Great West Way Travel Magazine | Issue 08

NO.1 ROYAL CRESCENT, BATH Take a look beyond the Crescent's famous Palladian facade and see what life was like for the wealthy and their servants in eighteenth-century Bath with a wander inside No. 1 Royal Crescent. Built between 1767 and 1774 to the designs of the architect John Wood the Younger, the Royal Crescent is justly considered one of the finest achievements of eighteenthcentury urban architecture, and represents the highest point of Palladian architecture in Bath. No. 1 was the first house to be built in the Crescent, and originally provided luxury accommodation for the aristocratic visitors who came to take the waters and enjoy the social season. Each room is an exquisite example of Georgian interior design with authentic furniture, paintings, textiles and carpets. MUSEUM OF EAST ASIAN ART, BATH Incongruously placed just a stone’s throw from two of Bath’s iconic attractions, The Circus and The Royal Crescent, the Museum of East Asian Art is a hidden gem of a museum, and the only museum in the UK solely dedicate to arts and culture from East and South East Asia, with a collection of over 2,000 objects. Spread over three floors of a converted Grade II listed Georgian townhouse, the Museum is a sanctuary of tranquillity in a busting World Heritage city: ceremonial jade objects as luminous today as they were over thousands of years ago sit alongside imperial household items, Ming vases, bronze Buddhas, Chinese Blue and White porcelain and other artefacts representing over 7,000 years of artistry and craftsmanship. Don’t miss Artists’ Reinventions: War, Revolution and the Art of New China on the 4 May 2023. This illustrated talk highlights the career transformations of some great wartime printmakers, from the late 1930s, into the 1990s. MARY SHELLEY’S HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, BATH In 1816, Mary Shelley wrote the world’s first science fiction novel, Frankenstein, whilst resident in Bath. This new museum is a world-first visitor attraction to explore the dark world of Mary Shelley, bluring the lines between museum and immersive visitor experience. The attraction is set in a Grade II listed property, extending over four atmospheric floors including a dank foreboding basement. One of the floors is dedicated to uncovering her history and tragic life events and, confront the formidable 8ft monster recreated exactly as Mary imagined. Plus, don’t miss attempting to flee to your safety with a nail-biting Victor’s Lair Escape Room experience. VICTORIA ART GALLERY, PETER BROWN: BATH, BRISTOL AND BEYOND Aesthete’s will ove popping their head into the Victoria Art Gallery in the centre of Bath. Don’t miss exhibitions for 2023 include Capturing Life: A Century of the New English Art Club at Victoria Art Gallery from 21 January – 11 April 2023. The exhibition showcases work by past and present members of the New English Art Club, an elected society of contemporary painters inspired by the visual world. ROMAN BATHS, BATH Bath was founded upon natural hot springs with the steaming water playing a key role throughout its history. Lying in the heart of the city the Roman Baths were constructed around 70 AD as a grand bathing and socialising complex. It is now one of the best preserved Roman remains in the world. 1,170,000 litres of steaming spring water 32 <strong>Great</strong><strong>West</strong><strong>Way</strong>.co.uk

eaching 46 °C still fill the bathing site every single day. The Romans believed that this was the mystical work of the Gods but we now know that the water source, which comes from the King’s Spring, fell as rain water around 10,000 BC. Visit The <strong>Great</strong> Bath, the magnificent epicentre to the complex and walk on the ancient pavements as the Romans did 2,000 years ago. The <strong>Great</strong> Bath that lies below street level can also be viewed from the Terrace, which is adorned with statues and shadowed by the great Abbey. Other chambers to explore include the remains of the ancient heated rooms and changing rooms as well as tepid and plunge pools. BRISTOL MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY, BRISTOL 2023 marks the 200th year of Bristol Museum and Art Gallery and the bi-centenary of their forerunner, The Bristol Institution for the Advancement of Science, Literature and the Arts. 200 years of Bristol Museum & Art Gallery will be celebrated by bringing together amazing objects and stories from their collections through a series of themed seasons throughout the year. As well as displays and interventions, the programme will feature a number of high-profile events highlighting significant objects and milestones in the museum’s history. AEROSPACE BRISTOL, BRISTOL Aerospace Bristol tells the incredible story of Bristol’s amazing aviation achievements and offers the chance to step aboard Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, the last of the supersonic jets ever to fly. Learn about the earliest days of powered flight, through to today’s cutting-edge aerospace technology. There's aeroplanes, helicopters, missiles, satellites, engines and interactive exhibits for all ages. The highlight of your day will surely be the iconic Concorde, the world's fastest passenger jet, where you can the step aboard inside, glimpse into the cockpit, and walk through the passenger cabin. WE THE CURIOUS, BRISTOL’S HARBOURSIDE Due to a fire in April 2022 We the Curious has been closed, however, the museum is hoping to re-open in 2023/2024. Once it does there will be all sorts of different experiences and exhibits for you to interact with, and experiments you can take part in – a science centre and interactive space where everyone can ask questions, play and test ideas out together. You will lose yourself in over 200 hands-on exhibits, science shows and activities and don’t miss contributing to scientific research and journey to the stars in the UK’s first 3D Planetarium. NATIONAL WATERWAYS MUSEUM, GLOUCESTER Housed in the old Llanthony Warehouse in the heart of what once was the bustling Gloucester Docks, the museum charts the 200-year history of the docks and the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal. The Grade II listed grain warehouse has been renovated with fun, interactive exhibits, café and a lovely tea room with a fantastic selection of picnic benches, funded by the Friends of the National Waterways Museum. Plus, during the spring and summer season, 45-minute boat trips are available along the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal on Queen Boadicea II, a Dunkirk Little Ship. Click here to find out more about the museums on the <strong>Great</strong> <strong>West</strong> <strong>Way</strong> <strong>Great</strong><strong>West</strong><strong>Way</strong>.co.uk 33