During the past twelve centuries, three churches have
occupied the site of Bath Abbey. There was an Anglo Saxon church founded in 757
and destroyed in 1066 during the Norman Conquest. The Normans
built a cathedral in 1090, but by the 15th Century it was in ruins
due to neglect. The current Bath Abbey was built between 1499 and 1616, making
it the last great medieval church raised in England.
It was wrecked during Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, but was
restored by subsequent generations.
The most striking feature of the abbey's exterior is the
west façade, where angels climb up and down stone ladders, commemorating a
dream of the founder of the abbey, Bishop Oliver King, to
pull down the ruined Norman cathedral and raise the present building on its
foundations. The nave's wonderful fan vaulting, which runs the whole
length of the building, was erected in the 19th century. At the East end, above the altar, stained glass in
the huge window illustrates the Biblical story of the life of Jesus Christ.
Beau Nash was buried in the nave and is honored by a simple
monument quite out of keeping with his rather flamboyant character. The Bath
Abbey Heritage Vaults opened in 1994 on the south side of the abbey. The Vaults
contain a subterranean exhibition that traces the history of Christianity at
the abbey site since Saxon times.
Jane Austen
Center
For devotees of her novels, a visit to the Jane
Austen Center,
located in a 18th Century Georgian town house, is a must. It is an
exhibit that depicts how living in Bath
affected her life and her literary work. Austen was one of Bath’s
most famous residents, having paid two long visits to the city towards the end
of the eighteenth century, and from 1801 to 1806 making Bath
her home. Displays include period costume, contemporary prints of the city and
exhibits relating to the author's personal life, family and homes.