Recently I was in Bath city for a few days. I always heard
about this place as one of the most interesting places in the United Kingdom. Of
course, this is always subjective, and it depends on several perspectives. I am
currently studying in the lovely city of Cardiff, doing an MA in Global Cultures
and my visit to Bath had different purposes, one of them was the idea to see in
person if the city could be one example of preservation, an example of a mixture
between history, the past and the present. This idea is related to my dissertation subject for my Master where I want to reflect on heritage, preservation,
identity, local cultures, cultural landscapes and the phenomenon of tourism and
globalization.
I believe it is important to have one brief historical
approach about Bath. The city is known as ancient Roman City and the name Bath
indicates what we can find in the city as one relevant memory of the presence
of the Roman Empire. The famous SPA and thermal waters are something present
and related to Romans. However, the valley is known as a Celtic territory times
before the Roman presence. With this, we can understand that the city is
Historically relevant and there is that consciousness when we research, for
instance, on the Internet about the city.
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| A SPA pool in Bath |
On the other hand, I was in Bath, of course, as a traveller, trying to feel the environment, to enjoy the streets and get sensations. Below there is a photo that I took with my phone. The palm trees, in my opinion, give us one subtle and exotic touch to the panorama, where, in February, we can say it is a cold valley.
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| Bath Valley February 2020 |
During the time I was there, I realized the struggle of the authorities to have a policy of preservation in the city. The building’s colour is normally the same, even when a new building is in the process of construction. There is, for sure, exceptions, and the modernization and the development pressure is not easy to escape, but, even so, the city seems to be one good example of preserving the identity, the history, the past, giving a new dynamic to architectonic heritage, normally turning it in touristic spots, a relevant industry in town.
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| Avon River, Bath, February 2020
Walking through the city is nice there. There is several nice restaurants, cafes, pubs, theatres, we can see street musicians waiting for good weather to give some music to the city. The old Market and the University are also relevant infrastructures in the city.
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There is no doubt about the beauty of the city, as we can see in the photos. Some famous people are connected to the city. I will give just one example. Jane Austen, a famous writer. There is a small museum about her in town. This writer also inspired other artworks, including the cinematic industry. Pride and Prejudice, a film with the actress Keira Knightley is based on the novel with the same name.
Different attractions can be seen around Bath, like the Abbey where Kings were crowned and also art galleries and nice book shops. I found a gallery with Bob Dylan´s paintings, maybe an artistic dimension less known about the American musician. Some of them very expensive as shown below.     After getting back to Cardiff I found some books about the cultural policy for the city, mostly related with the architectonic design of the city. Nevertheless, this was mostly a visit, where a Non-representational method and an ethnographic approach were my main objectives. The feelings that I got were very good. The only issue is always the weather which for a person from an tropical Island is not easy, mostly when in the UK the tendency to have rain and dark clouds is more often. João Paulo Nóbrega Freitas Cardiff 2020
References
Bath: a study in conservation 1968. London: H.M.S.O.
Harrison, R. 2017. Heritage. Johanneshov: MTM. Worskett, R. 1978. Saving Bath: a programme for conservation. Bath.  Classic Columns in Bath February 2020 |
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