Roman Baths, Bath

The Roman Baths in Bath, Somerset, sit above a natural thermal spring that has discharged water at a constant 45°C for at least ten thousand years. The Romans, recognising the spring's sacred character, built a complex temple dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva around AD 60–70, later extending it into an elaborate bathing complex that remained in use until the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century. Visitors today descend below modern street level to walk through the museum complex and emerge beside the Great Bath: an open-air lead-lined pool around 1.6 metres deep whose green mineral-rich water still steams atmospherically, fed directly by the original spring. The Sacred Spring itself, enclosed in a Roman chamber at the heart of the complex, is one of the most atmospheric spaces in Roman Britain. The museum collection includes the gilded bronze head of Sulis Minerva, the carved stone pediment depicting a gorgon's head from the temple facade, and thousands of curse tablets — small lead sheets on which Romans scratched prayers and petitions to the goddess, often cursing those who had wronged them. The audio guide, included in the ticket price, takes approximately 90 minutes and narrates the site clearly. Above the Roman level, the 18th-century Pump Room restaurant and tearoom overlooks the Roman site; visitors can try a glass of the thermal water at the pump. The Thermae Bath Spa a short walk away allows modern visitors to bathe in the same mineral-rich waters in a contemporary rooftop pool setting.