Bath is famous for its beautiful Georgian architecture and the city is often used in period TV dramas and films because of its authenticity.

Come and see the amazing architecture and famous Bath stone for yourself...

Bath Abbey

Standing at the heart of the city of Bath is the historic abbey, which was founded in 1499.

Three Bath is famous for its beautiful Georgian architecture and the city is often used in period TV dramas and films because of its authenticity. Come and see the amazing architecture and famous Bath stone for yourself... different churches have stood on the site over the last 12 centuries but the abbey is now an active parish church, which celebrated its 500th birthday in 1999.

An Anglo-Saxon abbey church stood here from 757AD but was pulled down during the Norman conquest after 1066. The Norman cathedral built in about 1090 was larger than the monastery could afford to maintain and was in ruins by the end of the 15th century.

Next came the present abbey church founded in 1499 and ruined after the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 by order of Henry VIII.

However, since then, through the support of successive generations, the abbey has been restored to the magnificent building it is today.

Pulteney Bridge

Built in 1773, the picturesque bridge was designed by Robert Adam and is one of only four bridges in the world to have shops spanning both sides.

It was named after Frances Pulteney, heiress in 1767 of the Bathwick estate, across the river from Bath. Her husband William Johnstone Pulteney made plans to create a new town there - which would be a suburb to the historic city - but first he needed an easier way than the existing ferry to get across.

Royal Crescent

The majestic arc of the Royal Crescent is the crowning glory of Palladian architecture in Bath. These 30 houses fronted by 114 columns were laid out between 1767 and 1774 and are the work of John Wood the Younger.

A house in the centre is now the famous Royal Crescent Hotel and Number 1 Royal Crescent is a museum, furnished as it might have been at the turn of the 19th century.

The Circus

At the other end of Brock Street is The Circus.

This was John Wood the Elder's masterpiece and the inspiration came from models as diverse as the Coliseum and Stonehenge. He began it in 1754 and it was finished in 1768 under direction of his son.