Bathwick
The Vibe
Grand Palladian boulevard — Great Pulteney Street's matched terraces lead to the Holburne Museum, Sydney Gardens (Jane Austen's walks), and the canal tunnels, all in Bath's most tranquil Georgian quarter
Description
Bathwick is Bath's eastern Georgian expansion, developed from 1788 by the Pulteney Estate across the Avon to the east of the medieval city on land owned by the Pulteney family. The centerpiece is the Great Pulteney Street (1789, Thomas Baldwin) — the widest and grandest street in Bath, a 400-metre boulevard of matched Palladian townhouses leading from Pulteney Bridge to the Holburne Museum (1796). The museum, originally built as Sydney Hotel, houses an exceptional collection of decorative arts, Old Masters, and English portraits. Sydney Gardens — the pleasure gardens adjacent to the museum — are where Jane Austen walked during her Bath years and where the Kennet and Avon Canal enters the city through two ornamental tunnels. The neighborhood is more residential than the Royal Crescent area and offers a slightly more intimate experience of Bath's Georgian planning genius.
Neighborhood Stats
Popular With
- culture-seekers
- slow-travelers
- couples
- history-lovers
Key Attributes
- georgian
- residential
- cultural
- canal
- tranquil
Food Scene
Holburne Museum café for Georgian afternoon tea. The Bathwick Boatman (canal-side) for summer riverside dining. Chez Dominique (Great Pulteney Street) for neighbourhood French bistro. Bath Brasserie (Pratt's Hotel) for the area's smart neighbourhood restaurant.