7/29/2019 Jane Austen Disliked Bath

1/3

Jane Austen disliked Bath, but Georgian city hasforgiven author

City of Bath forgives Jane Austen for jibes as spa city celebrates 200th anniversary of Pride

and Prejudice

By: Amy Laughinghouse Special to the Star,Published on Sat Jan 26 2013

BATH, ENGLANDFor six weeks, I allow, Bath is pleasant enough; but beyond that, it isthe most tiresome place in the world. You would be told so by people of all descriptions, whocome regularly every winter, lengthen their six weeks into 10 or 12, and go away at last

because they can afford to stay no longer.Or so Mr. Tilney wryly remarks to newly arrived country mouse Catherine Morland, Jane

Austens young heroine inNorthanger Abbey. Austen, who visited Bath in the late 1700s andlived here from 1801 to 1806, set much ofNorthanger Abbey andPersuasion in thisGeorgian city, 140 kilometres west of London. Her descriptions of it at the dawn of the 19thcentury are often amusingly acerbic.But Bath seems to have forgiven its adopted daughter for her droll jibes. To celebrate the200th anniversary of the publication ofPride and Prejudice (which, like all of Austensnovels, at least mentions Bath in passing), the Jane Austen Centre is planning a 12-hourreadathon of the romance between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, which will be

broadcast live over the Internet on Jan. 28, the day the book was published in 1813.

In March, the Bath Literary Festival will feature two Austen experts, and, in June, the citywill reprise the annual Jane Austen Festival Regency Costumed Summer Ball. But the biggestevent is the Jane Austen Festival in September, which holds a place in the Guinness Book of

World Records for gathering the most people in Regency dress (since the early 1800s, one

would assume).

However ambivalent Austens feelings were about Bath, its easy to see what makes it such afavourite among her fans. The streets are lined with beautifully preserved buildings made ofhoney-coloured stone, many virtually unchanged since her day. Crowds still descend uponthe Pump Room for afternoon tea, and Milsom Street remains a hotspot for shoppers,although its unlikely Austen ever popped into The Gap.

The Assembly Rooms, where Austen would have attended dances, are as grand as they werethen, and the Fashion Museum features displays of period clothing, including the type of

white muslin frocks the author would have worn.

And although the Sydney Hotel is now the Holburne Museum, folks still come here to dine,

just as Austen attended breakfasts in its gardens. Visitors can even stay across from themuseum at 4 Sydney Place one of the many homes around Bath where Austen lived.

Because of the way the city has retained its buildings, people can literally walk in thefootsteps of Jane Austen shopping and going for tea and to balls and look at the viewsshe would have seen 200 years ago, notes David Lassman, PR manager of the Jane AustenCentre, which draws 60,000 visitors a year.

7/29/2019 Jane Austen Disliked Bath

2/3

But if the streets are much the same, the people populating them are not, says MargaretTibbs, who leads a Jane Austen walking tour.

In the 18th century, Bath had become a fashionable place to take the waters thereputedly therapeutic hot springs that burble up in the centre of town. But the baths becamesomething of an excuse to holiday here, Tibbs explains. There was all sorts going on, from

balls to gambling. It drew the wealthy, but also beggars, prostitutes and thieves.

Jane didnt like the people, who were shallow and insincere, concerned with their status inlife, Tibbs suggests. When Austens parents announced they planned to move the family toBath, she was so upset, she passed out.Tibbs is full of these insider tidbits and an expert on Austen-related locations. She shows us

where Austen stayed with her brother for six weeks on Queen Square, points out the shopwhere Austens aunt was accused of stealing lace, takes us along the gravel path where AnneElliot and Captain Wentworth strolled at the end ofPersuasion, and leads us to 25 GayStreet, where Austen lived for a time. Now its a dentists office, she says. We couldntextract them.

Its just the sort of quip Austen would appreciate. And perhaps its that keen sense of

humour, as much as Austens poignant observations of human nature and romance, thatmake her novels as relevant today as they were 200 years ago.

Amy Laughinghouse is a freelance writer based in London. Follow her on Twitter at@A_Laughinghouse.

