Bath Abbey at night

Bath Abbey - England's last great church

Bath, Somerset, England South West

Recommendation added: 18/05/2007 00:19
By: velvet202 (YSUK rating +220)

velvet202 has been thanked 7 times for this contribution

"Having friends in Bath, we recently decided to spend the weekend there and get a bit of culture. Obviously, the most important place to visit in every city is the main shopping centre. Not that the one in Bath differs so much from the ones in London (it may be a wee smaller) but you never know where you might get a bargain.

As a close second came the Bath Abbey. I've always wanted to visit it but somehow never quite managed to get to Bath and spare a couple hours. If you've never been there, let me tell you, you've definitely missed out.

Found in 1499, in the central location in the city of Bath stands Bath Abbey, one of England's last great medieval churches.
The Abbey is the third church to stand on this site in the city centre. The first church to occupy this position was an Anglo-Saxon abbey church. It was constructed in 757, but following the victory of the Norman invaders, in 1066, it was demolished after they seized power. They then began work on a Norman cathedral in 1090. The project however, was too ambitious, and the maintenance of the cathedral was too expensive for the monastery. As a result it fell into disrepair and was in ruins at the end of the fifteenth century. The abbey church currently in existence was built in 1499, but suffered under the order of King Henry VIII to dissolve the monasteries in 1539.
It was, however, salvaged and has undergone many restoration processes to emerge as the abbey which we see today, still standing over half a millennium since its original construction. A cleaning and conservation programme, initiated in 2000 has revealed many of the original features of the 1499 construction. Amongst these is the revelation of the outlines and colors of bath stone which was used in the Abbey's construction. Much of the Abbey's history, and the history of the city of Bath, is depicted within the Abbey, in its chapels, its stained-glass windows, and on the wall tablets which adorn the Abbey. The chapel of St. Alphege commemorates the life of the Alphege, once Abbot of the original Anglo-Saxon church, then Bishop of Winchester, and finally Archbishop of Canterbury. As Archbishop he was captured in 1006 by invading Vikings, who issued a ransom for his release. Alphege refused to ask his people for such an extortionate amount of money, and consequently, after months of imprisonment, he was beaten to death by his captors for his persistent refusals. As the brochure at the entrance of the Abbey says, the chapel was built in his honour in 1997.

The Edgar Window at the eastern end on the Abbey also depicts the history of the first church, and also in the history of the British monarchy. It was in the church that the coronation took place of Edgar, first ruler of England. As well as the depiction of the coronation on the window, a stone marks the visit of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh who came to Abbey in 1973 to celebrate the thousandth anniversary of England's first coronation, the order of service of which has served as the foundation for all the coronation ceremonies in England since.

Also a recurring feature throughout the Abbey is its coat-of-arms, featuring the keys of St. Peter and the sword of St. Paul. Many other shields adorn the walls and windows.
Before the introduction of street lighting in Bath, the Abbey was known locally as 'Lantern of the West'. This was due to the installation of 52 windows which cover much of the Abbey's wall space, and through which the light form within the Abbey shine out on to Bath. Most of the glass in the windows is Victorian, although some dates back to the seventeenth century. The windows mainly illustrate stories and characters from the Bible. Also occupying much of the Abby's wall space are the hundreds of memorial tables, created and displayed in recognition of the lives and achievements of many noteworthy and honored parishioners of the Abbey.

The Abbey is a wonderful place to visit if you're looking for more than just a bit of culture. It is an extraordinary place that no art and history lover should miss. I'll definitely be back to Bath soon."