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The Roman Bath and Bath Abbey - historic features of different eras in Bath's history

The beautiful aqua mineral springs around which the Romans built Aqua Sulis

Shepton Mallet market cross - the site of hangings in the Bloody Assizes

The Royal Crescent is part of Bath's World Heritage Site for Georgian architecture

Pulteney Street in Bath - a popular backdrop for period dramas

The centre of Bath is jam packed with historic buildings

Pero's Bridge in Bristol - named after a slave that actually lived in Bristol

An art exhibition in Bristol shows the slave ships packed with slaves to sell

Somerset mining history at Radstock south of Bath

Romans Bath Somerset History Bloody Assizes Battle of Sedgemoor Georgian Bath Glastonbury Abbey

Somerset is rich in history. It is most renowned for its Roman Baths in Bath although their influence was more widely felt as the Fosse Way also ran through Somerset. The Somerset Levels and Glastonbury in particular have been considered a spiritual centre first as the fabled Isle of Avalon and later as Christians established the Abbey here. Many of the towns and villages of Somerset developed in the Middle Ages when wool and cloth industries brought wealth and power to the market towns. Many of these towns have changed little for centuries, particularly in south Somerset, and they make charming places to visit.

The area around Bridgwater is the location for the last battle to be fought on English soil, the Battle of Sedgemoor which was the culmination of the Monmouth Rebellion which affected most Somerset towns. For later historical interest you'll be blown away by the Georgian architecture all around Bath. South of the city society was less wealthy that Bath's and was supported by industries such as coal mining. Much of Bristol's wealth was based on the Atlantic slave trade on which many of the grand buildings were built. Bristol's museums are now bringing this side of their history to a wider audience.

Glastonbury Abbey

Glastonbury Tor is fabled to be the Isle of Avalon of Arthurian legend and is credited with having strong spiritual energy. It is the focal point for many pilgrimages either spiritual or for the fabulous panoramic views from the top. The slopes of the Glastonbury Tor show obvious terraces. These have been attributed to either a Neolithic sacred labyrinth or as a result of ancient farming practices or sheep grazing. Excavations on the Tor have revealed Neolithic flint tools and Roman artefacts so it has certainly been used since ancient times.

Glastonbury Abbey is the reason for many people's trip to Glastonbury. It is believed to have been the first Christian centre in Britain when the old church was built around 63 AD - the base of which exists today at the west end of the nave. It is billed as the "oldest above-ground Christian church in the world". The Abbey was added to over time by the Saxons and then the Normans. By the time of the Domesday Book Glastonbury Abbey was the richest monastery in the country. The monastic buildings were destroyed by fire in 1184 and later the Great Church was reconsecrated and services began again on Christmas Day 1213. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries Glastonbury Abbey was stripped of its valuables in 1536 and its abbot hanged, drawn and quartered for resisting the Act of Supremacy that made Henry VIII the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Pilgrimages to Glastonbury Abbey have been taking place for almost 2000 years and still do to this day.

Despite the religious function of the Abbey, you can visit the ruins which are set in 36 acres of parkland throughout the year. The Abbey is hidden away behind the High Street and you gain access to the Visitor Centre and shop on Magdalene Street.

Open Dec-Jan: 10am-4.40pm. Feb and Oct: 10am-5pm. Mar and Oct: 9.30am-5.30pm. Apr-Sept 9.30am-6pm. Glastonbury Abbey, The Abbey Gatehouse, Magdalene Street, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 9EL. Check the official Glastonbury Abbey website, link right, for additional contacts, entrance fees and additional information.

The Roman Baths Museum Bath England

The Roman Baths is the big attraction that is a must-see for most visitors to Bath. It is believed that the hot springs were first appreciated by the Celts. However, it was the Romans who built up a whole town around the mineral springs 2000 years ago.

What you see here now is the Roman Baths complex that contained heated rooms, steam rooms, massage rooms and of course the Great Bath in the centre into which the hot spring water was channelled. It was all once of a much larger complex that included a temple and where visiting Romans could clean themselves and relax.

