New Tours at Bath Abbey

31st July 2008

From the 1st August, Bath Abbey will be offering new and exciting escorted tours to the top of the church tower giving visitors the opportunity to enjoy a bird's eye view of Bath.

With a total number of 212 steps to reach the top the breath-taking view is well-worth the climb. Guides will offer an interesting commentary along the way including details of how the tower was constructed and information about the bell ringers and will show visitors the Abbey's 10 bells dating from 1700, the clock and carillons.

Charles Curnock from Bath Abbey says, "We are delighted to be offering tours of the Abbey's tower to our visitors. Bath Abbey will now be one of the very few places where you can sit inside a clock face or where you can learn how a carillon works. From the top, the views down into the Roman Baths, across to Thermae Bath Spa and to the new Southgate development are amazing".

With three different churches occupying today's site over the past twelve and a half centuries, Bath Abbey has a fascinating history and is one of the city's main attractions. Started around 757 as an Anglo-Saxon Church followed by a Norman cathedral in 1090, the present Abbey was founded in 1499 and finally completed in 1611.

Tours run Monday to Saturday and take place every hour from 10am until 4pm, lasting around 50 minutes each. Tickets cost £5 per person and are available from the Bath Abbey Shop.