The Roman bathing complex in the heart of Bath, built around Britain's only hot spring and dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva
Open to visitorscheck opening times and admission before you go
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
The Roman Baths sit right in the centre of Bath, built around the only natural hot spring in Britain. A Roman bath-house was a place to wash, soak and socialise, a run of hot and cold pools rather like a spa, and this was one of the grandest in the province. The Romans channelled the spring, which still bubbles up warm at around 46 degrees, into a large lead-lined pool now called the Great Bath, and built a temple beside it to Sulis Minerva, a blending of a local British goddess with the Roman Minerva. They named the whole town Aquae Sulis, the waters of Sulis.
You come in at street level and drop down to the Roman floor, where the Great Bath stands open to the sky. The green tint of the water is just algae, since the pool is no longer roofed. The columns, statues and terrace looking down on it were added by the Victorians, but the pool itself, the spring, the heated rooms and the temple foundations are Roman. A museum runs through the finds, including the carved gorgon’s head from the temple and the lead curse tablets that visitors threw into the spring.
The site is in the middle of a busy city, ticketed and run by the council, and it gets very busy, so booking a timed slot ahead is the sensible move. It sits next to Bath Abbey and the Pump Room, and the city is an easy base for the wider Cotswolds: the Cotswold Way ends here, and the towpath of the Kennet & Avon Canal offers a flat walk out of town if you fancy some air after the crowds.
More at the National Heritage List entry
