Bath Abbey in Bath England UK
Standing right in the heart of the city, Bath Abbey's splendour
shines through for miles around. The site where it stands enshrouds
well over twelve hundred years of history. For some time it was neglected
and
became a ruin, as did many religious buildings in England. Its
restoration took place after Bishop Oliver King had a dream of it. It stood
for years
until Henry VIII's dissolution ran it into ruin once more. Full
restoration took place again for it to become a fabulous Bath tourist attration,
which
you can visit.
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Bath Hotels
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History of Bath AbbeyBath Abbey stands on the site of a 8th century Saxon Abbey. Bath Abbey was to become the most important house of worship when in 973AD Edgar, Prince of the Royal House of Wessex and King of Mercia was crowned King Edgar and became the first monarch to rule over England in the presence of the Archbishops of both York and Canterbury. It wasn't long before the Normans conquest invaded England's shores in 1066 and the Abbey was demolished and replaced by a Norman cathedral after Bishop John of Tours purchased the city for a mere sixty pounds.
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Opening times
Easter Monday until the end of British Summer Time - 9.00 am until 6.00 pm.
End of British Summer Time until Easter Monday - 9.00 am until 4.30 pm.
Neglected it became a disused ruin, twice
By 1499 the Abbey had fallen into ruin after many years of neglect and a new Abbey was built by the Bishop Oliver King following a strange dream he had one night. The dream depicted a vision of angels climbing to heaven and a voice urged "King to restore the church". On the West Front of the abbey the dream that became the inspiration for the abbey has been depicted in magnificent carvings. Later however with the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 at the orders of Henry VIII, the abbey again fell into disuse and disrepair.
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| Restoration to former gloriesToday it has been restored to its former glory and today you can walk within the abbey and explore its various features the St Alphege Chapel celebrates the life of St Alphege who was an Abbot in Bath. He went on to became Archbishop of Canterbury but then life took an evil twist when he was captured by Vikings invaders who demanded a large ransom for his release, but when he refused to order his people to raise the demand, a mob of drunken Vikings beat him to a savage death with bulls bones. Take a look up and you can see a fan-vaulted ceiling which was designed in the 16th century and runs the length of the Abbey.
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No state aid means an entry fee
The Abbey itself does not receive any state or for that fact any regular assistance in maintaining this historic building so although there is no charge to visit the Abbey, they very much welcome donations of around 2.50 GBP which is a very small price to pay for the experience of this architectural jewel.
There is also a bookshop offering a wide range of books, cards, jewellery as well as tapes and CD's celebrating the music of the choir and organ.
The Heritage Vaults
Opening times Mon-Sat 10am - 4pm
In the south side of the abbey under the Kingston Pavements
are the Heritage Vaults. These include many Saxon and Norman
sculptures, artifacts, coins and a reconstruction of the medieval
Abbey.
For more information on Bath Abbey click here
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