Story
The story of Bath Abbey
Before you go in, look at the west front: carved angels are climbing up and down two stone ladders towards heaven, a picture of Jacob's Ladder from the Bible. A monastery was founded here in the 7th century – in 675 a local king granted land to an abbess near Bath – and the church was rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries. Its Benedictine monks were sent away in 1539, when King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries.
In the 1860s Sir George Gilbert Scott carried out a major restoration. Today Bath Abbey is one of the finest examples of Perpendicular Gothic architecture in the West Country, especially famous for its fan vaulting. It can seat up to 1,200 people, has two organs and a peal of ten bells, and there is a museum in its cellars.
Step inside, look up at the stone fans spreading across the ceiling, and then read the memorial plaques on the walls and floor.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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More highlights in Bath
- Jane Austen CentreThe Jane Austen Centre at 40 Gay Street in Bath, Somerset, England, is a permanent exhibition which tells the story of Jane Austen's Bath experience, and the effect that visiting and living in the city had on her and her writing.
- Royal CrescentThe Royal Crescent is a row of 30 terraced houses laid out in a sweeping crescent in the city of Bath, England.
- Pulteney BridgePulteney Bridge is a bridge over the River Avon in Bath, England. It was completed by 1774, and connected the city with land in Bathwick which Sir William Pulteney and his family wished to develop.
- The CircusThe Circus is a historic ring of large townhouses in the city of Bath, Somerset, England, forming a circle with three entrances.
- Roman BathsThe Roman Baths are well-preserved thermae in the city of Bath, Somerset, England. A temple was constructed on the site between 60 and 70 AD in the first few decades of Roman Britain.