along the way. Realising at some point in 2020 I could do the same thing on an electric bike I decided to attempt this journey. The Great Bath Road beckoned!