Bath Abbey

This is a view of the nave in the Abbey Church at Bath. Formerly a Benedictine monastery, it is now an Anglican parish church. The abbey dates originally from the 7th century and was rebuilt in the 12th and completely again in the 16th century, in the perpendicular Gothic style. The  fan vaulting which you see overhead is especially noteworthy.

We visited the Abbey in the morning. After lunch, we went on a full two-hour walking tour of Bath, with a volunteer guide who was utterly superb. The city's history is fascinating, especially the tale of how it acquired its impressively uniform architectural style in the 18th century, which is probably the main reason for its designation as a World Heritage site (the only entire city in Britain to be so honored). The city tours are free and organized by the mayor's office--if you visit Bath, you must absolutely take one.

The weather was chilly, windy, but with only brief bouts of rain. A fascinating day.  Posted in the evening--now I'm caught up, having added relevant links for our Cotswolds stay on my 9/12 blip.