Bath, England - Assembly Rooms & Royal Crescent - August 2024

One of our most unexpected delights was our free trip to the Assembly Rooms, after which we traveled to the Circus (more info later in post). The Assembly Rooms were totally free. I believe that there is also a museum of period clothing that is often there, but it was closed while we were there.

There are several rooms you can visit, including one that is filled with activities for children - A and I made little paper dolls there. In the main salon, the chandeliers are notable. During WW2, Bath got hit hard in the Bath Blitz. Someone had the prescience to move the chandeliers to a nearby mine to keep them safe, so the ones that hang today are the originals. The entire place was beautiful, and the staff working there were just lovely and so kind. They were incredibly generous with their time, and as almost nobody was there, we really got to spend a lot of time asking questions. Here are a few photos (info about the Circus afterwards).

"It is your turn to say something now, Mr. Darcy. I talked about the dance, and you ought to make some kind of remark on the size of the room, or the number of couples."

These are the chandeliers that were saved from the Blitz. Just lovely.

It really is a well-apportioned room.

I loved this octagonal room. These mirrors shown were on each of the four walls. They are called "infinity mirrors," as if you look into one, you'll see its reflection in the opposite mirror, its own reflection back, and so on.

A also loved this room. You can see one of the infinity mirrors' effects behind her.

I loved the effect with the ornate ring around the mirror, it is so delicate.

While the nearby Circus was designed by John Wood, the Elder, and was seen through construction by his son John Wood, the Younger, the Royal Crescent was both designed and seen through by John Wood, the Younger. Similar in style to the Circus, the Royal Crescent is also seen as a classic example of Georgian architecture. We were able to go into #1 of the Royal Crescent to view the museum and gift shop - we sat for a time in the park just outside, then went to eat at the nearby Crescent Restaurant. It was really good, and I made friends with a couple celebrating their son's elopement at the same time in the US.