What have the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids of Giza and the city of Bath all got in common? The answer is World Heritage status. While there are other World Heritage sites in the UK, 28 in fact, with Stonehenge and Avebury our closest neighbours, Bath is the only entire city.
WHY WAS BATH CHOSEN?
This prestigious honour befalls the city for a number of reasons. The significance of Bath’s Georgian architecture cannot be underestimated and the sheer scope of it is so prevalent that over 5,000 of the city’s buildings are listed, easily the highest concentration outside of London.
The Roman archaeology is equally vital and was described in the World Heritage nomination report as among ‘the best preserved, most famous and most architectural monuments of the Roman era to be found in Britain, and indeed among the most remarkable of its kind to be found north of the Alps.’ The city’s hot springs are also listed.
Another reason included on UNESCO’s list of Outstanding Universal Values is more detailed and reads ‘Georgian architecture reflecting 18th century social ambitions.’ It’s all very Jane Austen, but stands testament to John Wood the Elder’s Palladian master vision for his home city.
Bath’s landscape setting is also deemed important. The city is regarded as a model of how the urban and rural can be attractively integrated.
AND THE BENEFITS?
The benefits to the city of World Heritage status are fairly obvious. The primary advantage of which is that it puts Bath on the global map, and helps to attract tourists from around the world. The status also helps in terms of the physical conservation of the city, and as a World Heritage city there is considered to be a global responsibility to maintain the city’s cultural and creative genius for all to see.