Going to Bath with Jane Austen

Inquiring Readers, Tony Grant, who lives in London, teaches, and acts as occasional tour guide, has been contributing articles to Jane Austen Today for several months. Recently, Tony and his family traveled to Bath and the West Country. This is one of many posts he has written about his journey. Tony also has his own [...]

Read Full Post »

The Comforts of Bath, 1798: Thomas Rowlandson

In 1798, the famous caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson drew The Comforts of Bath, a series of satiric drawings. The cartoons were used to illustrate the 1858 edition of the New Bath Guide, written by Christopher Anstey and first published in 1766.* Rowlandson depicted both the social and medical scene in Bath just before the period described [...]

Read Full Post »

Saving Georgian Bath

James Lees-Milne embarked on a successful campaign during the 1970′s to save Georgian architecture in the center of Bath.

Read Full Post »

Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer, A Review

Black Sheep is one of Georgette Heyer’s better books.

Read Full Post »

Beechen Cliff, the Arts, and Natural Surroundings

Interested readers, my association with Austenprose’s month-long and comprehensive coverage of Northanger Abbey continues as I visit Beechen Cliff this week. The setting of this site includes some of Catherine Morland’s and Henry Tilney’s most interesting conversations. Here is where Catherine exhibits her wide-eyed naivete towards travel, and her lack of knowledge about art and [...]

Read Full Post »

The Lower Assembly Rooms and Bath Society

Dear reader, If you will recall in last week’s post about the Upper Assembly Rooms in Bath, poor Catherine Morland had to sit out the dance, having made no acquaintance with any gentleman. Luck was on her side later in the week when she and Mrs. Allen visited the Lower Rooms: They made their appearance [...]

Read Full Post »

Dancing in Regency Bath: Upper Assembly Rooms

Dear Reader: This is the second post in the Bath series for Northanger Abbey, which is being featured this month on Austenprose. My first post about the Pump Room sits here. Mrs. Allen was so long in dressing that they did not enter the ballroom till late. The season was full, the room crowded, and [...]

Read Full Post »

Handy Guide to The City of Bath – A Vintage Guide Book

In 1900 Jolly and Sons Drapers, of Milsom Street, Bath, published this charming 72-page Handy Guide to The City of Bath, with illustrations. Click on the link to find it in PDF format on the American Libraries Internet Archive. Not only does this guidebook describe the history of Bath and its major institutions, sights, and [...]

Read Full Post »

The Pump Room’s Little-Known and Well-Known Facts

With more than usual eagerness did Catherine hasten to the Pump-room the next day, secure within herself of seeing Mr. Tilney there before the morning were over, and ready to meet him with a smile; – but no smile was demanded – Mr. Tilney did not appear. Every creature in Bath, except himself, was to [...]

Read Full Post »

Hint: You Don’t Have To Dine in the Pump Room to Try the Mineral Water

I am attending a conference this weekend (no, not the JASNA meeting in Chicago – drat). When I get back I will be publishing a series of posts about Bath in honor of Austenprose’s Gothic Northanger Abbey Month. Stay tuned for visits to Bath and its environs all month long. Meanwhile, feel free to visit [...]

Read Full Post »

Assembly Rooms, Bath

The crystal chandeliers in Bath’s Assembly rooms are priceless and outstanding. Saved during World War II, they cost the earth to clean and maintain.

Read Full Post »

Public Bathing in Bath: Georgian Style

I had always wondered about this hot bath scene in 1986′s Northanger Abbey (click on the link to watch a 2-minute YouTube video) and how accurate it was. I was particularly curious to know if men and women truly mingled in the hot baths, and what kind of items were placed on the floating objects [...]

Read Full Post »