My thanks to ‘Woody’ Woodman for the following critique of my early morning walks.
‘Strangely loving your early morning videos so much, that after the non-appearance on Thurs, I began to worry about your trip to the Dentist! So please keep going with these – I find them strangely soothing and a good grounding for the start of my day.
Your piece on the Brillig Arts Centre – and the provenance of the sofas (which I remember well) got me thinking about the whereabouts of other items – as Bath buildings were desecrated in the 70’s and 80’s.
I’ll start you off with a building of which I hear very little contemporary mention: The Grand Pump Room Hotel.
Editor’s Note: This was opposite the side entrance to the Roman Baths and stood on what is now a rank of shops ending with Primark.
As I refurbish the original lounge floor of our 18th Century Cottage, I am always reminded that not all of it is original – some of it being constructed from the dance floor of the hotel, which was rescued by my Grandfather in the early 60’s – who couldn’t bear the thought of it being thrown into a skip – so he chatted up the team doing the demolishing and brought as many planks home as he could manage, balanced on his wheelbarrow…
Although we can’t find any in the garden now, as a child in the 60’s I also remember that a lot of my father’s bean posts, were actually lengths of tram line – from when that too was dismantled.
Bottom line: I reckon you could do more pieces on Bath buildings and other stuff which were major and iconic in their day, but have sadly slipped unremembered into the past.’
Editor’s note: Thank you Woody. I have republished a story about what happened to Bath’s former altarpiece.
