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Sydney Gardens

8 story sections
History & cultureBY TELLBY

Contents

8 sections · tap a section for its opening lines
  1. 1Orientation

    Welcome to Sydney Gardens, a unique historical gem located at the end of Great Pulteney Street in the city of Bath. To understand this space, one must step back into the late 18th century, when Bath was the pinnacle of English…

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  2. 2The Holburne Museum — The Former Sydney Hotel

    We begin our exploration at the Holburne Museum, a magnificent Grade I listed building that originally served as the Sydney Hotel. Built between 1796 and 1799, it was designed by the architect Charles Harcourt Masters to serve as…

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  3. 3Jane Austen's Walks — 4 Sydney Place and the Gardens

    No history of Sydney Gardens is complete without mentioning Jane Austen. From 1801 to 1804, Austen lived at 4 Sydney Place, a townhouse located just a few steps from the garden gates. …

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  4. 4The Kennet and Avon Canal — A Waterway Through the Woods

    As we move further into the gardens, we encounter the first of two major 19th-century interventions: the Kennet and Avon Canal. Completed in 1810, this waterway was designed to link the River Avon at Bath with the River Thames at…

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  5. 5Brunel’s Great Western Railway — Cutting Through the Past

    If the canal was a gentle intervention, the arrival of the Great Western Railway in 1840 was a revolution. The legendary engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel was determined to bring his 'iron road' into the heart of Bath, and the…

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  6. 6The Loggia and the Temple of Minerva

    Amidst the grand engineering projects of the 19th century, Sydney Gardens still retains several charming architectural follies that date back to its Georgian origins. One of the most significant is the Loggia, a small,…

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  7. 7The Labyrinth and the Lost Attractions

    To truly appreciate what Sydney Gardens once was, we must speak of what has been lost. In its heyday, the gardens were home to a wide array of attractions that have since disappeared, most notably the Labyrinth or maze. …

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  8. 8Closing

    As we conclude our walk through Sydney Gardens, I hope you have gained a deeper understanding of this remarkable survivor of the Georgian era. From its grand beginnings as a commercial 'Vauxhall' for the Bath elite to its current…

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What is Sydney Gardens?

Sydney Gardens is a place with 8 story sections on Tellby. You can read the opening of each section on this page; the sound plays in the app.

Key facts
TypeHeritage
Story sections8
Text languageEnglish
Coordinates51.3857, -2.3510
Last updated

Nearby places

within a 5-minute walk
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