Good morning it's day two of the Great West way and we're in Bath. It's a
really nice crisp morning, no snow though, so we're gonna go into
the Roman Baths but if you're want a detailed look, look in the playlist I'll put the
links below. We've already got a really good video about the Roman Batths and the
history, so have a look at that and after that we're going on a quick tour of Bath
itself, so let's go and gets warm. Dodgy character Lucius Marcius is an omen
reading priest.
Behind me is the original temple pediment, Mel do you think there is some
resemblance between me and ... A bit unruly. A decorative piece for you slave sir? Depends on the price?
Five denarii. Fve denarii! Yeah I can make it fou, three you may
have a deal I can't go as low as 3. Made this with my own hands. What do
you think of that madam. It's the nicest perfume going in town at the moment
olive oil and gladiator sweat, would you like a sniff. I can't help myself.
Yeah I'm getting a bit of armpits I wonder if the
price goes up if he gets slaughtered in the arena?
No actually you don't sweat as wel.l
I get the winners out, the champions the champion sweat.
Enjoy your bathing, thank you.
This is the sacred Spring overflow and you can already feel the heat coming from
the hot water.
Are you going to taste the water Mel.
it's got a sulphury smell, it tastes quite irony.
So this is my Wylde flower diamond it is totally unique in the world you can only buy it from Nicholas Wylde.
It is unique because what we've cleverly done is add 24 more facets on
a round stone we created this romantic flower within the stone. So at
the back there you can see the flower that's on behind and if you look through
the diamond. You'll see the beautiful flower and that's the romantic side of
the Wylde Flower diamond. It's very popular for engagement rings
because the diamond stone is not only romantic
but it's sparkles like no other diamond. It looks bigger than the other
diamonds because of the refraction of light in it, so it's totally unique and
then we've got the wild art which is totally unique as well. We're going to
show you this one because this is the design .
It's like a dentist down here
So what's he's doing is
just filling up that gap with laser melting the metal as we go.
So the story of Bath basically starts in 863 BC with Prince Bladud who's
rumored to be King Lear's dad. Prince Bladud goes on a
journey to Athens and comes back with leprosy and he's a member of court, so
obviously immediately straight away they chuck him out.
Basically he goes walking around the countryside around here with a group of
pigs so when you come and visit Bath look out for acorns because this
references back to the story of Bath and you can see them up the top of the
Circus around here. So the whole idea is that Prince Bladud and his pigs
stumble across bar and they're all diseased but the pigs go bathing in
these hot waters and they come out instantly healed.
and Prince Bladud then goes in himself and gets cured at that point he
goes back to court, he's allowed to return but he supposedly founds the city
of Bath and that's why people have been coming here for 2,000 years essentially.
Where we are now in the Circus is John Wood's next major kind of building
development in the 1700s but sadly the first few stones are laid and he passes
away so building is taken over by his son John Wood.
In the Georgian period you're meant to be seen you're meant to be heard everybody knows
your business, gossip is kind of the foundation of that society
so if you notice how everything's looking in on itself
and actually the Victorians come along later and plant these huge trees
but this is not what it would have originally looked like. The circus
looks a bit like that
so you can imagine walking through how everyone can see what you're doing they
know your business and the best way to demonstrate this is actually for me to
stand in the center of the circle. Because acoustically John Wood
designed this so that you can be heard and acoustically it
reverberates around and for me that's what the Circus is all about.
It's being heard and being seen. This is where it all happened in Georgian society,
The only Assembly Rooms left in bars are here this one was opened in 1771
there were more dotted around if you go near the Abbey where there are
now gardens parade there was an assembly room.
Very nice very comfortable place to come have a look around but if you imagine
coming here you've got six fireplaces Hundreds of people Beau Nash the
master of ceremonies has worked out who you're going to be dancing with in
the evening and for some dances you are quite literally paired up with someone
who may or may not be of interest to you and you have to dance in front of the
whole room in front of hundreds of people in a hot sweaty environment but
the thing that I try to talk about when I think of the Georgian period is its
it's not it is romantic it's brand they wear beautiful dresses but also quite
dirty. I mean these guys are not washing much they're they're cramped in rooms
like this dancing around and the heat would have been extreme so when I think
of the Assembly Rooms it is grand and they are playing cards and drinking tea
but also everyone's a complete mess not too different to 3 a.m. on the streets
of Bath nowadays.
So day two on the Great West Way and it's lunchtime
We are at Koffmann and Mr. White's just behind the Abbey.
Day two of the Great West Way reporting for Fly Drive Explore, now we're in Lacock
we're just having a quick look around the town and Lacock Abbey.
Well this is inside the cloisters of Lacock Abbey it was founded about 800
years ago by Augustinian nuns in recent years they used it in some of the scenes
in Harry Potter and you can see why and in this room in the cloisters they've
actually got Harry Potter films of Lacock. "What have you been up to Mr.
Potter?"
Good evening from Devizes Marina Lodge and here we are Lodge number 4. Let's
go and have the obligatory room tour so as you come in you've got
coats another cupboard over there a wine rack and we come through to the kitchen
dining room lounge. It's Melissa in the corner on her phone
and there she is and as you come out onto the deck, canal boats in the marina
and down here you've got the hot tub so this is the main bedroom this is the
wardrobes toilet and shower through there , another bathroom and finally
like a twin room, kids room maybe and there's another TV there as well.
So we're gonna stay in tonight and relax watch the TV and get that hot
tub to work.