Widcombe
The Vibe
Authentic Bath — the residential neighborhood where people actually live, with canal walks, local pubs, the National Trust's Prior Park on the hillside above, and none of the Georgian tourism of the city center
Description
Widcombe is Bath's village-within-a-city — a neighborhood of steep terraced streets rising from the south bank of the Avon directly opposite the historic center, connected by a Victorian footbridge and containing a genuinely local residential community that makes no concessions to the tourist economy. The Widcombe locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal attract narrowboaters and walkers; the Prior Park Landscape Garden (National Trust, 1730s) occupies the hillside above and contains Ralph Allen's Palladian mansion and the Palladian bridge in England. Widcombe Parade — the neighborhood's modest shopping street — has independent butchers, bakers, and delis serving the residential community; the Widcombe Social Club is the anti-tourism drinking institution; and the Saturday Widcombe Rising market brings producers from the surrounding Somerset countryside.
Neighborhood Stats
Popular With
- slow-travelers
- nature-lovers
- authenticity-seekers
- walkers
Key Attributes
- residential
- canal
- local
- authentic
- hillside
Food Scene
Widcombe Deli (Widcombe Parade) for local produce. The Widcombe Arms (Widcombe Parade) for the neighborhood pub. Prior Park café for tea with Palladian bridge views. Canal-side pubs at the Widcombe locks. Farmhouse Kitchen (Upper Bristol Road) for Somerset produce.