I hope you enjoy this tour of the Assembly Rooms in Bath?
I was most excited to visit this historic location since it is one of the settings in THE DUKE OF DESIRE. Upon our arrival, and much to my dismay, it was closed to tours due to school groups visiting! I was unable to conceal my disappointment and went so far as to say I was an author conducting research and I’d traveled all the way from the west coast of the United States. The employee immediately said, “Well, you must come in!” and proceeded to give us a personal tour since there was (fortunately!) a break between student groups.
What I didn’t know was that the Assembly Rooms are currently used as a community space and at the moment, it houses a variety of art projects! This was a delightful surprise for my daughter, who just earned her bachelor’s degree in art. And, truly, the installations were as inspiring as the historical space! What you will see in the photos are the rooms as they are now, complete with art displayed.
Of particular note are the VERY high ceilings and the chandeliers in the ballroom, which are original, though they’ve been changed to electric. The lighting in the octagon was quite dramatic, but I could easily imagine Ivy ducking into a doorway. I am so grateful to the kind woman who invited us in! I do think I’ll need to include the Assembly Rooms in a future series.
Looking down the corridor from the octagon to the front entrance. We came in the back through the card room.
Octagon that leads to the tea room on the right and the ballroom on the left. Straight ahead is another massive chamber that leads into the card room.
Doorway from the octagon to the tea room.
The tea room, which had a gallery like the ballroom, so perhaps there were musicians there too? Look at the ceiling!
The card room. While not as stunning as the other spaces, it was still awesome!
The doorway from the octagon to the ballroom. You can see my daughter looking up at the ceiling.
The original chandeliers outfitted with electricity! The art installation in here had a lot of grass. It smelled like a field.
Where the musicians would play. How gorgeous is this space???
Now you see why my daughter was looking at the ceiling!
