Manchester

"This illustrated history of Bath takes a new look at the city from the earliest times to the present day, focusing on the contrast between the well-known facade of the archetypal Georgian city and the more diverse reality of life in Bath." "Since the eighteenth century, Bath has enjoyed an association with famous artists, writers and musicians. Alongside the links with classical antiquity, this association has contrived to create an image of culture and refinement. Yet the facts display another side to Bath - a city with a legendary reputation for beggars, prostitution and debauched living. During the Victorian period, while Bath's public face was that of a genteel city free of the taint of trade, its industrial and commercial sector was building up a reputation for excellence in cabinet-making, printing and engineering. Today, Bath struggles to accommodate the demands of its past and present history within the framework of a contemporary city, lived in by ordinary people." "Drawing on established authorities and much unpublished research, this is a history of Bath which will entertain - and perhaps surprise - both the visitors to, and the residents of, the city."--BOOK JACKET.