Bath Assembly Rooms
Encyclopedia
The Bath Assembly Rooms, designed by John Wood the Younger in 1769, are a set of elegant assembly rooms
located in the heart of the World Heritage City of Bath in England
which are now open to the public as a visitor attraction. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a grade I listed building.
There are four main function rooms in the complex: the 100 feet (30.5 m) ballroom — the largest Georgian
interior in Bath; the tea room; the card room; and the octagon.
society in the city. Citizens would gather in the rooms in the evening for balls and other public functions, or simply to play cards. Mothers and chaperones bringing their daughters to Bath for the social season, hoping to marry them off to a suitable husband, would take their charge to such events where, very quickly, one might meet all the eligible men currently in the City.
Scenes such as this feature in the novels of Jane Austen
, who lived in Bath with her parents and sister from 1801 to 1805. Her two novels set in Bath, Northanger Abbey
and Persuasion
, were published in 1818 and both mention the Assembly Rooms:
Charles Dickens
also visited Bath on several occasions. He gave public readings in the Assembly Rooms and mentions them in the Pickwick Papers (published in 1837):
The Assembly Rooms were damaged during the Baedeker Blitz
, a series of air raids targeting cultural centres in Britain during World War II
, but restored shortly afterwards.
and operated by Bath and North East Somerset Council. Part of the building provides a home to the Fashion Museum, Bath
, but the main rooms are still available for hire for private functions. Their grandeur makes them a popular location for feature films and television series set in the Georgian period.
Assembly rooms
In Great Britain and Ireland, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, assembly rooms were gathering places for members of the higher social classes open to members of both sexes. At that time most entertaining was done at home and there were few public places of entertainment open to both sexes...
located in the heart of the World Heritage City of Bath in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which are now open to the public as a visitor attraction. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a grade I listed building.
There are four main function rooms in the complex: the 100 feet (30.5 m) ballroom — the largest Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
interior in Bath; the tea room; the card room; and the octagon.
History
The Assembly Rooms formed the hub of fashionable GeorgianGeorgian era
The Georgian era is a period of British history which takes its name from, and is normally defined as spanning the reigns of, the first four Hanoverian kings of Great Britain : George I, George II, George III and George IV...
society in the city. Citizens would gather in the rooms in the evening for balls and other public functions, or simply to play cards. Mothers and chaperones bringing their daughters to Bath for the social season, hoping to marry them off to a suitable husband, would take their charge to such events where, very quickly, one might meet all the eligible men currently in the City.
Scenes such as this feature in the novels of Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
, who lived in Bath with her parents and sister from 1801 to 1805. Her two novels set in Bath, Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey was the first of Jane Austen's novels to be completed for publication, though she had previously made a start on Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. According to Cassandra Austen's Memorandum, Susan was written approximately during 1798–99...
and Persuasion
Persuasion (novel)
Persuasion is Jane Austen's last completed novel. She began it soon after she had finished Emma, completing it in August 1816. She died, aged 41, in 1817; Persuasion was published in December that year ....
, were published in 1818 and both mention the Assembly Rooms:
- Mrs Allen was so long in dressing, that they did not enter the ball-room till late. The season was full, the room crowded, and the two ladies squeezed in as well as they could. As for Mr Allen, he repaired directly to the card-room, and left them to enjoy a mob by themselves. (Northanger Abbey)
- Sir Walter, his two daughters, and Mrs Clay, were the earliest of all their party at the rooms in the evening; and as Lady Dalrymple must be waited for, they took their station by one of the fires in the Octagon Room. (Persuasion)
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
also visited Bath on several occasions. He gave public readings in the Assembly Rooms and mentions them in the Pickwick Papers (published in 1837):
- In the ball-room, the long card-room, the octagonal card-room, the staircases, and the passages, the hum of many voices, and the sound of many feet, were perfectly bewildering. Dresses rustled, feathers waved, lights shone, and jewels sparkled. There was the music — not of the quadrille band, for it had not yet commenced; but the music of soft tiny footsteps, with now and then a clear merry laugh — low and gentle, but very pleasant to hear in a female voice, whether in Bath or elsewhere.
The Assembly Rooms were damaged during the Baedeker Blitz
Baedeker Blitz
The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of Vergeltungsangriffe by the German air force on English cities in response to the bombing of the erstwhile Hanseatic League city of Lübeck during the night from 28 to 29 March 1942 during World War II.-Background:Lübeck was bombed on the night...
, a series of air raids targeting cultural centres in Britain during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but restored shortly afterwards.
The Assembly Rooms today
Today the rooms are owned by the National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
and operated by Bath and North East Somerset Council. Part of the building provides a home to the Fashion Museum, Bath
Fashion Museum, Bath
The Fashion Museum is housed in the Assembly Rooms in Bath, Somerset, England.The collection was started by Doris Langley Moore, who gave her collection to the city of Bath in 1963. It focuses on fashionable dress for men, women and children from the late 16th century to the present day and has...
, but the main rooms are still available for hire for private functions. Their grandeur makes them a popular location for feature films and television series set in the Georgian period.
External links
- Bath Assembly Rooms information, National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural BeautyThe National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
- Assembly Rooms page, Bath Council