A visit here will take you into a museum area where Roman artefacts, mosaic floors, masonry and reconstructions help you get a sense of what the Roman site would have looked like. You can then roam around the different parts of what remains of the Roman baths today and see the tiles that would have supported a floor under which the heating system circulated, former massage and steam rooms, plunge pools and the aqua-coloured pool where the hot spring still bubbles to the surface. The Great Bath is the centrepiece of the site and is where Romans would have languished letting the mineral rich water envelop their already cleaned and pampered bodies. You can even see the old drains that moved water around the complex where the steam rises as the spa waters splash through and out of the site.

The Roman Baths are open all year round, later during the summer season. January to February: Nov-Dec 9.30am. Last admission 4.30pm - exit 5.30pm. March to June: Sept-Oct 9am. Last admission 5pm - exit 6pm. July to August: 9am. Last admission 8pm - exit 9pm. Roman Baths, Pump Room, Stall Street, Bath, BA1 1LZ. Tel: 01225 477 785. Fax: 01225 477 743. Email: romanbaths_bookings@bathnes.gov.uk

English Civil War Monmouth Rebellion Battle of Sedgemoor Westonzoyland Bloody Assizes

The area in and around Bridgwater are steeped in English Civil War history. Bridgwater was the scene of a major siege in 1645 when Parliamentary artillery all but destroyed Bridgwater's domestic and commercial buildings.

Not far away to the south east of Bridgwater you have the site of the Battle of Sedgemoor at Westonzoyland. The battle, fought on 6 July 1685, was the last major battle to be fought on English soil. It was the final act in the rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth who attempted to overthrow the Catholic King of England, James II. The King's artillery proved too efficient for the rebels who were swiftly defeated. The ghost of Monmouth is said to appear on the battlefield either on the anniversary of the battle. Many Somerset towns were involved in the Rebellion such as Shepton Mallet where the market cross in the town centre was the location where rebels were hanged after the Bloody Assizes trials following the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685.

You can follow an interactive trail around the battle site in the village of Westonzoyland. Other historic features are also highlighted in Bridgwater and the villages Othery, Middlezoy, Chedzoy. Pickup a leaflet at Tourist Information Centres.

Georgian Architecture Bath Beau Nash

The 18th century saw a real boom to the City of Bath. Beau Nash had been appointed Master of Ceremonies (after his predecessor was killed in a duel!). Due to his charismatic nature and promotion of Bath he made the City of Bath something of a social centre for the elite. It was the place to be seen and grand houses were required to entertain the rich merchant's and their families and visitors that flocked to Bath in the summer.

Architects John Wood the Elder and his son John Wood the Younger were responsible for some of the most iconic architecture of Bath such as The Royal Crescent and The Circus. His vision had been to recreate a classical Palladian architectural landscape throughout Bath. Paradoxically it was only a small proportion Bath's population that could afford this lifestyle and many of its own residents still lived in poverty and squalor during this time.

The Royal Crescent is actually thirty residential houses that was built between 1767 and 1774. It is one of the best examples of Georgian architecture in the country. All the houses are identical with 114 ionic columns to the front. These were originally built as private residences for the gentry when they came to town for the season that ran from October to June, but today, although many are still in private ownership, some have been converted into flats and some are owned by a housing association.

The Circus is an earlier Wood construction just down the road that was built between 1754 and 1768. It is considered to be John Wood the Elder's masterpiece whose inspiration was the Roman Colosseum. From the air the Circus together with the Royal Crescent form a giant circle and crescent thought to represent the sun and moon stemming from their interest in the occult and Masonic symbolism. Look out for the Doric frieze near the top of the Circus buildings with tablets depicting various decorative emblems.

The Georgian House Museum - Bristol's Slave Trade

To the west Bristol thrived during the eighteenth century from the increase in Atlantic trade linked to its port as Britain's Empire expanded to the American colonies. This included the slave trade and Bristol along with Liverpool was a main centre with more than two thousand slaving ships being fitted out in Bristol during its peak. Much of Bristol's wealth was tied in to the trading of slaves which provided the money to purchase goods to bring back into Britain such as sugar, coffee and tobacco.

