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16th May
2008
PRESS RELEASE
- For immediate
release -
Discover
Boutique Bath
The Georgian
fashionistas flocked to Bath for their fashion fix. Today, Bath is
just as fashionable with great shopping, stunning Georgian
architecture, the iconic Roman Baths and excellent hotels and
restaurants. For today’s savvy traveller, spa and retail therapy are
two essential ingredients for a short break. Bath has traded on both
these assets for two hundred years and now delivers a contemporary
version of what the Georgians loved about the city. This is 21st
century “R & R” in fashionable style.
Shopping in such a
spectacular historic city is so popular with visitors that it has
become the cornerstone of Bath’s new marketing campaign “Boutique
Bath”. What makes it work as a shopping destination? It is compact
and walk-able with a high ratio of independent shops (almost 50 per
cent) with their very distinctive merchandise and personal service.
Bath Tourism Plus,
the official marketing body for Bath and the surrounding area, has
created a shopping map to download
free of charge. This takes the visitor off the beaten track into the
backstreets and alleyways. The website
www.visitbath.co.uk now offers a wealth of information with a
focus on fashion and accessories; gifts and jewellery; arts and
antiques; speciality food shops and markets and much more. Behind the
Georgian veneer shopping in Bath responds to current lifestyle
trends. “It’s the perfect place to find things that you don’t really
need but are lovely to have”, according to Marie Matthews,
Senior Marketing Executive for Bath Tourism Plus. The
organisation successfully operates the Bath Christmas Market, located
next to magnificent Bath Abbey, with its attractive wooden chalets
selling unusual gifts and crafts.
Milsom Street is the
artery to retail heaven in Bath but branch off into Milsom Place and
discover a new shopping destination. Housing 26 exclusive shops and
four restaurants, this complex will provide an axis across the town
connecting the “main drag” to the delightful artisan quarters of Broad
Street and Walcot Street. It incorporates the Grade 1 listed Octagon
Building, combining carefully preserved historic buildings with sleek
plate glass frontages. “Milsom Place is where Bath meets Notting
Hill, home to some of
the best fashion stores with delightful open spaces and
informal restaurants” says Sarah Mansfield, Director of L&R Group, the
company behind the new development. It is here that the flagship
“Jamie’s Italian” will open in July 2008, an affordable Italian
eaterie designed with plenty of Jamie flair.
Retail in Bath
ranges from Jolly’s, the oldest department store in the country, to
sleek modern boutiques with labels to covet. Top high street brands
like Ted Baker, Reiss and the White Company sit beside the
independents. L.K.Bennett recently opened in the exciting
redevelopment of the old Post Office which also houses a mega-slick
Jigsaw.
The Roman Baths is
probably the city’s most renowned attraction but there are plenty of
others to discover. The Fashion Museum houses one of the best
collections of contemporary and historic fashion in the world.
Located in the Assembly Rooms, the museum recently had its own
makeover. “We have chosen objects from our collection and displayed
them in a way that will prompt debate and inspire you to find out what
you love and hate about fashion,” according to Rosemary Harden, the
Fashion Museum’s curator.
Having run a gallery
in Bath for four years, Richard Mauger believes that Bath is rapidly
consolidating its position as one of the major destinations for art
buyers in the UK. “No one can deny that, with its rich history and
sublime architecture, Bath is high up on the tourist wish list, but
with the close proximity of galleries to each other, the city is a
luxuriously easy place to crawl from exhibition to exhibition in
search of that elusive “gem” of a painting or sculpture” says Mauger.
Spa culture was
invented in Bath so
is
a “must” for visitors. With the opening of the
Thermae Bath Spa, it is now possible to wallow in the thermal waters
which have played such a key role of the city’s history. The rooftop
pool, with views across the Georgian skyscape surrounded by the green
hills beyond is an unforgettable spa experience. Affordable and
accessible, with two hour spa sessions for just £22, it is essential
to book ahead for treatments to avoid disappointment.
In between culture,
sightseeing and shopping, there are all kinds of options for
refreshment from an elegant cream tea in the Pump Room, vegetarian
wrap or savoury tartlet in the delightful Metropolitan Café in
Bloomsbury, one of the best gift shops in town, or a full Michelin
starred indulgence in the Bath Priory Restaurant. With a year round
programme of festivals and theatre, the World Heritage city of Bath
has all the elements for a superb city break.
First
Great Western trains take 90 minutes and leave Paddington every 30
minutes. The city is
20
minutes south of the M4 and the nearest airport is
Bristol International Airport with flights
arriving from many European cities and daily flights from New York.
An efficient Park and Ride service operates from four sites
into the city centre, ideal for shoppers visiting Bath for a day trip.
For further
information on things to do and see and where to stay in Bath please
visit
www.visitbath.co.uk or call Bath Tourist Information Centre on
0906 711 2000 (calls charged at 50p per minute).
NOTES TO
EDITORS
Further
Information
For further information please contact Lucy Weaver at Bath Tourism
Plus on 01225 477441 or by email:
lucy_weaver@bathtourism.co.uk
Boutique
Bath Campaign
To view the boutique bath press kit, see
www.visitbath.co.uk/media-centre
To view the extended consumer
information on Boutique Bath on the VisitBath website, see:
www.visitbath.co.uk/shopping
Bath
Tourism Plus
Working with the public and private sectors Bath Tourism Plus
co-ordinates the work of a busy tourist information centre, the
marketing of Bath and the surrounding area to leisure and business
travellers, PR and promotions, a conference office and the development
of Bath's official tourism internet site
www.visitbath.co.uk.
  
Walkers and cyclists welcome!!
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