Bath Abbey
About
The last great medieval church built in England, begun in 1499 on the site where Edgar, first king of all England, was crowned in 973. The west front's carved angels climb ladders up the towers, a stone retelling of the founding bishop's dream, and inside the fan vaulting runs the full length of the nave in golden stone. Entry is by donation. The Tower Tour is the sleeper hit: a guided climb past the bell chamber to the roof, with the best close-up view of the Roman Baths' Great Bath and the whole city in its bowl of hills. The Abbey remains a working church, so visiting hours flex around services and events; on summer graduation weeks it can close entirely for ceremonies, so check the site on the day.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓The fan-vaulted nave in golden Bath stone
- ✓The west front's carved angels climbing to heaven
- ✓Tower Tours to the roof, looking straight down on the Great Bath
- ✓The site of King Edgar's coronation in 973
Tips
- →Entry is by donation; Tower Tours are ticketed and bookable online.
- →Usual visitor hours are roughly 10:00-17:30 Monday-Saturday and 13:00-16:30 Sunday, but services and ceremonies interrupt: check the day's times.
- →The Tower Tour's view over the Roman Baths is the best photo angle in the city centre.
Best Season
More Attraction Activities
The Roman Baths
Britain's great Roman religious spa around the country's only hot spring, with the steaming Great Bath at its heart. Book ahead; you cannot bathe here.
Thermae Bath Spa
Bathe in Bath's real thermal water: indoor Minerva Bath, steam rooms and the famous open-air rooftop pool. Adults only; book ahead.
No.1 Royal Crescent
The first and finest house of the Royal Crescent, restored room by room as it was in the 1770s-90s. The Crescent and the Circus themselves are free.