Roman Baths
The entrance to the Roman Baths
Shown within Somerset
Building information
Town	Bath
Country	England
Coordinates	51°22′51″N 2°21′34″W / 51.38094, -2.35950Coordinates: 51°22′51″N 2°21′34″W / 51.38094, -2.35950
Architect	Building - John Wood
Construction start date	Baths - Roman Building - 1894
Completion date	1897

For Roman baths in general, see Thermae. Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. John Wood or variants therefrom may refer to Actors Mrs John Wood (1831&ndash1915 British actor in America along with her less notable husband John This page is on buildings used for Roman bathing For the activity in general see Ancient Roman bathing.

The Roman Baths complex is a site of historical interest in the English city of Bath. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Bath is a city in Somerset in the south west of England It is situated west of London and south-east of Bristol. The complex is a very well-preserved Roman site of public bathing. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 The Roman Baths themselves are below the modern street level and has four main features, the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum holding finds from Roman Bath. The buildings above street level date from the 19th century. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar

The Baths are a major tourist attraction and, together with the Pump Room, receive more than one million visitors a year. Tourism plays a significant part in the economic life of England. ^[1] It was featured on the 2005 TV programme Seven Natural Wonders as one of the wonders of the West Country. Seven Natural Wonders was a Television series that aired on BBC Two from 3 May to 20 June 2005. Visitors can see the Baths and Museum but cannot enter the water. An audio guide is available in several languages.

How the hot springs form at Bath

The water which bubbles up from the ground at Bath, fell as rain on the Mendip Hills. The Mendip Hills (commonly called The Mendips) are a range of Limestone hills situated to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset It percolates down through limestone aquifers to a depth of between 2,700 metres (8,858 ft) and 4,300 metres (14,108 ft) metres where geothermal energy raises the water temperature to between 64 °C (147. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. 2 °F) and 96 °C (204. Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736 a German Physicist who proposed it in 1724 8 °F). Under pressure, the heated water rises to the surface along fissures and faults in the limestone. This process is similar to an artificial one known as Enhanced Geothermal System which also makes use of the high pressures and temperatures below the Earth's crust. Hot Dry Rock Geothermal Energy (HDR is a type of Geothermal power production that uses the very high temperatures (approx 200 Celsius that can be found in rocks Hot water at a temperature of 46 °C (114. 8 °F) rises here at the rate of 1,170,000 litres (257,364 imp gal) every day,^[2] from a geological fault (the Pennyquick fault). The litre or liter (see spelling differences) is a unit of Volume. Imperial units or the Imperial system is a collection of units first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824 A gallon is a measure of Volume. It is in current use in the United States and still has limited use in many other English-speaking countries In 1983 a new spa water bore-hole was sunk, providing a clean and safe supply of spa water for drinking in the Pump Room. ^[3]

History

Roman use

Roman Bath

The first shrine at the site of the hot springs was built by Celts,^[4] and was dedicated to the goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with Minerva; however, the name Sulis continued to be used after the Roman invasion, leading to the town's Roman name of Aquae Sulis (literally, "the waters of Sulis"). Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts In localised Celtic polytheism practiced in Britain Sul or Sulis was the deification of the thermal spring-water of Bath Somerset, where she was worshipped Roman mythology, or more appropriately Latin mythology, refers to the mythological beliefs of the Italic people inhabiting the region of Latium and its The MInisterial NEtwoRk for Valorising Activities in digitisation, or MINERVA, is a European Union organization concerned with the digitisation of cultural and A partial list of Roman place names in Great Britain. This list includes only names documented from Roman times For the Roman Baths complex at Aquae Sulis see Roman Baths (Bath. The temple was constructed in 60-70 AD and the bathing complex was gradually built up over the next 300 years. ^[5] During the Roman occupation of Britain, and possibly on the instructions of Emperor Claudius,^[6] engineers drove oak piles to provide a stable foundation into the mud and surrounded the spring with an irregular stone chamber lined with lead. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus or Claudius I ( August 1, 10 BC &ndash October 13, AD 54 ( Tiberius Claudius Drusus from birth to In the second century it was enclosed within a wooden barrel-vaulted building,^[4] and included the caldarium (hot bath), tepidarium (warm bath), and frigidarium (cold bath). A Caldarium (also called a Calidarium, Cella Caldaria or Cella Coctilium) was a room with a hot plunge bath used in a Roman bath complex The tepidarium was the warm ( tepidus) bathroom of the Roman baths heated by a Hypocaust or Underfloor heating system A frigidarium is a large cold pool to drop into after enjoying a hot Roman bath. ^[7] After the Roman withdrawal in the first decade of the fifth century, these fell into disrepair and were eventually lost due to silting up. The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in Anno Domini / Common Era. ^[8] The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, suggests the original Roman baths were destroyed in the 6th century. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of Annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. ^[9]

