Aqua Sulis and Cheese

[Cujo]

Very ye olde Engerland.

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As you can see its a much photographed Bath landmark, a quick crib from Wiki below to summarise:

Pulteney Bridge crosses the River Avon in Bath, England. It was completed by 1774, and connected the city with the land of the Pulteney family which they wished to develop. Designed by Robert Adam in a Palladian style, it is exceptional in having shops built across its full span on both sides. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.[1]


Within 20 years of its construction, alterations were made that expanded the shops and changed the façades. By the end of the 18th century it had been damaged by floods, but it was rebuilt to a similar design. Over the next century alterations to the shops included cantilevered extensions on the bridge's north face. In the 20th century several schemes were carried out to preserve the bridge and partially return it to its original appearance, enhancing its appeal as a tourist attraction.


The bridge is now 45 metres (148 ft) long and 18 metres (58 ft) wide. Although there have been plans to pedestrianise the bridge, it is still used by buses and taxis. The much photographed bridge and the weir below are close to the centre of the city, which is a World Heritage Site largely because of its Georgian architecture.

one more of the weir with Bath Rugby ground in the backdrop

A few more of the bridge including the rear side which as you'll see is less photogenic but interesting to see how they've built onto it.

Here is a shot facing away from the back of the bridge and gives an idea of the way bath is built up the sides of the extinct volcano.

The rear of the bridge

Finally as we're probably bridged out, looking down the inside of the bridge which has shops lining both sides, the shop in front which is now a coffee shop used to be a stamp and coin shop i frequented as a nerd.

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Good grief, that's taken over 20 minutes inc my balls up accidentally deleting a piccy. This could take a while.

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So the reason for Bath getting its name, the Baths.

As mentioned the first recorded settlement was in Roman times but it must have had Brit Chavs living there ignoring the opportunity to Bathe for centuries before Monty Python made a film there.

I realised i misspelt its Roman name, it is Aquae Sulis, Aquae is obviously water and Sulis is a Goddess - again a quick wiki crib

Sulis was a deity worshiped at the thermal spring of Bath (now in Somerset). She was worshiped by the Romano-British as Sulis Minerva, whose votive objects and inscribed lead tablets suggest that she was conceived of both as a nourishing, life-giving mother goddess and as an effective agent of curses wished by her votaries.

Dates>? c 60AD

A couple of crib photos of the Baths themselves to give you the idea as i didn't go in. There is the Grand Bath and a couple of others, i did the tour looooonnnggg ago and you could sample the water, its full of sulphur and twas bloody disgusting.

The Georgians built around the Roman remains and left what they could in tact. The last photo you can see the Abbey in the backdrop

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So my amble around the outside of the Baths, walking down the side of the Abbey i came across a Magic Pub. In my misspent youth if you mentioned magic and pubs in the same sentence its was Mushrooms, Wilts and Somerset are fine Mushy hunting grounds. Perhaps the magic now is in making your cash disappear.

A side on shot of the Abbey and you can see some of the restoration works going on. I have to say that these days Bath is a sea of creamy/honey coloured buildings. In my younger days those buildings were largely blackened, presumably due to centuries of burning coal for heating and latterly car traffic pollution. In the last two decades its been transformed back to its true colours.

The outside of one of the Baths with Abbey in the back drop

A look down the street, Bath is full of such streets and although less eclectic than it used to be if you take time to walk around or even get lost (if that's possible with smart phones nowadays) you can still come across some real tiny shops selling bizarre stuff.

Apologies for the neckroll

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Last shots of the Baths

Lo and behold a wedding party turned up to spoil my picture of the entrance to the Grand Baths, it was a traditional affair with tacky white stretched limo, bride with tasteful blue shoulder tatt and assorted gorilla sized guests

One of the lesser Baths

And a relatively recent addition a spa with rooftop pools, that isn't clouds its the steam coming off the hot spring fed rooftop pool

Moving along, next a quick stride back toward Cheese heaven

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A quick squizz at some streets:

The main thoroughfare, looking down towards Southgate shopping parade. Bath was bombed during WWII and the areas near the river on the Bristol road copped it. There is an NCP car park and for those that don't know NCP (National Car Parks) was a company that bought up old bomb damaged sites and converted them to car parks - made a fortune.

A closer shot of Southgate, it was originally rebuilt in the 1960 and was a typical 60's abomination of concrete over style, in the last 15 years the 60's was cleared away and replaced with what you see below

Doing a 180 from the first pic is Milsom street, together pics 1 and 3 combine with Southgate as a 1/2 mile walk with shops lining the way

and lastly a side street

literally

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Is anybody seeing pictures in the last three posts?

Is there any reason why the photos have stopped showing?

I give up

[Mendip]

dropping down the hill into Bath, essentially Bath is in the hollow of the old Volcano and built up its sides. The picture below is of Solsbury Hill, its the flat top hill Peter Gabriel wrote a song about.

Great pics Strigils... I grew up about 20 miles from Bath and you're making me very homesick.

Peter Gabriel has a recording studio at Box, a village near Bath, where many big names have recorded music.

The origin of the hot water at the Roman baths is rain that fell several thousand years ago and then descended to a depth of a few thousand metres to be subjected to volcanic heat. When I was a kid I remember the local news reporting that the Roman Baths had closed for public bathing due to the water quality... never to reopen, but before that it was possible to take a dip, just like the Romans did.

There's other hot springs in the area... at Hotwells in Bristol.

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I remember the local news reporting that the Roman Baths had closed for public bathing due to the water quality.

sadly not before i drank it

Peter Gabriel has a recording studio at Box, a village near Bath, where many big names have recorded music.

