Bath Spa Heritage

The Hetling Pump Room was built in the 18th century as a place where the general public could 'take the waters' of Bath. As an integral part of Thermae Bath Spa, this Grade II listed building has been restored and converted into the Spa Visitor Centre where you can discover the role the Spa has played in Bath's rich and colourful history.

The mineral rich, thermal springs of Bath are unique in the UK and are the reason for the City's very existence. The legendary founding of the city in 863BC by Prince Bladud was the start of the remarkably rich and exciting story which moves through Celtic times to the Roman era when the magnificent bathing complex was built. Aquae Sulis, as the city was then called, was famous for its thermal waters and the spiritual and physical well-being they promoted. The waters remained central to the life of the city throughout the medieval period when the combination of healing and religious faith, precipitated by the building of the beautiful Abbey attracted many visitors and pilgrims.

Henry VIII dissolved the monastery at the Abbey in 1539 and passed the ownership of the waters over to the city of Bath, paving the way for public developments of greater popular appeal. His daughter, Elizabeth I, encouraged by her visit to the baths and the medical treaties expounding the benefits of the waters, granted a Royal Charter of Incorporation to the city in 1590 proclaiming that the waters should be 'accessible to the public in perpetuity'.

Monarchs have continued to visit the baths ever since in search of cures for diseases or simply for pleasure. The 18th century witnessed the visits of Queen Anne resulting in Bath becoming the country's leading social centre. The British society followed the Queen and spent the winter season in Bath turning the small medieval wool town into the most fashionable and beautiful in the country. The 18th century was also the time when the pump rooms, new bath houses and the Royal Mineral Water Hospital were built along with the other famous architectural features of the city.

Excavations in the 19th century saw important discoveries of Roman remains which served to increase public interest in the Spa and its mineral-rich waters.. The spa water was bottled and sold as a healthy drink as was tap water by money makers cashing in on its popularity! In contrast to the continuing public interest and uses of bath water in the previous centuries, the 20th century saw the decline of interest and the abandonment of the Spa as a public institution. In 1939 public bathing in the Kings Bath was stopped, in 1976 the NHS withdrew their funding from the Medical Treatment Centre in the Baths and the final blow came in 1978 when the old Beau Street Baths closed to the public.