Redevelopment

The Great Bath — the entire structure above the level of the pillar bases is a later reconstruction.

The baths have been modified on several occasions, including the 12th century when John of Tours built a curative bath over the King's Spring reservoir and the 16th century when the city corporation built a new bath (Queen's Bath) to the south of the Spring. John of Tours (or John de Villula) (d 1122 was a Norman Bishop of Wells who moved the diocese seat to Bath. ^[10] The spring is now housed in eighteenth century buildings, designed by architects John Wood, father and son. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system John Wood or variants therefrom may refer to Actors Mrs John Wood (1831&ndash1915 British actor in America along with her less notable husband John Visitors drank the waters in the Pump Room, a neo-classical salon which remains in use, both for taking the waters and for social functions. Victorian expansion of the baths complex followed the neo-classical tradition established by the Woods. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities In 1810 the Hot Springs failed and William Smith opened up the Hot Bath Spring to the bottom, where he found that the spring had not failed but had flowed into a new channel. William Smith ( March 23 1769 &ndash August 28 1839) was an English Geologist, credited with creating the first nationwide Smith restored the water to its original course and the Baths filled in less time than formerly. ^[11]

The visitor entrance is via an 1897 concert hall by J M Brydon. It is an eastward continuation of the Grand Pump Room with a glass-domed centre and single-storey radiused corner. ^[12] The Grand Pump Room was begun in 1789 by Thomas Baldwin. Thomas Baldwin (c1750 &ndash 7 March 1820) was an English surveyor and Architect in Bath. He resigned in 1791 and John Palmer continued the scheme until its completion in 1799. John Palmer (ca 1738 &ndash 19 July 1817, Bath) was an Architect who worked on some of the notable buildings of Bath in England ^[10] The elevation on to Abbey Church Yard has a centre piece of four engaged Corinthian columns with entablatures and pediment. An entablature (ɛnˈtæblətʃɚ Latin, and tabula, a tablet) refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure ( Entablature) typically supported by It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade I listed building. English Heritage is a Non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government ( Department for Culture Media and Sport) with a broad remit of A listed building in the United Kingdom is a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural historical or cultural significance ^[13] The north colonnade was also designed by Thomas Baldwin. ^[14] The south colonnade is similar but had an upper floor added in the late 19th century. ^[15] The museum and Queen's Bath including the "Bridge" spanning York Street to the City Laundry were by C E Davis in 1889. It comprises a southward extension to the Grand Pump Room, in which some remains of the C17 Queen's Bath are merged. ^[16]

Museum

The museum houses artifacts from the Roman period including objects which were thrown into the Sacred Spring, presumably as offerings to the goddess. These include more than 12,000 Roman coins which is the largest votive deposit known from Britain. main - title Coin keywords numismatics coin review A votive deposit or votive offering is an object left in a Sacred place for Ritual purposes ^[17] A gilt bronze head of the goddess Sulis Minerva, which was discovered nearby in 1727, is displayed. Bronze is any of a broad range of Copper alloys, usually with Tin as the main additive but sometimes with other elements such as Phosphorus ^[18]

Gorgons Head from the Temple Pediment

The Bath Temple stood on a podium more than two metres above the surrounding courtyard, approached by a flight of steps. On the approach there were four large, fluted Corinthian columns supporting a frieze and decorated pediment above. The pediment, parts of which are displayed in the museum, is the triangular ornamental section, 26 feet (7. 9 m) wide and 8 feet (2. 4 m) from the apex to the bottom,^[19] above the pillars on the front of the building. It featured the very powerful central image of the Gorgon’s head glowering down from a height of 15 metres on all who approached the temple.

