Boasting a population of 83,992, Bath was awarded status by royal charter and Queen Elizabeth I in 1590. The city was first established as a Spa resort with the Latin name Aqua Sulis by the Romans in AD43. They built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the River Avon around hot springs which are the only ones naturally occurring in the United Kingdom.

Widely popular as a Spa resort in Georgian times, which led to a major expansion, the city boasts a heritage of exemplary Georgian architecture crafted from the local Bath stone.

In 1987 the city of Bath was inscribed as a world heritage site. The city has a wide variety of theatres, museums and other cultural and sporting venues which have helped to make it a major centre for tourism with over one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city each year. The city has two universities and several schools and colleges.

Bath has long had a strong cultural history and was the leading centre of fashionable life in England during the 18th century. Artists such as Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Thomas Lawrence lived and worked in the city but it is perhaps the most celebrated author of the day, Jane Austin who is perhaps the best known. Jane lived in the city from 1801 with her Father, Mother and sister Cassandra and two of her novels Northanger Abbey and Persuasion are set there. Despite this, Jane was not a fan of the city and wrote to her sister, "It will be two years tomorrow since we left Bath for Clifton, with what happy feelings of escape".
Bath however, was more generous to the author and honoured her name with the Jane Austin Centre and a city walk.

Although Bath once had an important manufacturing sector, nowadays this is in the decline, it does however boast strong software, publishing and service orientated sector. The city also contains over 400 retail shops, 50% being run by independent specialist retailers and around 100 restaurants and cafes, which are primarily supported by tourism.

Widely acknowledged as one of the most beautiful cities in the United Kingdom, time to take a look at some of the famous sons and daughters who have made their mark and who ensure that this great city continues to flourish long into the 21st century.


In no particular order…

Arnold Ridley, (Private Godfrey in Dad’s Army), Leo McKern, Sarah Siddons, Sir Isaac Pitman, Ken Loach, Peter Gabriel, Robert Adam, Thomas Gainsborough, Clive Woodward, Andrew Lincoln, Amy Williams, Alison Goldfrapp, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, William Herschel, Sir Roger Bannister, Julia Davis