19Apr – Bath – Dave In Austenland

First things first, today was Laundry Day! I planned on having one load of laundry done here in Bath and today was that day. After arrangements were made with an outside service, I headed to breakfast.

Today was a Jane-heavy day as well. There were several stops throughout the day that had significant Jane Austen connections.

Touring Bath

We met our local guide for a walking tour of several historic points of interest…especially when they related to Jane and her time here.

[As I am writing this particular narrative several weeks after returning to the States, the order may be a bit off.]

Meeting in front of the hotel, we proceeded on foot into a maze of neighboring streets and lanes with our guide pointing out former eighteenth century Bath hot spots such as the first Royal Theatre and several famous residences. Reaching the original location of the Lower Assembly Rooms (we later saw the exterior of the Upper or New Assembly Rooms which are currently closed for renovations), we paused to separate into two groups.

Those who would find an extended walk through the city a challenge boarded the motor coach–which we met up with later–while the rest of us continued on foot. We walked across the Pulteney Bridge which, like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, is lined on both sides with shops, effectively concealing the fact that you are crossing the Avon River…unless you catch a glimpse of water through an empty shop’s windows.

Once over the river, we continued walking down Great Pulteney Street, making our way to No. 4 Sydney Place. This was Jane’s home for several years after the family was relocated to Bath by Rev. Austen. After an animated recounting of the area and the site, we rejoined the rest of our group on the motor coach and all were transported above the city to Bath Skyline park for a panoramic overview of Bath. Many photos were taken before we reboarded the coach and were driven to St. Swithin’s Church.

St. Swithin’s Church

St. Swithin’s Church was another important Austen stop. It was on this spot in 1767 (in a building that was replaced by the current Georgian style church) that George Austen, Bachelor, married Cassandra Leigh, Spinster. (I’m not being cheeky. That is how their names were entered on their marriage certificate.) After the ceremony, the newly-united Austens returned to Steventon to start their eventual family of eight children.

The Rev. Austen retired in 1801 and moved his family to Bath. It was here in Bath that he passed away in 1805 and was buried at St. Swithin’s. Unfortunately, he left his family with a small income and no fixed home, forcing Jane, her mother and her sister to move to increasingly cheaper residences until they finally departed Bath in 1806.

Of particular beauty inside the church was the large stained glass window behind the altar. It was a glorious splash of color in a bright and largely white interior. But it was the artful inclusion of St. Swithin’s itself just below Jesus’ feet that I found most amusing.

Sarah Siddons
If it weren’t for the film “All About Eve“, I would not be familiar with the name of Sarah Siddons much less the fact that she was the leading tragedienne of her day. I just thought naming a theatre award after her was Hollywood’s creative way to avoid a copyright issue with the Tony Awards. Learning that she was a living, breathing theatrical legend was a revelation.

After discovering her portrait among Dr. Johnson’s Wall of Famous Friends in Lichfield, Sarah Siddons kept popping up like the proverbial bad penny. So it was in Bath.

And I only recently learned that there is an actual Sarah Siddon Society and theatre award bestowed annually on an outstanding actor in Chicago. Who’d a thought.
Photo: Barbara Jane Bates as the villainous Phoebe coveting Eve’s Sarah Siddons Award from All About Eve (1950)

Leaving St. Swithin’s, our narrated walking tour continued through the streets of the Upper Town, through the Circus and on to The Royal Crescent with noteworthy sites noted along the way. Upon reaching the Crescent, we bid adieu to our local guide before more photo-taking ensued.

Digital images secured, we moved en masse to the Crescent terminus of The Gravel Walk, a lovely tree-shaded pathway that leads down to lower Bath. Before embarking on this final leg of our walking tour–the same route traveled by Anne Elliott & Captain Wentworth in Persuasion–Marion did a short reading from said novel to set the mood. Half way through our descent, we came upon a formal Georgian Garden open to the public. ‘Twas not terribly impressive–no pics taken–but it was still early spring and I’m sure when the flora is in full bloom, it would be quite a sight to behold. On reaching the end of the path, we scattered into the labyrinth of Bath’s historic center as the rest of the day was our own. Marion made sure we reached the Bath Abbey’s courtyard, site of both the Pump Room and the Roman Baths, before departing herself.

Fourteen of us had reservations to attend High Tea in the Pump Room at 2:00 PM. That left me with a little under two hours to fill. At breakfast, I had learned that Parker and Becki had purchased online tickets to the Roman Baths for after tea. Hoping to join them, I was able to purchase an admission ticket for the same entry time before I took to wandering the streets in a futile attempt to find an ATM machine close by.

Returning to the Abbey churchyard, I shared an available bench with Betti, one of my fellow travelers also waiting for High Tea, until we noticed that people were being admitted into the Pump Room.

High Tea was held in a large room filled with white tablecloth-covered tables. Our group was split between two round tables across the room from a small stage where a quartet of musicians provided lovely background music–including a selection of the opening music of the 1995 Pride & Prejudice series! It was a delightful, delicious and highly-appropriate Bath experience.

Roman Baths

After High Tea, I joined Parker and Becki to tour the Roman Baths…as did a few others. We were there for almost three hours. It was fascinating and well worth the cost of admission.

By the way, there was conversation among us about the Main Pool being off limits because the water contained a flesh-eating pathogen. When the conversation turned to the condition of the run-off water that flows into the Avon River and the potential hazards downstream, I approached someone on staff and spoke of our concerns. I was told that there is, in fact, a brain-eating amoeba that thrives in the warm thermal water, so entering the pool is forbidden. However, between the cooling and the diluting of the flow, once the amoeba-tainted water reaches the Avon, it is no longer a threat. Whew.