Yep, been there several times and met him. Nice chap.

Can you see the pics in posts 30 to 32 inc, they are not showing for me

[Mendip]

^ No mate, I can't see them, just a link. All the others are fine.

[strigils]

^ No mate, I can't see them, just a link. All the others are fine.

OK Thanks, christ that took hours - its becoming pointless try to do photo threads on here

[Neverna]

Try this.

Edit: I see you have edited your post now and some photos are showing.

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^ have reposted all the pics Nev and it seems to be OK now, no idea what happened but this is taking bloody ages. I will finished later ish

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Right, home straight, hopefully.

Next follows some pics of my old haunts and some shops that caught the attention; only a few of them as Bath makes a damn fine pub crawl, in fact you could have a pub crawl every day for seven days and not visit the same pub twice.

Saw this sign and thought of Troy with his S21 quest

Dr Marten, Dr Marten, Dr Marten Boots Oii - ahhh fond memories of getting new ones and christening then as it used to me know OR being a thug and chasing a class mate at break time to scuff the shine off them on any bit of his body you could make contact with.

Not an old haunt but this place used to be known as the Pink Pump and was a gay pub, just along from Bath College not that those to things are mutually exclusive. Before being a pink pub the place was a Hogsback brewery pub and you used to be able to exchange 8 Hogback bottletops for a pint of beer, we used to go out on the motorbikes summertime drop into Bath, exchange 16 bottletops and have a nice buzz for the scratch home.

Mmmm Pasties in the corridor

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This place caught the eye and i was amazed to see a head shop in the posher part of Bath

sadly i think my immediate perception says more about me and a misspent youth, the truth was a little more prosaic

The only blow you'll get is blowdry after a wash.

Glued to the side of the former Royal Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases is a Wiltshire Chili pop up tent. Godslayer and Regret offer you a way to end it should the Rheumatic treatment fail.

Now the next place is a sad sight. The grey boarded exterior used to be large wooden windows with bullnose glass and housed Carwadines Coffee House, as a kid my parents used to have lunch in the Francis Hotel (which is still there) and then after shopping it was always a trip to Carwadines which had been there for over 200 years. It roasted and ground all its own coffee in the premises and you could smell the roast 200 yards away. Sadly now gone.

[bsnub]

Dr Marten

Bought a pair here in Seattle for my first job. Turned into my favorite shoe for concerts.

You may be a twat NPT but good on ya for posting a nice thread. I have enjoyed it. Keep it coming you good coont.

[Mendip]

^ Praise indeed!

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^^Well thanks i think

18 Holers, favoured by Punks and Skinheads, which was my time, the former tho.

This thread has taken an age and i have two lots to do but am running out of steam. I think i can only post two pics then save, then edit the post and upload two more. Well here goes. Any future thread will involve a "look what i did in five minutes in XXXX"

[bsnub]

18 Holers, favoured by Punks and Skinheads, which was my time, the former tho.

HEH...

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Home straight.

A few old haunts:

The Volunteer Riflemans Arms or Volly as it was and probably still is known. What you see is the pub, its one small room and you spent quite a bit of time getting an order in, sometime a system would develop where you shouted your order from outside and it would get relayed to the barman inside, money would be passed and pints relayed back. All good natured.

next

I popped back to the indoor market by the yellow van at the start of this, but whilst it was open it was not open exactly

The place used to have a great butchers with excellent beef and a fantastic range of game, couldn't see it but the cheese shop was still there but not the cheese shop i was after.

[Joe 90]

Nice to see a different part of the country and enjoying the commentary.

Reminds me a bit of Buxton in the Peak District.

Shall have to venture down that way and check it out when things open up more.

Does look deserted for what would normally be a busy time of the year.

Cheers for taking the time to post up a travel thread.

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The Pig & Fiddle with Buttcombes beer. This place was always a great start mid afternoon, you see its on the road that a lot of the talent walked up for their night on the town. Sit outside and watch the and girls go by.

Nearly there, i mentioned a pub older than America, well the constitiutional country, meet the Saracens Head or the Sarry as it is known.

The notes say: Possibly the oldest pub in Bath, the Saracen’s Head was built in 1713 on the site of an earlier inn. It was a minor coaching inn: the stables were in what is now the dining area and you can still see some of the original windows. Charles Dickens stayed in the Saracen’s Head during one of his visits to Bath.

All that aside when i used to go there is was rough as fook, lots of fights later in the night and that was why you only had a quick one early on

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And at last Cheese Heaven.

I aimed to get there first as its only one customer at a time but two nasty locals had pipped me to it whilst i was doing my tourist thing

The Fine Cheese Company of Bath and Belgravia, they probably have a slightly smaller selection than you'd imagine but they specialise in quality and small producers. Unfortunately with the sun beaming in they had the blinds down

Inside

I wanted to take some close ups but Alice the study serving wench disbarred me from setting foot into her inner sanctum, as such i made her open another three cheeses so i could try them

The best i could do

sorry for the picture quality but i took Alice at her word and was leaning over her counter at full stretch with her tutting at me.

The goat selection from which i liberated Troy's Valencay (bottom left pyramids) and my Ragstone from

I headed home £25 lighter and with a bag that smelled like a hippies toe jam.

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Almost forgot, a couple of stop offs on the way home.

Firstly Box and as mentioned by Mendip. It was an old water mill but these days it has another use

I wanted to walk round the back which has huge plate glass windows but a quick peep and there was a host of people there, thought better of it before i get asked to leave.

And last but not least, stopped of at Great Chalfield Manor, site of many a lovely picnic and only 8 miles away from where i live.