A week-long programme of events to celebrate 2024 at Bath Assembly Rooms

From 18 to 24 November, Bath Assembly Rooms will throw open its doors for a week of events to celebrate the end of the 2024 season ahead of a winter closure for essential conservation work. 

The week is a chance for visitors to come and see the principal rooms before the building closes for the rest of 2024 for conservation work, reopening in 2025.  

Visitors can take a walk through the building and admire the chandeliers, which are over 250-years old. They’ll be able to learn about the building’s history, from Georgian splendour to Second World War bomb damage, right up to the present day and see the National Trust’s vision for the future of the building.  

Guided tours will be on offer in the afternoon for anyone wanting to dive deeper into different aspects of the building’s history. 

Image: The Assembly Rooms, credit Alana Wright

Visitors can also to play games in the Great Octagon and see a display of photos taken at Bath City Farm to mark World Mental Health Day. The photos include the winners of a community competition run by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership with the theme ‘What makes you feel good today?’. Alongside the photos, visitors can find out about the work of organisations supporting mental health in the local area. 

Alana Wright, Experience and Visitor Programming Manager at Bath Assembly Rooms said “We wanted to have a week of celebration to end 2024 on a high. The week will be jam-packed with mini talks, displays about the history and what’s happened over the last year of opening. We’ve even got a late night on Wednesday when we’ll stay open till 8pm.” She went on to say, “We’re excited to give people a chance to record their personal history and connection to this fantastic space.” 

Image: The Assembly Rooms, credit Dawn Biggs

During this week of public opening there will be a chance for people to reflect on what the Bath Assembly Rooms means to them. People are invited to write a memory they have of being in the Rooms – it could be from a wedding, graduation ceremony, the Forest of Imagination event or a recent guided tour. Whatever the memory, they’ll be collated as part of the celebrations and form part of the continued work to record the history of this Grade 1 listed building. 

Explore Bath Assembly Rooms will be open from 18 – 24 November from 10am until 3pm, 20 November from 10am – 8pm. Free for National Trust members and £4 for non-members. No booking required. Guided tours available on 18, 19, 21, 22, 23 and 24 November at 3:30pm, these must be booked in advance. More information about the events is available: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/bath-bristol/bath-assembly-rooms/events.