About

One of Bath’s most famous and instantly recognisable locations, No.1 Royal Crescent features a remarkable immersive experience, which will allow you to see life as it was lived in Georgian Bath during the late 1700s.

Look beyond the Crescent's famous Palladian façade and see what life was like for the wealthy and their servants in eighteenth-century Bath. 

Built between 1767 and 1774 to the designs of John Wood the Younger, the Royal Crescent is justly considered one of the finest achievements of eighteenth-century urban architecture. No.1 was the first house to be built in the Crescent, and originally provided luxury accommodation for aristocratic visitors who came to take the waters and enjoy the social season.

Each room is an exquisite example of Georgian interior design with authentic furniture, paintings, textiles and carpets. The Dining Room is set for dessert, whilst the elegant Withdrawing Room is ready for fashionable visitors to take tea. The Gentleman’s Retreat reveals the interests of No.1’s first resident, Mr. Henry Sandford, including travel and discoveries, electricity and agriculture as well as local gossip and news.

Below stairs are the original kitchen and scullery, coal-holes and servant’s corridors, the Housekeeper’s Room and Servants' Hall. Guides in every room bring the house to life with stories of the past.

Accessibility Information

No.1 Royal Crescent is a historic building, and some of the floors are uneven, such as the flagstone flooring in the Basement and Courtyard. The Back Stairs are very steep and narrow. Outside the Gentleman’s Retreat there is glass flooring to showcase an original staircase below, which is on the main route but can be avoided by walking back through the Parlour to the Grand Staircase.

The Museum is divided into two areas, No.1 Royal Crescent and 1A, the domestic wing next door. There are two routes around the museum, one of which is step free. The step free route gives access to the ground and basement floors of the main house museum and the ground and first floors of the domestic wing. This route gives step free access, via an accessible lift, to almost all of the museum's spaces, but unfortunately means missing four rooms of the museum: 

The Gentleman’s Bedroom
The Ladies' Bedroom
The Withdrawing Room
The Kitchen

A virtual iPad tour of these rooms is available to borrow from the ticket desk. When borrowing iPads, visitors will be asked to provide a credit/debit card for security. The iPad can be attached to wheelchairs via a bracket.

An adapted toilet is located adjacent to the lift on the ground floor and can be accessed via the accessible lift or by descending 11 steps. This toilet has a quiet electric hand-dryer. 

A variety of seating is available throughout the museum, some with backs and arms. Please look for chairs and benches clear of a thistle, these are chairs that you are welcome to sit on.

No.1 Royal Crescent regrets that mobility scooters, prams and buggies are not allowed in museum, in order to protect the furniture and displays from damage. Mobility scooters can be parked at the owner’s risk inside the railings on the paved area near the main entrance. Manual wheelchairs are permitted, and the museum offers one for visitors with accessibility needs to borrow when booked in advance by telephone on +44 (0)1225 428126. The wheelchair can also be requested at the ticket desk on arrival, subject to availability. 

Transcripts of the new immersive soundscapes, a Walk-around Guide and the Floor Plan are available in large print from the ticket desk.

Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the Museum. Puppies in training are also welcome.

An iPad BSL tour for visitors with hearing impairments is available to borrow from the ticket desk. All videos in the museum (except the projection on the kitchen table) are captioned. Transcripts of all the museum's new immersive soundscapes are also available. The museum's new immersive experience is connected to a hearing loop system and is captioned, with printed guides also available.

From June 2023, a new accessible tour will re-create the house's rooms and the immersive film and soundscapes within them, meaning that those visitors who cannot access the entire building will be able to explore the whole house and follow the immersive stories. The tour is available on tablets that can be borrowed from the museum when visiting, free of charge. From the screen, visitors can explore all rooms in the house virtually with a 360-degree view, and access an immersive experience to watch and listen to the story unfold.

A Sensory Map of the museum is also available, which can be used to identify sensory-friendly spaces within the Museum, including spaces which tend to be quieter and less crowded, spaces which have seating, and others with tactile engagement and activities. Download the Sensory Map here. 

The museum's Learning Team are working to develop a series of resources for use by autistic and neurodiverse visitors. The museum is also developing its resources for SEND visitors, including sensory bags, visual stories and access to quiet zones. Please check the No.1 Royal Crescent's website for updates.