Bath Abbey
Well we made it to Bath and had a full day there yesterday. We headed into town where we visited the Abbey and the Roman Baths.
The Roman Baths were only rediscovered in the 19th Century, below a leaking basement in a house! They are about 6 metres below street level and it’s actually quite amazing how much was recovered. One of the cool things about the baths is that part of the audio tour is narrated by Bill Bryson! The Baths are incredible. I’ve always been a bit skeptical of the Romans, it is difficult to reconcile their barbarity (gladitorial games) and dominating culture with their incredible advances in engineering and ability to develop innovative solutions to problems.
Roman baths in Bath
For instance, rooms are heated by a furnace and the steam is then conducted under the raised floor and up through vents in the walls. You can get some idea of what the floor looked like in this photo.
Roman heating system
After the tour we headed to Sally Lunn’s, in Bath’s oldest house, for the famous Sally Lunn bun! It was delicious, and mine was slathered with butter, jam and clotted cream!
