The Roman Baths have been given the Royal Mail seal of approval as the heritage attraction features in a new collection of postage stamps.
Bath is the only World Heritage Site to be featured in the second part of the Royal Mail’s A-Z of Great Britain stamp set; with a breath-taking image of early morning mist rising from the Roman Baths – the only Roman monument to be immortalised in the commemorative collection.
Baths manager Stephen Clews said: “The image on this beautiful stamp captures Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Roman Baths as you can see it on a crisp winter's morning, with dawn light breaking. In the early morning the baths can be a calm and quiet space with mist rising slowly from the waters, allowing the viewer to immerse in tranquil solitude. Photographer Mark Passmore has done an excellent job in revealing this very special moment in the daily life of the baths.”
The Roman Baths that exist today date back to 60-70 AD, and were expanded into a bathing complex over the following 300 years.
The hot springs at the baths originate from rainwater from the Mendip Hills; the water percolates 2,700m underground before rising at a temperature of 46°C, at a rate of 1,170,000 litres per day.
Bath was inscribed as a World Heritage Site 25 years ago. The entire city is covered by the status – one of only a handful of cities with the designation.
Royal Mail’s dramatic 26-stamp, alphabetical odyssey around the UK celebrates iconic landmarks across all four countries, ranging from ancient through to modern, and from the significant to the spectacular.
Geoff Braden, regional operations director for Royal Mail, said: “Our two-part journey around the UK has proved a wonderful reminder of the fantastic number of landmarks, such as the Roman Baths, that we are fortunate to enjoy. The Roman Baths retain huge cultural and historical importance in the UK, at the heart of one of the country’s few World Heritage sites. Having stood at the centre of the City of Bath for nearly 2,000 years, the Roman Baths truly are a monument to the great heritage of this country.”
