Hi, and welcome to our visit to Number 1 Royal Crescent Bath
A look at Georgean life, upstairs and down
The beautiful city of Bath is located in the county of Somerset, in the south west of the UK
and is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site
The Royal Crescent is a little over half a mile from Bath Abbey, and around a mile from Bath Spa railway station
Number One Royal Crescent was built to the designs of John Wood the Younger in 1767 – 1774 as the first house in the Royal Crescent
It is now a museum, and possibly a must-see experience in Bath - let me show you why
On arrival at the house, you are show in in small groups to the first room, the dining room, to start the multi-media story that will take you through the house
The whole experience will last about an hour, and tell the fictitious story of a family gathering in Bath for the start of the season.
Fans of the Nextflix series Bridgerton will know what I mean
when ladies of a certain social standing, who have come of age, are 'shown' to prospective bachelors to find a good match
But there's also much more in the story told at Number one Royal Crescent about Georgian life
The story is well crafted and blends audiovisuals, with just audio in some rooms. All you have to do is follow the footsteps and listen along.
Our next room is the Parlour, an informal family space.
You will have noticed how beautifully the house is decorated and furnished, as it might have been during the period 1776-1796
When it had its first resident, Henry Sandford
We then find ourselves in the Gentleman’s Retreat where a sophisticated Georgian gentleman would come to explore his interests
So how comes I know so much? Well it's all on the Number One Royal Crescent site, along with opening times and prices.
I will pop a link below so you can find out more.
and so you know we were visiting Number One Royal Crescent on a media pass as guests of Visit Bath
All the time, we are following the story of our family.
That story does touch on the dark side of Bath's wealth during this period. That is the transatlantic slave trade
Once again, there is more material on the Number One Royal Crescent site which is incredibly informative
and leads to additional resources on the subject
On a side note, this is the same period as the Mutiny on the Bounty of 1789, which give you another view of British society at this time.
Anyway, back to the house, and the footprints lead us to the Lady's Bedroom
Once again, the room is beautifully laid out with period pieces, including the ever-so-fashionable wig.
The collection is supplemented with pieces loaned from private collectors and other charitable institutions, so it may change over time.
Now I have to be honest with you, I love a period drama, and this is like living it - A great experience if you're in Bath
We've now made our way to the Withdrawing room, and as you may notice the story continues with projections onto the wall detailing Georgian life.
This is where the ladies would retire after dinner to enjoy a cup of the ever-so-fashionable tea.
The gentlemen would join them after the important discussions had concluded at the dining table. Welcome to Georgian life
You have to admire the fashionable harpsichord
This fine example was made by Jacob Kirkman of Alsace, which in this period was a bit French and a bit German
Our next room is the Gentleman's Bedroom, fitted out as it would have in the period.
You can't stay here, but you can at The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, in the centre of the Royal Crescent.
I drop a link in the description if you wish to treat yourself.
The footsteps have now changed colour, and it's time to head downstairs to see the other side of life in Number One Royal Crescent
and we now find ourselves in the Kitchen Passage
This is no Downton Abbey, the smaller size of a town house would have mean reduced staff
However, they would be expected to produce food fit for the high table from the modest resources they had available.
Our story continues with the cook explaining how she will create her specialities as well as sugar sculptures.
Again, at this time, sugar was an expensive resource, and you could show your social standing by how much you had, and how you displayed it
Everything is laid out as you would expect to find it in the late 18th-century
Our next room is the scullery, where you would find the lowest in the social standing amongst the servants, the scullery maid
Oh, that's right, there were levels in the servants - you've seen Downton Abbey right?
The scullery here was home to the coat store, the laundry as well as being the coolest place below stairs, so home to the meat safe
The water used in Number one Royal Crescent came from its own well retrieved via a hand-operated pump
We now move on to our next room, the Housekeeper's room, home to the most important female below stairs
She would be responsible for the efficient running of the household, as well as settling bills.
A little more comforable than other servants' quarters and where she would eat her meals
We now arrive at our final room and the story concludes, we are in the Servants' Hall
This is where the servants, excluding the housekeeper, and the poor old scullery maid would eat their meals.
I wonder what the atmosphere would have been like down here, it must have been a tense working environment at times
That probably explains the rules of the house. I only have one rule, give us a like if you've enjoyed this.
and why not subscribe too? Who knows where the next adventure will take us?
So that brings this story of Georgian life to a close, I really hope you like what we've put together.
Remember; stay safe, stay well, and happy travels