Day 1 in Bath. The campsite was great, although the internet to the van didn't work! We left the campsite to walk along the tow path beside the River Avon. There were narrow boats moored in the river and in the nearby marina.
Autumn is definitely with us!
We got to the Park and Ride, for a very easy bus trip right into the heart of Bath.
Leaving the bus, we made our way towards the abbey, and the visitor centre just round the corner. On the way, we passed buskers, who obviously work a sort of shift system, as every half hour at each point one stopped and another took his place. There were flamenco guitarists, blues guitarists, a trumpet-and-pan-pipe duo — and all of them quite good!
We went into the Abbey. Unusually, where cities usually have cathedrals, Bath has chosen to retain its abbey status. The abbey has quite a few interesting points, not the least being the magnificent 15th century fan-vault ceiling above the choir, There is a similar ceiling above the apse, but this is a 19th century copy, really well done. The abbey itself is surprisingly well lit, with about 80% of the walls devoted to glass!
Behind the seats in the quire are some beautiful modern carved angels, playing medieval instruments. Apparently they are based on a group of musicians who were active here only about ten years ago. Stunning.
The whole abbey used to be an 'indoor graveyard', the whole floor consisting of tombstones, with memorials set into the walls. The tombs created voids beneath the floor, and the whole thing had become quite unstable, so there is currently a huge 'Footprint' project under way to stabilise the flooring.
One tomb of interest is that of Jane, wife of Sir William Waller. Sir William commanded the parliamentary forces at the Battle of Lansdowne in 1643. When his wife dies, he set up this tomb with the intent of accompanying here at the end of his own life. It was not to be. When the Royalists came back into power, they defaced the statues of Sir William and his wife, and cut off his sword hand! He was finally buried in Westminster.
Another tomb is that of James Montagu, Bishop of Bath and Wells (1608-1616), and later Bishop of Winchester, one of only two tombs in the entire UK vested as prelate of the Order of the Garter. This follows a story where he was walking with Sir John Harrington, godson of Queen Elizabeth I, and they were caught in a sudden shower of rain. The Bishop took them into the roofless nave, who remarked "If the Church does not keep us safe from the waters above, how shall it save others from the fire below?' Thereupon, the Bishop replaced the roof (subsequently replaced in 1870 by the current nave roof).
Another memorial in the church is of interest to us Aussies — a memorial to Admiral Arthur Phillip, incorrectly citing him as 'Founder and first governor of Australia'. (For those with little cognisance of Australian history, 'Australia' did not come into being until Federation, in 1901 — Phillip was first governor of New South Wales.)
After the abbey, we went over to the Roman Baths. We were welcomed with a 'Salve' from the 'High Priest', who wanders about the place greeting all the guests. He's a fascination character, continually talking about the improvements he intends to have made to the baths — the improvements, of course, being the parts of the baths (like its 50-metre arched roof) that have been lost over time.
Virtually everything above the waterline is Victorian reconstruction.
It's now open to the sky, so you can see the abbey from within the baths.
These Roman Baths are unique in the UK, being built around natural hot springs — the Romans must have thought they had found Elysium! The spring was dedicated to Minerva-Sulis, and there was a huge temple to her on the site. Parts of the pediment of the temple still exist, and there is a superb face of a male Gorgon — at least that's what they think it is — at its centre. This face was carved by celtic sculptors from France, but is Roman to the core!
Pert of the original floor mosaic
Pert of the original floor mosaic
Gilded head of Minerva-Sulis
Minerva-Sulis was a syncretization of the Roman Minerva and the British Sulis, who was often invoked for restitution of theft. This is significant, as archaeology in the spring has found numerous small lead and pewter sheets carrying prayers for the restitution of thefts, or curses for the punishment of the perpetrators. These little inscriptions, coming from the general population, are considered most important historical documents, and have been listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World register of significant documentary heritage.
Another thing Warren found intriguing was various Latin inscriptions which had a peculiar thing in common — where two letters had vertical lines, the two were joined into a single letter, often reversing the former to allow it to attach to the upright. Here's an example ...
Anyway, after a fine time exploring the Roman Baths, it was time to re-board our bus back to the Park and Ride, then walk back along the towpath to the campsite. As we went, we chuckled as a rowing crew came past us — they were either absolute beginners, or totally inept. They had no sense of unison, and the cox/coach was having the Dickens of a time trying to get them to make any progress down the river!
When we came outside, we found it had been raining!
Distance driven — today, nil; to date, 30,594 miles ( 49,242 km )
No comments:
Post a Comment