The city of Bath, England
exists because of water. The city developed around the only hot springs in the
country. The springs come from 10,000-feet below the ground and surface in
several places. The springs located near the ancient Roman Road were discovered by
the Romans in the first century. They established a town they called Aguae Sulis
and drained the swampland created by 125,000 gallons of water that bubbled up
out of the ground each day.
They built a temple to the
goddess Minerva and a sophisticated
network of baths making full use of the mineral springs. Romans occupied
the area for 360 years, but in 410
suddenly abandoned it. As years passed water again overtook the area.
The legend says that a
Celtic chief with leprosy was forced to leave his people. During his travels he
happened upon the hot springs. After bathing in them for some period of time he
was cured and eventually returned to his people. He had a difficult time
convincing his people who he really was.. When he did succeed he moved his
people to the springs.
In the 900s monks
established the Bath Abbey. In the 1200s the City of Bath was built over the
unknown ruins of the ancient Roman city, and the ancient ruins were
not re-discovered until the 1800s.
The old Roman lead lined pool is 5-feet deep
and still water tight! The original
Roman drains, still in use, drain excess
water and carry it to the River Avon. However, no one uses the baths today, but
the well-kept ruins are quite an attraction to visitors to the city.
The water looked a bit murky
and algae could be seen around the edges of the rocks. The lovely statuary
around the pool was a delight. It was awesome to visit something so old and the
inner workings were interesting. Uneven
footing in places required a bit of caution when walking, but the baths were in remarkable condition after
so many centuries!