Bath, Somerset

Coordinates: 51°23′N 2°22′W / 51.38°N 2.36°W / 51.38; -2.36

Bath (/ˈbɑːθ/ or /ˈbæθ/;Latin: Aquae Sulis, Welsh: Caerfaddon), is a city in the ceremonial county of Somerset, South West England, known for its Roman-built baths. In 2011, the population was 88,859. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, 97 miles (156 km) west of London and 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Bristol. The city became a World Heritage Site in 1987.

The city became a spa with the Latin name Aquae Sulis ("the waters of Sulis") c. AD 60 when the Romans built baths and a temple in the valley of the River Avon, although hot springs were known even before then. Bath Abbey was founded in the 7th century and became a religious centre; the building was rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries. In the 17th century, claims were made for the curative properties of water from the springs, and Bath became popular as a spa town in the Georgian era. Georgian architecture, crafted from Bath stone, includes the Royal Crescent, Circus, Pump Room and Assembly Rooms where Beau Nash presided over the city's social life from 1705 until his death in 1761. Many of the streets and squares were laid out by John Wood, the Elder, and in the 18th century the city became fashionable and the population grew. Jane Austen lived in Bath in the early 19th century. Further building was undertaken in the 19th century and following the Bath Blitz in World War II.

Somerset

Somerset (ⁱ/ˈsʌmərsɛt/ or /ˈsʌmərsᵻt/) is a county in South West England which borders Gloucestershire and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east and Devon to the south-west. It is bounded to the north and west by the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel, its coastline facing southeastern Wales. Its traditional border with Gloucestershire is the River Avon. Somerset's county town is Taunton.

Somerset is a rural county of rolling hills such as the Blackdown Hills, Mendip Hills, Quantock Hills and Exmoor National Park, and large flat expanses of land including the Somerset Levels. There is evidence of human occupation from Paleolithic times, and of subsequent settlement in the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. The county played a significant part in the consolidation of power and rise of King Alfred the Great, and later in the English Civil War and the Monmouth Rebellion. The city of Bath is famous for its substantial Georgian architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)

Somerset was a parliamentary constituency in Somerset, which returned two Members of Parliament (MPs), known traditionally as knights of the shire, to the House of Commons of England until 1707, the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832.

Elections were held by the bloc vote system.

Members of Parliament

MPs 1290–1629

MPs 1640–1832

References

Sources

Somerset (SEPTA station)

Somerset Station is an elevated stop on the Market-Frankford Line, above the intersection of Kensington Avenue and Somerset Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the Kensington neighborhood. During peak hours, the station is served by "B" trains only.

Like the nearby Huntingdon Station, Somerset is located over a five-way intersection, which is northeast of a high truss bridge over a Conrail freight line. Access to the station from street-level can be found at the southwest and southeast corners of Kensington Avenue and Somerset Street. Unlike Huntingdon, no access is available from D Street.

The station is adjacent to the corner of Kensington and Somerset, named by Philadelphia Weekly in 2007 as the number one drug corner in the city. The corner itself is dominated by sales of hypodermic needles and the methadone-like detox medication Suboxone, with referrals readily available to one of the many heroin dealers on nearby blocks.

Station layout

SEPTA City Bus Connections