Wandering around Bath
is indeed tolerable when in amongst the regular tourist
stuff, we can nip into the occasional pub for a swift
half here and there. I strongly suspect that the Ale
House has not been a pub for very long, because the
fixtures and fittings looked considerably newer than
the building itself, which is Georgian. The fireplace
looked distinctly domestic too, not the large inglenook
fireplace to which we have become accustomed. There
were however a good number of locals in the bar though,
which is always good to see.
The Ale House
overlooks what was in my day, Bog Island, a terraced
area that used to house belowground toilets, but elaborate
toilets, built in the 1930s and all colored tile and
colored-glass skylights and huge porcelain & brass
fixtures. They closed it down and turned it into a
nightclub, which famously dripped copious amounts
of condensation from the old ceilings.
Before that, the
site was much more dignified, playing host to the
Bath Literary & Scientific Institute (BLSI). This
was a wonderful building, all colonnades and old stuff.
Why they knocked it down is a bit of a mystery, because
they certainly did not replace it with much. Even
more tragic was the theory that the portico was actually
much more historic, perhaps being part of the much
older Harrisons or Kingston Assembly Rooms which burned
to the ground in 1810.
Documentation
is sketchy, but some theorize that the portico survived
and was incorporated into the BLSI building, which
of course was then subsequently lost to toilets. Today,
it is pretty much an open space between the Abbey
and Parade Gardens, which are themselves worth a visit,
being a kind of lower level away from the bedlam that
can often be Bath.
Do not misinterpret the
statement that Bath may occasionally be bedlam. It
is a great city to visit, with so much to see in such
a compact space, especially if you explore the edges,
where attractive alleys lead to eclectic antique stores,
or old flights of stone stairs lead down to hidden
river walkways, the sort of stuff you only find after
living there for years. But Bath is sometimes too
beautiful for its own good and in high tourist season,
it is overrun. If it gets too busy for you in the
Abbey Churchyard, the main congregation spot, venture
out a little.
There is a strong movement
now to restore Terrace Walk to its former glory by
putting the BLSI building back, which would not be
such a bad thing, certainly it is a prime site.
Anyway, the pub. Definitely
a half-pint pub. For a town that is so overwhelmingly
touristy, there really were a lot of locals in this
pub, and I cannot believe they all came in to watch
the Womens Soccer Cup Final. Beer was moderate, atmosphere
was moderate, but at least there were not too many
bloody tourists in there.
