A new walking tour launched by the University of Bath offers a very different way to explore the famous Georgian streets of the city – this time through stories about crime, illness, protest and punishment.
The Bath Death Walk is a free, self -guided audio tour created by the Center for Death and Society of the university (CDAs). Designed to highlight the more disturbing and hidden lake of the city, the walk invites listeners to coordinate and make a 90 -minute journey through the grim and sometimes forgotten history of Bath.
Bad is usually associated with Roman baths and Grand Georgian terraces, but this walk deliberately waives the usual tourist places. Instead, it focuses on true stories about convicted criminals, sex work, street riots and dark corners from the city’s past.
The route takes locations that are related to some of the lesser -known and more disturbing stories of the city. One stop is the Bell Inn in Walcot Street, where prisoners were once offered a last bowl of gin on their way to the gallows. Walkers also pass Ladyme House, which in the early 1800s served as a refuge for so -called “fallen women” involved in sex work. The walk continues through Sydney Gardens, the location of a fiery 1831 protest against a failed reform law in which broken windows and public disorders were left behind.
The tour was made by CDAs that colleague Dr. Visit Molly Conisbee and wants to connect people with the life and death of those who have often been omitted from traditional city histories.
Dr. Kate Woodthorpe, director of CDAS, said: “As inhabitants of the city, we are always looking for ways to support this fantastic place and add it to this fantastic place that we call at home. This free podcast walk came from a similar initiative in York, who hidden the local community, students and visitors of the city and the University of Bath’s center introduce.
For those who prefer to hear the stories personally, CDAS intends to organize a number of live guided walks throughout the year. Dates are shared via their website and private bookings for groups and events can also be arranged.
The Bath Death Walk is part of the constant mission of CDAs to bring discussions and often overlooked conversations about death, dying and the end of life in public areas. The center has been leading this work for more than two decades.
This latest project is supported by the Public Engagement Unit of the University of Bath, the Alumni Fund, the Department of Social and Policy Sciences and CDAs themselves.
