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25 May 2008, Bath, Somerset, UK
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Bath, city and administrative centre of the unitary authority of Bath and North-East Somerset, southern England, on the Lower Avon River. Long known as a health resort, the city has the only natural hot springs in Great Britain. Manufactures include printed materials, electrical equipment, and textiles. Tourism is also an important industry. The University of Bath (1856) and the Bath Academy of Art (1946) are here. Points of interest in this elegant city include extensive remains of Roman lead-lined baths (discovered 1755), the Abbey Church (16th century), the Guildhall (1776), and the Pump Room (1796). The Roman town of Aquae Sulis was founded on the site of the springs in the 1st century. The baths were later abandoned, but by the 15th century the community was a centre of the wool trade. During the 18th century, Bath became a fashionable resort; the layout of the city and its many fine Georgian buildings (including crescent-shaped blocks of town houses) date from that time. The city was severely damaged by bombing during World War II (1939-1945). In the late 20th century the Roman baths were the centre of a multi-million pound refurbishment project and the thermal spas reopened to the public in 2006. Population (1994 estimate) 84,100. [from Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007]
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