Today’s post is 1550 words, 33 photos, 1 video, an 8 minute read. Enjoy!
Hi everyone,
Welcome back to Part 2 of walking with Jess. This week we follow Jess to see the Royal Crescent, the Circus, zip by a now closed hospital, and back to the Bath Abbey for a tour of the interior. Whew! That will keep us busy for a while. After the tour, I’ll share a few more snippets on things we did in Bath.
If you missed the first two posts in this series, click here and here. Let’s get started.
Walking With Jess
At the end of last week’s post, I finished with a stop at the Bath War Memorial near the entrance to Royal Victoria Park. This week with Jess in the lead we entered the park bound for the Royal Crescent.
On our way, we passed some beautiful backyard gardens. Here’s an example. The English do love their gardens and they are good at it too.
Royal Crescent
The Royal Crescent is one of Bath’s most iconic landmarks. This 500 foot long set of 30 connected houses are laid out in the shape of a crescent. It was designed by John Wood, the Younger (the son of John Wood, the Elder also an architect) and built between 1767 and 1774. It’s one of the most prominent examples of Georgian architecture in England. It’s constructed of Bath stone and is all original on the exterior. Note the 114 columns that stand 47 feet tall. Of the 30 houses, some have been converted to flats or apartments. There is also the Hotel Royal Crescent that occupies two of the houses. Currently, there are a total of 120 residences are listed in the Royal Crescent. It is quite an impressive building.
In the video below note the stone wall in the foreground. This is known as a ha-ha, a landscape design feature built into trench or ditch. At ground level this prevents livestock from crossing the barrier but leaves the view from the house or apartment unobstructed. When this was built, sheep and cattle were likely grazing nearby. This feature kept them from intruding on the lawn of these upper class dwellings. On the other hand, people on the upper level wandering around in the dark might be surprised when they fall over the wall. Therefore, ha-ha! But we must move on.
Circus
A few blocks from the Royal Crescent is The Circus. This set of building are in a circle designed by John Wood, the Elder. This is considered his masterpiece. Unfortunately, the Elder died three months into the project so his son, the Younger took it to completion. Imagine three large buildings built in a circle. It was quite unique for the late 1700s. Jess took us to the center of the circle that was once the water reservoir that provided water for the residents of The Circus. There was a group high school aged kids from France along with their teachers studying The Circus. Jess asked them to move a few feet from where they were standing. She then proceeded to clap her hands, the sound of the clap echoed off the nearby buildings. As we walked away, the kids were busy making claps of their own.
Note the decorative acorn finials evenly placed on each of the buildings.
If you remember the Giant Plane tree I talked about in last week’s blog. Well, here’s five more that were planted in 1820. 
Prior to our visit to Bath, I’d seen photos of the Royal Crescent and The Circus, it was fun to see them up close and in person.
Queen Square
Jess took us past Queen Square where she explained that John Wood, the Elder built houses around the square that were exact in the Palladian style in the front. Once the front was completed, the rest of the building could look pretty much how the owner wanted or could afford. Queen Square was named after Queen Caroline, wife of King George II. The square was where the residence would hang out to be seen.
The obelisk was erected by Beau Nash (remember him from last week’s post) to honor Frederick, Prince of Wales, son of Caroline and George and heir to the throne. As an aside, Frederick became estranged from his parents. He fathered a future king, George III, the nemesis of the American colonies.
I saw this note stuck to the base of the monument. All I can say, I agree with Gary and admire his chutzpah. 
Bath Assembly Rooms
John Wood, the Younger, designed the Assembly Rooms that were built in 1771. The building was described as ‘the most noble and elegant in the kingdom.’ There are four rooms, a large ballroom, a tea room, a card room, and the octagon. This was one of the centers of social activities in Bath. Jess told us this is where women went to attract a suitable beau. It’s said that Jane Austen and Charles Dickens attended events at the Assembly Rooms. We must move on.
The Hospital
We made a quick walk by of a hospital important in the history of Bath. In the top photo note the sculpture of the Good Samaritan coming to the aid of a traveler robbed and left for dead.
The Royal Mineral Water Hospital, also known as The Min, was established in 1738 to care for the sick poor. It used the mineral waters to treat patients. The building was designed by John Wood, the Elder. It eventually became the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, specializing in the treatment of rheumatic disorders. The Min became a part of the National Health Service and closed in 2019 when a new facility was built.
It was an amazing two hour walk with Jess. I found her to be so knowledgeable, with good wit, and cognizant that she walked very fast. But we weren’t done with her as my Traveling Partner and I plus two others had signed up for an additional 30 minutes tour of the Bath Abbey interior. We had to hurry because Evensong began at 5:30 PM, we had to be out by 5.
The Interior of Bath Abbey
While the exterior is majestic and strong, the interior appears intricate, delicate, and gracious. I couldn’t help but gawk at the fan vaulted ceiling. The intent of the architects was to draw worshipers up to God. I’m sure it worked for some, it’s quite stunning.
The 56 panels in the east stained glass window tell the story of Jesus from his birth to his ascension. It’s a marvel. Parts of the stained glass were damaged in the Blitz in 1942 and repaired after the war.
Another factoid, the Abbey has 52 windows that take up approximately 80% of the wall space.
We stopped by the tomb of Bishop James Montagu. He donated his own funds to complete the roof of the Abbey. Prior to the roof being completed, the Nave was open to the elements. He wanted to be buried at Bath Abbey to encourage others to support the church. Apparently, it worked. 
There are 635 memorials that line the Abbey walls, most from the 1700s and 1800s. 
Here’s the tomb of Richard “Beau” Nash, the Master of Ceremonies for Bath. Check out last week’s post to learn more about him.
A plaque inlaid in the floor, commemorates the date and place where Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh stood to honor the coronation of King Edgar in 973 AD.
This is Sir William Waller’s memorial to his first wife Jane. She died in 1633. It shows Sir William and Lady Jane lying together. It is considered one of the finest monuments in the Abbey. The memorial was purposely defaced by the Royalist soldiers who sheltered in the Abbey during the English Civil War. Waller was on the other side.
I snapped a quick photo of The Book of Common Prayer ready for the liturgy. 
In the lower level, there is a museum of artifact found when the Abbey underwent renovations. I only had a few minutes to snap a couple of photos.
It was at this point we said goodby to Jess. She’s a great guide. If you find yourself in Bath and are looking for a tour guide, check out Jess at bathpublicwalkingtours.co.uk.
Potpourri
For the final few hours in Bath, we wandered around checking out the shops and looking for a nice restaurant for dinner. We came across a couple of signs that I thought were interesting.
We were sitting on a bench near the Bath Abbey when this dog dropped his stick in front of me. So I tossed it, he fetched it and returned. This went on for about ten minutes. I was have a great time keeping the dog busy running after the stick. I had to be careful because the plaza was crowded. Sometime, he would drop it too far away for me to reach, I told him closer, he moved it closer. A super smart dog. And then he grabbed his stick and ran through the crowd. His human must have had a whistle to call him. It was fun while it lasted, for both of us!
It was a busy weekend day in Bath, the city was filled with tourists and shoppers. I can see why they come, there is a lot to see and do plus shops line the streets. Something for everyone.
That’s it for this week. Join me next week when we begin the walk in the Cotswolds.
Until then, happy travels!
Tom
PS: Click here for a link to the post about my book “Farm Boy.” Contact me if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Thanks to all have plunked down your hard earned dollars and read the book. TM