Where to live: Bath
February 5th, 2009 by Rachel Newcombe
The historic spa city of Bath is famous for many things – stunning Georgian architecture, Roman remains, Pump Rooms, its spa, for being a city where Jane Austen lived, for its 15th century Abbey, quirky Pulteney Bridge, its annual literature festival and soon-to-be comedy festival. In addition, it’s also a great place to live. If you’re looking to buy or rent property in Bath, and fancy living in a UNESCO World Heritage site, the city has lots to offer.
Last year, the Sunday Times Travel Magazine Reader Awards voted Bath as the 6th Best European City and its Thermae Bath Spa as the Best UK Spa. It’s also been voted as 4th in the Top 25 Europe Destinations and gained 14th place in the Top 100 World Destinations in a TripAdvisor survey.
One of the biggest draws for many people is Bath’s abundance of gorgeous, honey-coloured Georgian buildings. The Royal Crescent, which was built between 1767 and 1775, is a famous landmark in Bath, along with The Circus, which is said to form the shape of a key when viewed above from the air. In addition to the Royal Crescent and The Circus, some of the other prime locations in Bath include Sydney Buildings, Lansdown Crescent and Sion Hill. Another iconic landmark is Pulteney Bridge, built for William Pulteney by Robert Adams, and one of only a few bridges in the world that has shops built into it.
Georgian properties are often on the market, but do come at a price. Other more affordable period homes can be found in areas such as Walcot Parade, Camden Crescent and London Road. If you don’t want to live right in the city, you’ll find lots of housing options on the outskirts. Bath hasn’t been a hotbed of new housing developments, but the Western Riverside development of 2,300 modern townhouses and apartments, which has been granted outline approval and planning consent by Bath and North East Somerset Council, may change that.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that Bath is home to two universities – The University of Bath and Bath Spa University – which means there’s generally no shortage of students looking to rent flats and houses in the area. There are also a lot of large companies in the area, so young professionals often need good quality rental properties too.
The city benefits from great transport links – it’s located about 10 miles from junction 18 of the M4 motorway, is easily accessible from Devon and Cornwall via the M5 motorway, and has regular rail services from London Paddington and Waterloo. Bristol International Airport, which has flights to many UK and international destinations, is located about 15 miles away.
