The Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institution announces World Heritage Series

Hot Springs, Roman goddesses, Georgian Buildings, Austenite balls; what leaps to mind when you think of the City of Bath?  A new series of six talks at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution celebrate Bath’s cultural heritage and investigate why UNESCO awarded the city World Heritage status for an unprecedented second time. 

For anyone with an interest in the history and development of Bath, the talks explore the six attributes of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) ascribed to Bath in UNESCO’s 1987 World Heritage Site inscription. OUV refers to the outstanding cultural or natural value a place contributes to the world, so much so that it requires preservation for future generations to enjoy. 

The City of Bath is only one of two cities inscribed as World Heritage Sites, the other being Venice! With its additional 2021 UNESCO inscription as a leading member of The Great Spa Towns of Europe (trans-national) World Heritage Site, Bath is one of only 22 double-inscribed World Heritage Sites out of 1152 sites worldwide. 

So, what will the series teach us?

Led by Professor Barry Gilbertson, Chair of The City of Bath UNESCO World Heritage Site, each lecture will focus on a particular subject with expert speakers examining the historical, archaeological, architectural and landscape aspects as well as the importance of each attribute to Bath’s economy. The six attributes making Bath a World Heritage Site are as follows: 

• Roman Archaeology
• Hot Springs
• Georgian Town Planning
• Georgian Architecture
• 18th Century Social Ambition
• Green countryside setting 

The BRLSI looks forward to seeing you, whether it is for an individual talk that interests you or for the entire series. They hope you will bring questions for their experts and there will be wine on hand to help you deliberate your conclusions with fellow audience members. Talks take place live at BRLSI on Queen Square and will also be live-streamed.

To read the full list of events, visit the Bath Royal Literary & Scientific Institution website.