Telling the story of Bath

Following on from yesterday’s coverage of the ‘You Choose’ exhibition at Bath’s Fashion Museum l received an email from Angela Calvert Jones.

She too is sorry to see the museum leave a site where it has been for many years. It will be moving into the old city post office at some point in the future.

Its closure at the end of October will allow the Assembly Rooms owners – the National Trust – to start developing ideas for what they call the creation of a ‘Georgian Experience’ in the Grade 1 listed building.

Angela says:

“After many years of the Assembly Rooms housing Bath’s beautiful Fashion Museum, it is with sadness, but also great excitement, to be able to learn that it will be housed more centrally in Bath’s old post office.

The removal of the Fashion Museum from the Assembly Rooms now provides valuable exhibition space for the National Trust to consider embracing Bath’s wider history. 

Bath’s historical events and generations of inspiring history remain a cultural legacy, but much of Bath’s history is fragmented around the City or completely neglected. It is virtually impossible for residents or visitors to easily piece together the story of Bath.

It, therefore, begs the question, of whether a Georgian exhibition within the Assembly Rooms could encompass a comprehensive and much-needed story of Bath?

At the very least, the National Trust could perhaps summarise different eras of Bath’s history to complement existing museums.

Bath’s rich history, together with our phenomenal forbearers, could surely offer an amazing opportunity to tell the deserving story of Bath, from marshland to a World Heritage Site.

Much of Bath’s history and its history-makers, despite the years, still have massive power to attract attention and inspire new generations.  What makes any city in the World? Its people!”

I sent a copy of Angela’s email to the National Trust’s General Manager in Bath, Tom Boden, who told me:

“We are in touch with Angie and I think she’s due to meet with our Project Curator in the autumn to discuss some of her ideas.”