Bath Abbey, Bath

An 11-mile route from Keynsham and a 12-mile route from Bradford-on-Avon bring pilgrims to Bath Abbey in a day. It is also on the Whiting Way and St Aldhelm’s Way

Highlights

• Early Monastic Site
• Sacred Hot Water Spring

It is hard to believe Bath Abbey is not a cathedral. It is cavernous and sits at the heart of this elegant city. There is even a bishop of Bath and Wells, which suggests the need for some sort of episcopal chair. But Wells alone has the cathedral, so Bath Abbey serves as one of England’s finest parish churches.

It is identical to Wells in one other respect however: both towns are named after their famous natural springs. In the case of Bath, these emerge from the ground at 46ºC and have been considered a sacred site since before Roman times. The hot spring was first dedicated to the goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with their goddess Minerva.

The Roman Baths Museum has a fascinating collection of objects associated with early rituals and beliefs, including 130 curse tablets that people wrote about their enemies and then cast into the waters. The baths fell into disuse but were revived in the late 11th century by Bishop John of Tours. He built a roof over the main pool – and at the same time moved the seat of his bishopric from Wells to Bath.

Bath and Wells later received joint cathedral status in 1245 when the Pope decided the cities should share the honour. But Bath was also a Benedictine community and after the Reformation fell into disuse and later ruin, losing even its roof. Elizabeth I then decided it should be revived as a parish church, which it has remained ever since. At the time of writing a major project to use the natural hot spring water to provide under-floor heating for the abbey is under way, another cycle of ecclesiastical connection to this sacred spring.

The church was heavily restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott in Victorian times, with such sensitivity to the original design that it now looks like a very new Tudor building. The west front is however original, a vertical composition of ladders and towers apparently inspired by a dream that came to Bishop Oliver King in 1499. He saw a ladder with angels ascending and descending, and a voice told him to rebuild Bath Abbey.

The abbey was founded in the 7th century and has some important saints in its long history – though none directly connected with the existing building. St Alphege, who was born in a village next to Bath, served as abbot here until 984 before moving to Winchester then Canterbury. St Dunstan, another Archbishop of Canterbury, personally reformed the monastery in the late 10th century and crowned Edgar King of England here in 973.

St Aldhelm’s body might have rested in the city overnight in 709 during his funeral procession from Doulting to Malmesbury. A second smaller hot spring in the city is known as the Cross Bath, probably in honour of the saint’s stay. It is now part of the Thermae Bath Spa, a modern complex that keeps alive pre-Roman bathing traditions.

Directions

St Peter & St Paul (Bath Abbey)- Abbey Church Yard, Bath BA1 1LT

http://www.bathabbey.org

W3W: cheer.mess.tigers

GPS: 51.3814N 2.3593W

The Roman Baths- Stall Street, Bath BA1 1LZ

http://www.romanbaths.co.uk

The abbey is in the centre of Bath, open Mon–Sat 9am–5:30pm (Mon open 9:30am; Sat close 6pm), Sun 12:15pm–1:45pm and 4pm–6:30pm. The Roman Baths are next to the abbey, on the left as you leave by the west door. They are open daily from 9:30am–5pm (last entrance; exit at 6pm). Tickets for weekends/weekdays are £18.50/£16 adults, £17/£14.50 concessions, £11/£8.50 children; all are 10% cheaper online.