You can visit The Georgian House in Bristol which stems from this time and is a former merchant's house built in 1790. John Pinney, a West India sugar merchant lived here and the house has been decorated to show what it would have looked like during this period in history. Although few people were brought into Britain as slaves John Pinney lived in The Georgian House with his slave Pero.

Pero's Bridge, the modern bridge with the trumpet like decoration down at Bristol's Harbourside, has been named after Pero as an acknowledgement of the injustices of the slave trade, but also to act as a reminder that this was part and parcel of Bristol's history. The uglier part of Bristol's history has only been hinted at in the past, but is now openly acknowledged and accepted as much can be learnt from looking at this period in history.

Being such a centre, Bristol played its part in the Abolitionist movement too. Thomas Clarkson, a prominent member of the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in the eighteenth century rode around Britain gathering evidence to support this cause. His travels naturally brought him to Bristol where he was able to gather a lot of information on the port and the trade particularly from the landlord of the Seven Stars pub which still stands on Thomas Lane, south of the Floating Harbour. You can follow the Sugar Trail from The Georgian House which shows how the slave trade in fact shaped much of Bristol. You can also download Mp3 audio tours from the Visit Bristol website (link right) including "The Slave Trade Trail". The Georgian House is open Sat-Weds 10am-5pm. Closed Thurs-Fri. It is just off Park Street at Great George Street, Bristol BS1 5RR. General enquiries: 0117 921 1362.

Radstock Museum - Somerset Mining History

Just south of Bath is Radstock and Midsomer Norton. Radstock was in the heart of the Somerset Coalfield. Coal had been discovered by the Romans in Somerset, but only started to be mined in Radstock in 1763. The Old Pit at Radstock extended 1,000 feet by the eighteenth century and during the 1790s the Somersetshire Coal Canal was built, with a separate branch serving Radstock, to export the coal from the area.

The coal industry has long gone with the last mine having been closed down in the 1970s, but Radstock showcases the social and industrial heritage of the area in the acclaimed industrial museum, Radstock Museum. The Museum is housed in a former market hall and has one of the old coalmining wheels dominating a colourfully planted public garden area across the way.

Radstock Museum is closed on Mondays except Bank Holidays. Open: Tues-Friday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays: 2-5pm. Sat: 11am to 5pm. Closed December and January. Radstock Museum, Waterloo Road, Radstock BA3 3EP. Tel: 01761 437722. Fax: 01761 420470. Email: info@radstockmuseum.co.uk

Somerset Levels History

The towns and villages of the Somerset Levels are typified by their historic centres. Many of the buildings are centuries old and you start to see a prevalence of Ham stone with its distinctive golden colour - gorgeous on a sunny day. Textiles often supported these medieval towns and many resources were reaped from the Somerset Levels in peat for burning, reeds for thatched roofs and willows for weaving into baskets and the like for every day use.

Since traditional uses have declined the Somerset Levels and Moors have become more of a wildlife haven and is the largest area of lowland wet grassland and wetland habitats in Britain covering 35,000 hectares. They stretch across the lowlands between the Mendip and Quantock Hills and are what is left of a once wider area of flooded fenland. The Somerset Levels have eight rivers and drains running through it. Glastonbury Tor is the most prominent landmark in the Levels rising up 521 feet. In days gone by this was actually an island surrounded by sea and later inaccessible marsh hence it becoming known as the Isle of Avalon. The marshes that lie all around Glastonbury and as far west as the coast are collectively called The Avalon Marshes. Shapwick Heath, Ham Wall, Westhay Moor, Catcott Lows wildlife reserves all fall within The Avalon Marshes.

Today these wetlands are renowned for internationally important numbers of waterfowl who come here to feed and roost in winter. In summer waders come here to breed and it is one of the best places in lowland England to see breeding waders.

The Somerset Levels area is excellent for walking and cycling through the relatively flat Somerset Levels. Langport is the centre for the River Parrett Trail with its Visitor Centre where you can find out more about the Levels, its history and walks.

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