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You may find this relevant information helpful when researching the area prior to your visit

The history of Bath is inextricably linked to the hot springs that rise from the earth here at a constant temperature of 46.5 º Celsius. The Celts were the first people to settle in the area, and they built several temples to their goddess of water, Sulis, on the site. However the first proper city to be built here was first founded by the Romans who were also attracted to the area because of the natural supply of hot water. They built a series of Baths around the springs and a town quickly grew up around them - which they called Aquae Sulis after the Celtic Goddess.

These Roman Baths can still be seen today, and are considered by many to be one of the best preserved examples of Roman architecture in Britain. After the Romans left the baths fell into decline, but under the Saxons the city had continued importance as a political and religious centre. For the next few centuries Bath was most renowned for its magnificent Abbey, and it was here that Edgar, the first King of England, was crowned in the 10th century. In the Middle Ages Bath began to prosper from the wool trade and it quickly became a thriving market town. Then, during the renaissance of the 16th century, a new complex of baths was built and the city became a fashionable spa town frequented by royalty and high society.

However it was during the 18th century that Bath reached its height of popularity as a spa, and it is this period that Bath is synonymous with. This is because in the 18th century the popular belief that spring waters had medicinal benefits led to a renewed fashion for spa towns - and of these Bath was the most popular. Elegant Georgian town houses sprung up all over the place and the rich and famous in English high society all flocked to the town. It is this Georgian architecture that Bath is now most famous for and stringent planning regulations have ensured that Bath has remained one of the most beautiful cities in the whole of the UK. The most famous examples of Bath's Georgian architecture include The Circus, Queen Square and of course Royal Crescent.

In 1988 Bath achieved the highest accolade when it was awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO, which means that it is a "site of outstanding historical importance". With its warm and distinctive yellow stone, elegant streets and open squares it is an absolute must for any visitor to the UK.

The Holburne Museum of Art (also known as the Holburne of Menstrie Museum) is in Sydney Pleasure Gardens, Sydney Place, in the Bathwick area of Bath, Somerset, England. The building was originally designed as the Sydney Hotel, was built by Charles Harcourt Masters in 1795–6. During the course of the nineteenth century the building went through a number of changes of use, as well as structural alterations, until in the early years of this century (1913-16) it was converted by the architect Sir Reginald Blomfield to become the present home of the Holburne Museum. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.[1] The Holburne Museum houses the art collection formed by Sir William Holburne including silver, Old Master paintings, Italian bronzes such as the Susioni once owned by king Louis XIV, maiolica, porcelain, glass, furniture and portrait miniatures. These have been added to with examples of landscapes by Francesco Guardi and J. M. W. Turner, and portraits by George Stubbs, Allan Ramsay, Johann Zoffany and Thomas Gainsborough. The Holburne is the official museum of the University of Bath. When open, the museum also hosts temporary exhibitions throughout the year. It is currently closed until 2011 for renovation. The museum houses a collection of 17th and 18th century decorative and fine art, based on the private collection of Sir Thomas Holbourne. Exhibits range from furniture and silverware to paintings by famous artists such as Turner, Reynolds and Gainsborough.