A while back, Nathan and I took a stroll up to the northwest part of town to check out the "Royal Crescent" that we kept hearing people rave about. The Royal Crescent is a semi-ellipse (aka crescent...brilliant) of 30 houses built between 1767 and 1778 around a lawn partway up one of the hills that surround Bath. The concept is pretty fantastic...although from the outside I honestly didn't think it looked like all that much.
Most of the houses have been divided up into flats and sold or rented out, but No. 1 has been restored to its Georgian glory and is now a museum run by the Bath Preservation Trust. The pharmacy I am working at right now is in the same neighborhood, so I took advantage of my hour lunch today and walked through the house. They had guides in each room who were quite knowledgeable about life in the Crescent in the 18th century (possibly because most of them looked old enough to have been alive in the 18th century...kidding, sorry!), plus information cards that outlined the purpose of the room and gave some history behind the various elements. According to one guide, the houses were actually owned by no-name businessmen from the city (who could "afford a property investment") and rented out to wealthy folks who came to Bath for the "warm spa" season from late autumn through spring.
Unfortunately, photography was not allowed in the museum, so I did what any clever and resourceful person would do...I bought postcards and took pictures of them to show you all!
Front of building No. 1 and Kitchen (in the basement)...
Mistress' Bedroom and Drawing Room (upstairs)...
No comments:
Post a Comment