Sunday, August 21, 2011

Postcards of Bath - April 1969

I don't know why I can't find any photos of Bath, we went there a few times so maybe we just bought postcards this time.
Bath House
The Pump Room.  As a young teenager I read all the Georgette Heyer books, I learned a lot about England, such as... eloping to Gretna Green and 'taking the waters' in Bath.  I knew from my Great Aunty Cranky's postcards from the 1950's  that  'taking the waters' meant drinking the water from the fountain, (to the right but mostly hidden in the above card), so in we went and David ordered his cup of tea and I strolled over to help myself to the famous 'Waters', there were plenty of glasses to use so  that's just what I did... Oh Yuck!  how revolting... did people really drink this stuff or does 'taking the waters' mean you bathed in the spa pool?    At first I thought the water must have changed but on recently re-reading GAC's postcard she experienced the same, to quote 'the water tasted horrid!' Anyway, we amused ourselves enormously by watching other gullible people, like me, coming in and 'taking the waters'.  I know Bath is a Spa Town so I'm assuming people came to do both way back then. 
I see a cash register beside that fountain now days,  I'm glad I didn't have to pay for my taste of 'Bath' water!  Hey maybe that's what it is LOL!
Steam Rooms, Bath

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