In the corners of the pediment are Tritons, half men and half fish, servants of the water god Neptune. In the lower left centre ground is a face helmet in the form of a dolphin’s head. The small owl tucked away to the lower right of the large central roundel is also almost certainly perched atop another helmet. The central head is held aloft by female 'Victories', on a shield ringed with oak leaves. The Victories stand on globes. Above all this, in the apex of the pediment, is a star. The great head itself has snakes entwined within its beard, wings above its ears, beetling brows and a heavy moustache^[20] although there is some controversy about what this really represents as Gorgons are usually female. In Greek mythology, a gorgon ( Greek: γοργώ or γοργών transl ^[21] An alternative interpretation sees the central head as the image of a water god such as the image of Oceanus, and yet another as a Celtic sun god. Ocean (Ὠκεανός was believed to be the world-ocean in Classical antiquity, which the ancient Romans and Greeks considered to be ^[7]

Also on display are the remains of the elaborate hypocaust heating system which served the sweat rooms. A hypocaust (Latin hypocaustum) is an ancient Roman system of Central heating.

Conservation

Statues on the terrace

The late 19th century carvings of Roman Emperors and Governors of Roman Britain on the terrace overlooking the Great Bath are particularly susceptible to the effect of acid rain and are being protected with a wash of a sacrificial shelter coat every few years. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC This is a partial list of Governors of Roman Britain. As Britannia, Roman Britain was a consular province which means its governors need to be appointed consul by Acid rain is Rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually Acidic It has harmful effects on plants aquatic animals and infastructure ^[22] Exhibits within the temple precincts are susceptible to warm air which had the effect of drawing corrosive salts out of the Roman stonework. To help reduce this, a new ventilation system was installed in 2006. ^[23]

Water safety

Bath was charged with responsibility for the Hot Springs in a Royal Charter of 1591 granted by Elizabeth I. This duty has now passed to Bath and North East Somerset Council, who carry out monitoring of pressure, temperature and flow rates. Bath and North East Somerset (commonly referred to as BANES or B&NES) is a Unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 The thermal waters all contain sodium, calcium, chloride and sulphate ions in high concentrations. ^[24]

The water that flows through the Roman Baths is considered unsafe for bathing, partly due to its having passed through the still-functioning original lead pipes, and up until World War II, it was advertised on the basis of the radioactivity it contained. Characteristics Lead has a dull luster and is a dense, Ductile, very soft highly World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Radioactive decay is the process in which an unstable Atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting ionizing particles and Radiation. However the more significant danger is now considered to be infectious diseases. In 1979 a girl swimming in the restored bath swallowed some of the source water, and died five days later from amoebic meningitis. Amoeba (sometimes amœba or ameba, plural amoebae) is a Genus of Protozoa that moves Meningitis is Inflammation of the protective membranes covering the Brain and Spinal cord, known collectively as the Meninges. ^[25] Tests showed that the Naegleria fowlerii bug^[26] was in the water and the pool was closed, and remains closed today. The newly-constructed Thermae Bath Spa nearby, designed by Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners, allows modern-day bathers to experience the waters via a series of more recently-drilled boreholes. Thermae Bath Spa is a modern spa in the city of Bath, England, opened in 2006 Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, CBE (born 9 October 1939 is a prominent English Architect, particularly noted for several Modernist buildings including London

Gallery

Great Bath	Sacred Spring	Hippocamp mosaic	Spring overflow
Frigidarium (cold pool)	Model of Roman Bath & Temple of Sulis Minerva as they would have looked at their greatest extent in 4th century AD	Caldarium. The hippocamp or hippocampus (plural hippocampi Greek: ἵπποκαμπος from ἵππος "horse" and κάμπος, "monster" The floor has been removed to reveal the empty space which the hot air used to flow through to heat the floor

References

External links

• Roman Baths official website
• Roman Baths Quicktime VR
• BBC 360 degree panorama