Meeting Mr Bennet.

Richard Wyatt

For three years now l have been a member of the Mayor of Bath’s Honorary Corps of Guides – an organisation that has been active for the last 81 years in showing visitors to Bath around our lovely World Heritage city.

A very friendly group of Bath visitors meeting Martin on their Mayor's Guides trip this morning. Click on image to enlarge.
A very friendly group of Bath visitors meeting Martin on their Mayor’s Guides trip this morning. Click on image to enlarge.

I am humbled by other volunteer guides who have been doing this for up to forty years. It is a free service and we don’t even accept tips.

It’s a great way of connecting with our visitors. Bath welcomes around four and a half million a year – people who inject a fair bit of cash into our local economy.

This morning – Tuesday, May 18th – our party bumped into Martin – aka Mr Bennet – on duty outside the Jane Austen Centre. He makes all his own costumes and is reckoned to be the most photographed ‘street’ character in England.

Tomorrow he is off to a garden party at Buckingham Palace but has decided to wear a morning suit instead! More about the Mayor of Bath’s Honorary Corps via www.bathguides.org.uk/

Published by Richard Wyatt

Freelance Journalist, broadcaster, columnist and local historian. Director of Bath Newseum. Married and lives in Bath. Interested in local history, architecture and visual display in museums and urban spaces.