By Ines Keane
Water comes up out of the ground in Bath at 46 °C. It has done so for a very long time, and nearly everything else in the city, from the temple to the terraces, follows from that one fact.
The water
Bath is in Somerset, in the valley of the River Avon. Visit Bath, the city’s tourism site, gives the temperature of the spring water as 46 °C and the flow as 1,170,000 litres a day. Bath & North East Somerset Council gives looser figures: water at least 45 °C, and over a million litres a day.
What the Romans built
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre, in its entry for the city, calls the Temple of Sulis Minerva and the baths complex “among the most famous and important Roman remains north of the Alps”. For what can be seen today, start with the official Roman Baths site (romanbaths.co.uk).
The stone
Almost all of the old city is built of the same pale limestone. UNESCO names it Bath Oolitic limestone and lists it among the natural resources that shaped the city’s architecture. Visit Bath, the city’s tourism site, describes the result as “honey-coloured Georgian architecture”.
The Georgian city
UNESCO’s brief description says Bath became a medieval wool centre and then, in the eighteenth century, grew into an elegant spa city.
Bathing today
Visit Bath, the city’s tourism site, describes Thermae Bath Spa as the place in the city to bathe in natural thermal water. Opening hours and booking rules change, so check the spa’s own site before you go.
The Roman Baths run seasonal and family programmes through the year. Opening hours, ticket prices and event dates change, so check the official Roman Baths site (romanbaths.co.uk) before you go.
World Heritage
UNESCO inscribed the City of Bath in 1987.
Dates in order
- 1987: city inscribed by UNESCO, according to the World Heritage Centre.
What kind of sources these are
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is the body that made the inscription, so its own entry is the source for that. Visit Bath is a tourism site and promotes the city. Bath & North East Somerset Council is the local authority.
Quick answers
How hot is the water at the Roman Baths? According to Visit Bath, the spring rises at 46 °C, at about 1,170,000 litres a day.
When did Bath become a World Heritage Site? According to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the City of Bath was inscribed in 1987.
What is Bath stone? UNESCO names it Bath Oolitic limestone.
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Roam first. Shop later.