The Romans are Coming! – Bath World Heritage Day, Sunday 22 April 2018

Every April the City of Bath World Heritage Site celebrates its unique heritage and the reasons for the city’s World Heritage Site status with a free community event. Bath World Heritage Day takes place on Sunday 22 April from 11am-3pm on the lawn in front of the iconic Royal Crescent.  The star attraction will be the expert Roman re-enactment group, The Ermine Street Guard, who will be setting up a Roman camp for visitors to explore and demonstrating Roman military tactics.  As well as watching the action, visitors can chat to the Roman soldiers and investigate how Romans lived through original objects from the city’s Roman Baths collection. 

Along with celebrating Bath’s Roman past there will be the opportunity to find out more about the city’s Georgian heritage.  The Mayor of Bath’s Honorary Guides will be leading free walks around the Upper Town and shorter guided strolls along the Royal Crescent.  The National Trust will be celebrating 25 years of looking after Ralph Allen’s landscape garden at Prior Park.  Volunteers from the Herschel Museum of Astronomy will have solar telescopes to allow visitors to safely view the sun.  There will also be the chance to do fun space-themed activities and dress up at the famous Georgian astronomers, William and Caroline Herschel.  No. 1 Royal Crescent is offering free admission to Bath and North East Somerset Discovery Card holders on the day, with the opportunity to meet costumed characters and handle 18th Century objects. To appreciate one of Bath’s Georgian gems, visitors are invited to view Bath’s Assembly Rooms, which opened in 1771 to offer entertainment for fashionable visitors to the spa city.  The rooms will be open free of charge from 10.30am-5pm. 

Bath World Heritage Day is a great opportunity to find out the latest news from major heritage projects in the city.  Teams from Bath Abbey Footprint, the Cleveland Pools Trust and Minerva’s Owls of Bath will be at the event to demonstrate their initiatives.  The exciting plans to open Bath’s first World Heritage Centre and extended learning facilities for the Roman Baths through the Lottery-funded Archway Project will be on display. 

Elsewhere in the city there will be an event at Sydney Gardens from 2-5pm to find out more about another of Bath’s Heritage Lottery Fund projects to improve and development the 18th Century Pleasure Gardens.  There will be lots for visitors of all ages to see and do. 

For further information visit www.bathworldheritage.org.uk/events where you can download the World Heritage Day leaflet and the Sydney Gardens Community Day flyer.