Jim Hunt for the News and Journal
After leaving Stonehenge, we embarked on the last two stops on the tour, which was a
visit to the city of Bath and Stratford Upon Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.
While I had heard of both cities, I knew very little about them. As we approached the city
of Bath, I was amazed at the size of the city, more than 94,000 citizens and the
impressive architecture throughout.
The city of Bath, in Southwest England was founded in the 1 st century AD by the Romans who capitalized on the natural hot springs as a thermal spa. It became a center for the wool industry in the Middle Ages but evolved into a city known for its healing waters. An interesting connection to West Virginia is that the Town of Bath in Morgan County, West Virginia was named in honor of
England’s spa city, by the Virginia General Assembly in December 1776.
We walked through the historic streets and were impressed by the architecture and
uniqueness of how they incorporated the landscape with the beautiful buildings. We had
lunch at a small restaurant and enjoyed the atmosphere in this amazing city. Bath has
over 6 million visitors yearly making it one of ten English cities visited most by overseas
tourists. In addition to tourism, Bath also has two universities and a popular theatre
district.
One of the most impressive buildings in the city of Bath is the Royal Crescent, a row of
30 terraced houses laid out in a sweeping crescent, that is one of the greatest examples
of Georgian architecture in the United Kingdom. The design of the Royal Crescent
blends the stately building with the greenery that opens in front of each residence. While
originally design as 30 individual housing units, only 10 are still full-size townhouses and
18 have been split into flats of various sizes. Number 1 Royal Crescent is now a
museum and the Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa occupy what formerly was Units 15 and
16.
Leaving Bath, we headed to Stratford-Upon-Avon, a town, about 90 miles from London
with a population of just over 30,000. The settlement which later became known as
Stratford was first inhabited by Anglo-Saxons in the 7 th -century. While not as
architecturally stunning as the city of Bath, Stratford is a quaint town with the distinction
of being the birthplace and burial place of playwright and poet William Shakespeare,
whose image is seen on many of the buildings and a large statue in the city center. The
city is a popular tourist destination and over 2.7 million visitors a year walk on the same
streets as a young Shakespeare did more than 400 years ago.
We visited the King Edward VI school, which was attended by William Shakespeare and
my wife Pam and granddaughter Emery, got to practice writing with a quill pen and ink
well, at the desks where William Shakespeare sat. Although no records or registers
exist from that time, historians have noted that in all likelihood, William attended the
school because of his father’s position on the town council. The school still operates as
a grammar school and currently has 767 students.
One thing is for sure and that is there is plenty to see in these two historic cities and it
was impossible to see every interesting site. I know that if I ever return to London, I
would want to take the train and spend a couple of days exploring the countryside in
these beautiful and historic cities.