The Guided Tour

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In 1937 Karl Baedeker wrote in his guide book – the equivalent to today’s Lonely Planet Guides – ‘Bath is the chief winter spa in Britain …  a handsome city, unrivalled among provincial English towns for its combination of archaeological, historic, scenic and social interest.  …. A city of crescents, terraces of Bath stone and rising tier above tier….

2 years later war was declared and in 1942 Bath suffered 3 phases of intense bombing that left scars on the city we can still see today.  The attack on Bath was known as one of the Baedeker air raids as the city was said to have been singled out along with 4 others from the famous guide books.  But Why?? What led to these attacks?? How does this have resonance today?? Come on From Bathers to Bombers for the answer to this and more.

On this tour we will explore the development of the ‘chief winter spa in Britain’ from the Romans who built a temple with a holiday spa next door through to the 1700s when the great the good and the not so good came to bathe in hot water, gamble and catch a wealthy husband or wife. 

Alongside this we will follow the route of the planes on those two fateful nights.  Just like the bombers followed the moonlight on the river Avon, we will follow the river to the heart of the city, to the Roman Baths and medieval Abbey church and then on to the elegant Georgian city ‘of crescents and terraces ..rising tier above tier ..’ following  the devastation that was left behind.