Bath’s five-star Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel – behind Sydney Gardens – is a building with a long and colourful history. Famous people as diverse as Winston Churchill and Joan Collins have slept under its roof. At different times – and periods of history – of course!
Churchill came during the war when the hotel was requisitioned by the Admiralty. Ms Collins stayed more recently – in the 1990’s – when the building had reverted once more to its luxury hotel status.
However, this particular story revolves around a royal personage who came to Bath with his family – as refugees. It was the start of his exile – and he lodged in the hotel while searching for a more permanent home in the city.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the arrival of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. A King of Kings, the Lion of Judah and descendant of the House of Solomon – made homeless by the Italian invasion of his homeland.
The anniversary will be marked by a special presentation to the hotel of a photograph of the Emperor with Dr James Carpenter, the then Mayor of Bath, which was taken on the hotel steps in 1936.
A specially framed version will be presented – on May 5th – by Prince Michael Mekonnen, the grandson of His Imperial Majesty – and will go on permanent display in the hotel foyer.
A brief talk about the Emperor’s stay at the hotel will be given by Keith Bowers who is also the author of a new book called Imperial Exile. The book is the first full account of the Ethiopian Emperor’s experiences as a refugee in Britain.
Keith is a former BBC executive producer and has taught at the University of Addis Ababa. He now lives in Bath. His previous book was Viewing History, an eyewitness account of decisive world events.
I spoke to him – at the MacDonald Bath Spa Hotel – this week.
Many of the Bath photographs in that interview come from the files of Bath in Time – please visit on www.bathintime.co.uk/
The book is already on Amazon available for pre-orders.
Ebook http://ww.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01DU88C4O
Paperback http://amazon.co.uk/dp/1785450875
According to the blurb…
“IMPERIAL EXILE
The first full account of the Ethiopian Emperor’s experiences as a refugee in Britain
: uncovers new details about Haile Selassie’s epic struggles while living in the spa city of Bath
: unveils the tensions in the UK government about how to deal with its famous exile
: reveals how the Emperor was forced to pay income tax after losing his Head of State status
: highlights the British public’s fascination with the Imperial refugee fleeing Mussolini’s troops
: contains interviews with eyewitnesses, including Princess Seble Desta who was with her grandfather in exile.”
Meanwhile – on May 2nd – a special Open Day is being held at Fairfield House in Bath which became the long-term residence of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia during
his exile in the UK from 1936-40.
The Open Day will provide a chance to discover more
about the fascinating history of the house and the Emperor’s life in Bath.
The House and garden will be open from 2pm.
From 3pm-4pm First guided tour plus talk by Keith Bowers, author of the new book Imperial Exile
4.30pm-5.30pm Second guided tour plus talk by Keith Bowers.
Light refreshments available, including Ethiopian food and coffee.
You will find Fairfield House at 2 Kelston Road, Bath BA1 3QJ – View Map
