Street Life

Vintage photography from the 19th and 20th century. A mixed collection of some of Bath's most famous streets, as they looked in yesteryear. Sometimes looking blissfully empty and peaceful, sometimes a riot of people and traffic, not much has changed there then!

One thing that has changed is the colour of the buildings. The beautiful honey coloured Bath stone turned black on many buildings during the 19th and 20th centuries due to a mixture of pollution by coal fires and motor fumes and weathering. As the stone is soft, it was discovered that cleaning can also cause damage, so now there is a careful assessment and cleaning processes to keep the city looking beautiful.