The Royal Crescent in Bath is an absolutely unique architectural gem, completed in 1774 by John Wood the Younger; it took about 7 years to complete and still today it stands as a perfect semi-elliptical curve about 50 feet high and 500 feet long. It truly is a site to behold; there are 30 attached magnificent houses, among them, one of the most charming, delightful, grandest hotels ever, the Royal Crescent Hotel www.royalcrescent.co.uk
As a heroine would say, it is beautifully situated.
Some suites are named after literary figures, the Sir Percy Blakeney Suite named after The Scarlet Pimparnel, one of my favorite novels, if you haven’t read it-please do, written by Baroness Orczy, it is the ultimate swashbuckling, romantic adventure, set during the French Revolution. As the story goes, after his adventures, Sir Percy moved to Bath and lived at number 16 Royal Crescent.
The street curves along the crescent and below, a green carpet of lush grass separated by a ha-ha. What is a ha-ha you say, well a cleverly designed wall that is invisible from the curved path and the upper part of the grassy knoll. Since the area served as a promenade to see and be seen, the ha-ha separated the ton-the socially elite- from mere mortals, peasants, along with sheep, cows and whatever critters lived below.
Number 1 Royal Crescent is a renowned museum that perfectly depicts the affluent Georgian lifestyle; fully restored it is owned by the Bath Preservation Trust, and truly well worth a visit.
Walking up a slight incline on Brock Street the panoramic view of the Crescent is truly breathtaking, and writing these travelogues has been enormously difficult, because what I want to do is hop on a plane, spend some more time in Bath, instead, I’ll re-read the Scarlet Pimpernel-it has been a while since I’ve read it.
Till next Time,
Margot Justes
A Hotel in Paris ISBN 978-1-59080-534-3
Art brought her to Paris, then a stranger’s death changes her life.
Missing ISBN 978-1-59080-611 1- February 2009
www.mjustes.com
available on amazon.com
4 comments:
Bath is a gorgeous city full of history. I always think of Jane Austen when I'm there - particularly when I took tea at the Pump House.
I hope you got to visit the Roman Baths? They are truly something.
Wyatt at Pan
We don't just write the stories, we live them at Pan Historia
Pan,
I did visit the Roman Baths, had tea at the Pump Room, spent 4 days and that wasn't nearly enough. It is an amazing city, and in my mind Jane Austen still lives there through her books.
Hope to go back.
Margot
My apologies, I meant to say Wyatt and instead I typed Pan, I have no access to corrections.
Margot
I clicked the link and the photos are absolutely beautiful.
Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
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