A picture taken in Abbey Church Yard at 10 am this Friday morning.
To all you doom and gloom mongers, Bath is buzzing with tourists at the moment – despite all this dreadful and unspring-like weather.
Today’s the day the Edgar plaque is going back on the Abbey wall – marking the site where the first King of all England was crowned in AD 973.
I’ll bring you a picture of that later. Meanwhile Maeve Hamilton Hercod writes:
Thanks Richard for your reminder about the plaque on the Abbey commemorating the first coronation here in 973 AD, it’s something that I think most Bath guides, be they Blue Badge Guides like myself or Mayor’s Guides, love to mention it because few people from outside Bath know anything about it.
You have prompted me to contact Rob Campbell et al at the Roman Baths about the beautiful embroidery that they have in the Sun Lounge, made especially for the Queen’s visit here in 1973 to commemorate the event.
The Sun Lounge is currently ‘out of bounds’ to most guides, due to the timed ticket entry to the Baths, much to our frustration because it beautifully illustrates the story of the English monarchy and people who see it love it.
Could I ask for your support in getting it moved to a more prominent position at this appropriate time – at least temporarily?
I contacted the Head of Heritage Services for B&NES, Robert Campbell – who l think has spoken to you as well Maeve.
He told me:
“We’d struggle with this I’m afraid. The Tapestry is very large and is displayed in a huge wooden frame, not designed to be moved. The location it sits in is chosen as it has low light levels. Exposure to different environmental conditions could have an adverse effect on the object.
Whilst we no longer allow free access to the Sun Lounge it is accessible to all visitors with a ticket and all Pump Room Users. Last year this was around 800,000 people and this year we hope it will be more.
As such, there is a large number of people who will be able to experience the tapestry if they wish.
Further to this, we’ll be curating a small display in the Sun Lounge that picks up the theme of the coronation and will tie in well with the tapestry.”
