Bath Abbey is a famous parish church located in Bath, Somerset, England. The church is a large and popular attraction of the pretty city of Bath.
The area over which the Abbey stands has been a place of worship for many centuries. The Abbey has been destroyed and restored many times. It boasts of a rich history and is the subject of many stories.
Things to Know About Bath Abbey
One has to climb 212 steps to reach the top of the church's tower. The reward awaiting is the panoramic view.
The heaviest bell here, known as the tenor weighs a staggering 1.7 tonnes. The Abbey has 10 bells in total.
The current Abbey church holds the distinction of being the last great medieval cathedral to have been built in the country.
According to experts, roughly 8000 bodies are buried under the floors here.
The Abbey's exquisite ceiling is widely admired and is the pride of England.
Sir George Gilbert Scott is credited for creating the Abbey in its present form. His top achievement is, doing away with ancient ceiling over the nave and putting in its place an exquisite stone fan vaulting.
Since 757 AD, three distinct churches stood on the area where the Abbey is presently standing. Initially there was an Anglo-Saxon monastery, then a Norman Cathedral and finally the present-day Abbey Church.
In 973 AD, the first English King was crowned here. Since then, all the coronation services of the rulers of England and Great Britain are held at this venue.
The West Front of this church boasts of beautiful ladders of Angels. As the tale goes, Oliver King who was Bath's Bishop in earlier times, dreamt of angels climbing to heaven. Hence the ladder adorned with angels was built.
A total of 1200 people can be accommodated here. Civic ceremonies and lectures take place at this venue.
This site has been a venue of Christian worship for more than 1200 years. Even today, it is a fully functioning Church.
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There is a museum with a good collection of artifacts and carvings in the basement.
An impressive 635 memorials adorn the walls of The Abbey. The memorials tell the story of the people's lives and their faith in resurrection.
The church was put on sale in 1539 for a princely sum of 500 marks. However no one took up the offer.
The present choir screens were placed in 2008. Organ and choral recitals are a regular event here.
The church's pretty chandeliers are 150 years old. In 2013, LED lights were put inside them.
The Abbey is not recognized as a cathedral of Bath. The cathedral for the diocese is at a distance of 20 miles away in Wells.