Bath's hidden history

Bath is a gem of a place to visit any time of the year with so many things to do amongst it’s stunning architecture - many people I speak to on the tour tell me “I wish I’d booked more than a day” - so be warned! 🎇

Join me on this intimate tour (5 people maximum (although I like to be flexible with this) and 2 persons minimum) as I show you the hidden and sometimes rather saucy side to Bath.

This is a tour for the reasonably fit - be sure to wear suitable clothing and give yourself plenty of time to find parking/bathroom, et cetera, and be aware that if you are the only booking and I’ve not heard from you by the start of the tour, I will have left.

I suggest taking a screenshot of my number to contact me if you have trouble finding the meet-up spot as cell service is poor in town.

This is an illustrated amusing tour that I have aimed at grown-ups - due to some of the content and pace I do not accept children on the tour.

History has always meant a lot to me and I have an unusual background of being raised alongside the kind of families who lived in the magnificent houses of Bath, so join me as we uncover the lesser-known aspects of the city.

In the first part of the tour I will endeavour to paint a picture of two periods in Bath’s history - how Bath looked before the massive rebuilding of the city in the 18th century, and Anglo-Saxon, Bath with its delightful monastery and huge gatehouses and walls.

We discover what we can still see of the Anglo Saxon monastery and follow the route of ancient walls of Bath, look at how they were a vital part of King Alfred's defence against the Danes, see the original Roman and Saxon layout of the city and the part they played in Bath surviving very turbulent times.

The second part of the tour looks at the challenges faced developing the land across the river, and the magnificent job the Georgians did to overcome them, then we explore a delightful green space behind the Holburne Museum and learn about its colourful history.

We start by walking the line of the wall, south through the site the monastery orchards,
then onto the southern line of the city wall to where the pretty Southgate once stood.

From there we explore the history surrounding the hot springs and the lovely buildings surrounding them.

Further around we see where the massive Westgate once dominated the skyline, then continuing to the northern wall, we find a piece of the original mediaeval wall still intact.

As we complete the circuit of the walls we move to the Northgate, and then the only Gatehouse still partly intact, the very lovely Eastgate.

Now we take a look at what was once called Bath New Town, where the fabulously wealthy Pulteney family created a massive extension to the city by building luxurious homes on their farmland.

Walking Great Pulteney Street to the end we walk through the delightful Sydney Pleasure Gardens before we finish the at canal.