JUST THE FACTS

ARRIVING From Toronto, AirTransat flies nonstop to London-Gatwick. Air Canada andBritish Airways fly nonstop to London-Heathrow. From Londons Paddington Station, itsabout a 90-minute train ride to Bath Spa. nationalrail.co.ukDINING The Pump Room: Jane Austen came here to drink the waters, which are infused

with 43 minerals, such as sulphate, calcium and iron. Visitors still sample them today from afountain. The elegant dining room serves breakfast, lunch and tea, from $17. AbbeyChurchyard, +44 (0)1225 444477. romanbaths.co.uk. Sally Lunns: Located in one of Baths

oldest homes, the food here is all about the Bath bun. Top it with scrambled eggs,cinnamon butter and clotted cream, roast beef, brie or dozens of other options, from $11. 4North Parade Passage, +44 (0)1225 461634.sallylunns.co.uk. Wild Coffee Caf: Near TrimStreet, the last of the lanes where Jane Austen lived before moving to Chawton, this artsy cafoffers all-day brunch, as well as fish and chips, falafel burgers, and decadent desserts, from$14. 10a Queen Street, +44 (0)1225 448673.wildcafe.co.ukSLEEPING 4 Sydney Place. Sleep where Jane Austen spent her first few years in Bath although she probably never envisioned the free WiFi and iPod dock provided. The self-catering apartment features a kitchenette. From $283 per night; two-night minimum stay.+44 (0)7723 617486.bathboutiquestays.co.uk. The Queensberry Hotel: On Russel Street,close to the Jane Austen Centre, this boutique hotel features sleek, modern decor, arestaurant and a stylish bar. It was named one of Fodors Top 100 Hotels in the world in2011. From $150. , +44 (0)1225 447928. thequeensberry.co.uk. Francis Hotel: This hotel,adjacent to the 18th-century townhouse where Austen spent six weeks with her brotherEdward, offers an updated, whimsical take on Regency decor. From $188. Queen Square,+44 (0)1225 424105.francishotel.comDOING Jane Austen Centre: An introductory talk, brief film, and exhibitions offer insightinto Jane Austens time in Bath and how it features in her novels. Visitors can try on periodcostumes and dine at the Regency tearoom. Reopening Jan. 30 following a mini-makeover torefresh the decor and add more exhibition space. Check the website for details on the Jan.28Pride and Prejudice readathon, the June 22 Regency Ball and the Sept. 13-21 Jane

Austen Festival. 40 Gay Street, +44 (0) 1225 443000.janeausten.co.uk.

http://nationalrail.co.uk/http://romanbaths.co.uk/http://www.sallylunns.co.uk/http://www.sallylunns.co.uk/http://wildcafe.co.uk/http://bathboutiquestays.co.uk/http://bathboutiquestays.co.uk/http://www.thestar.com/life/travel/2013/01/26/thequeensberry.co.ukhttp://www.thestar.com/life/travel/2013/01/26/francishotel.comhttp://www.janeausten.co.uk/http://nationalrail.co.uk/http://romanbaths.co.uk/http://www.sallylunns.co.uk/http://wildcafe.co.uk/http://bathboutiquestays.co.uk/http://www.thestar.com/life/travel/2013/01/26/thequeensberry.co.ukhttp://www.thestar.com/life/travel/2013/01/26/francishotel.comhttp://www.janeausten.co.uk/

7/29/2019 Jane Austen Disliked Bath

3/3

Walking tour of Bath: Meets Saturdays, Sundays and on Bank Holidays (excludingChristmas) at 11 a.m. outside KC Change Visitor Information Centre, Abbey Churchyard, +44(0)1225 443000.

Assembly Rooms and Fashion Museum: Discounts available when you buy a combined ticketfor the Roman Baths. Bennett Street. +44 (0) 1225 477789.museumofcostume.co.uk.The Roman Baths: Although the Baths were not open in Jane Austens day, theyre well worth

a look. The museum is filled with ancient artifacts, and the central bath, a steaming greenpool surrounded by columns, is striking. Abbey Churchyard. +44 (0)1225477785. romanbaths.co.uk.BEYOND BATH Jane Austens House Museum: This home, where Austen spent most ofher last eight years here, houses her manuscript letters, music books, writing table, jewelleryand various family items and furniture. Chawton, Alton, Hampshire. +44 (0)142083262.jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk.PandPTours: Offers Jane Austen tours and tours of film locations for on-screen adaptationsofPride and Prejudice,Sense and Sensibility,Persuasion, and the TV seriesDownton

Abbey. +44 (0)7809 666309.pandptours.co.uk. For maps of Jane Austens novels, gotojasna.org/info/maps.html

WEBSURFINGvisitengland.com,visitbritain.com,visitbath.co.uk.

http://museumofcostume.co.uk/http://museumofcostume.co.uk/http://museumofcostume.co.uk/http://romanbaths.co.uk/http://jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk/http://www.pandptours.co.uk/http://www.pandptours.co.uk/http://jasna.org/info/maps.htmlhttp://www.visitengland.com/en/CA/http://www.visitbritain.com/en/CA/http://www.visitbritain.com/en/CA/http://visitbath.co.uk/http://museumofcostume.co.uk/http://romanbaths.co.uk/http://jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk/http://www.pandptours.co.uk/http://jasna.org/info/maps.htmlhttp://www.visitengland.com/en/CA/http://www.visitbritain.com/en/CA/http://visitbath.co.uk/