Places to visit in the UK - Bath Abbey

Bath is a city in Somerset in England, known for its beautiful Georgian architecture, Roman baths, famous Pump room and of course, it's Abbey.

This was my second visit to the Abbey and is still one of the popular places to visit in the city of Bath. The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, was founded in the 7th century and has been re-built and restored over the years since. It has beautiful fan vaulting and houses hundreds of memorials to people who have long since departed this world for the next. The Abbey is a grade 1 listed building.

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1500's the Abbey was stripped of it's glass, lead and even its roof. It was not until the reign of Queen Elizabeth who ordered the restoration of the Abbey. Work to maintain the Abbey continues to this day and I even noticed some small removals and adjustments, such as the removal of an iron gate around one of the effigies (the original can be seen in the second slideshow below).

Whilst I was here I was lucky enough to see Luke Jerram's artwork, Gaia, a large globe of the Earth measuring approximately 7 metres in diameter suspended beneath the Abbey's tower. It certainly drew a great deal of attention from visitors.

Outside of the Abbey there is plenty to see and do. You can visit the Royal Crescent, a beautiful Georgian street often used in period dramas and movies such as Persuasion by Jane Austen, there is a Jane Austen museum, The Roman Baths, Pump House, stroll across the Palladian style Pulteney Bridge (one of only four bridges in the world to have shops on it), take a boat ride on the River Avon or visit some of the boutique shops. There is also a small Botanical garden, which I haven't been to yet, and there is a hop on hop off bus service that can help you see all the sights if you are not sure where to go or if you have problems with mobility.

Below is a slideshow of the photographs I took at the Abbey.

Below is another slideshow of photographs when I visited Bath in 2009.