A stroll around Bath

This is one of the many picturesque streets in Bath.

This is a partial view of The Circus. The four Georgian buildings of terraced homes form a circle. They were begun in 1754 by John Wood the Elder and finished in 1768. From the air, the Circus and the straight rows of buildings leading to it resemble a key.

This is the Royal Crescent, a much larger curved building resembling the Circus. It consists of thirty terraced houses. It was begun in 1767 and was completed in 1775. It was designed by John Wood the Younger, who I guess was greatly influenced by his father's work nearby. The skip was courtesy of some ever-present restoration work.

The Royal Crescent is so large that I couldn't get the whole thing in the shot. This was the best I could do.

Some stepped terraced houses next to the Royal Crescent.

Some more houses on the street that connects the Circus with the Royal Crescent.

Bath is comprised of mostly terraced houses, so everything is crammed together. Usually this scheme feels oppressive, but it didn't in Bath. I think it is because the houses are built of the light-colored stone, whereas the mill towns in England with which I'm more familiar are typically dark brick.

A slightly different type of facade that I noticed as I wandered around.

I do enjoy the juxtaposition of historic architecture with the modern scene.

This parish church is St. Michael's Without. Without what? As I learned later (with Steve's Google help), the original medieval church on this site was outside the city walls. Hence, it was without. The current building was built in the Victorian era. 

Approaching Bath Abbey from a different direction.

I am standing near the famous Pulteney Bridge for this shot. Much better views of the bridge will be in a later blog. The v-shaped weir was built in the 1970s as part of flood-control efforts.

I was intrigued by how close the river cruise boat came to the weir. I didn't know at the time that I would be taking a ride on this very boat later in the afternoon. 

A view of some of the canal boats on the River Avon. This isn't the same Avon that runs through Shakespeare's hometown. 

A shot of the weir with a bit of the Pulteney Bridge behind it.

Bath Abbey yet again. So pretty.

A view back along the bridge from which I was taking the weir photos.

Buildings encasing the hillside.

Yep, it's the Abbey again. I couldn't help myself.

The plaque commemorating Edgar's coronation.

This bright and shiny pig sculpture was part of a 2008 public art project called King Bladud's Pigs in Bath. It's the only one I saw in person, but I did see a postcard that had about a couple dozen similarly artistic pigs on it. I guess they used to be all over town.

I liked how you could see through the windows on both sides of the transept of the Abbey from this angle.