Your Director is also giving some of his time each week to helping visitors to Bath get a quick, informative but entertaining look around the city. He is a member of the Mayor of Bath’s Corps of Honorary Guides and – along with nearly one hundred other volunteers – is proud to show off this World Heritage city!
One thing many tourists find hard to come to terms with is the fact that history has physical layers. Roman Bath lies fifteen to twenty feet under the paving stones they stand on in Abbey Churchyard. Go into the two thousand-year old bathing complex and the first thing you will do is go down stairs – which kind of proves my point.
I had a bit of a self-teaching lesson myself the other day. Walking along the London Road l cam upon an old boundary marker from 1912. The City of Bath on one side and Somerset County Council on the other.
The status of both sides has changed since that metal marker was installed but the most obvious change for me was how half the post was already buried by subsequent resurfacing of the pavement.
History in layers – like the skin of the onion – and a real visual indication of just that! Incidently, you can find out more about the Mayor of Bath’s Corps of Honorary Guides via www.bathguides.org.uk/
