Tuesday 23 September 2008

Memories of Bath

The BBC news article on the explosion in Bath city centre and the accompanying photos reminded me quite forcefully of the six months or so I spent living there from about July 1999 to January 2000. I went there to start a job which for various reasons didn't work out.

The office was within walking distance to the flat and the route was through the city centre (which I've already traced on Google Maps). It's weird to look back now but for some reason while I was there, I never gave a toss about the architecture, the history of the place, or made any effort to explore and see what was there. For example, I only just found out that the apparently famous and beautiful terrace of Walcot Parade, where I lived, featured the highest frontage vaults in the city, which is why the whole thing was so high up above the road. It never occurred to me to wonder why that was. The flat wasn't actually too bad and the building was so solid that I never heard a peep out of any of the neighbours except for when they started hammering things in the upstairs one once. I only ever met one of them and that was about twice.

I think it was because Bath is an expensive place, the rent was extortionate, and I was on a very low salary. Also I was far more introverted back then, so the idea of going out and exploring the city never really appealed. Seems like a missed opportunity really but I just don't think it was in my nature back then.

It would be interesting to go back there and have a wander round, take a fresh look at the place. Makes me wonder how things might have turned out if the job had gone OK.

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