Cross Bath facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Cross Bath |
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| Location | Bath, Somerset, England |
| Built | c. 1789 |
| Architect | Thomas Baldwin |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Designated | 12 June, 1950 |
| Reference no. | 442195 |
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The Cross Bath is a special historic pool in Bath, England. It's a place where people have bathed in warm, natural spring water for hundreds of years. The building you see today was rebuilt around 1789 by an architect named Thomas Baldwin.
The Cross Bath is considered a very important historic building. It's listed as a Grade I building in the National Heritage List for England. This means it's one of the most important historic sites in the country. It was carefully fixed up in the 1990s by a company called Donald Insall Associates.
How the Hot Water Works
Have you ever wondered why the water in Bath is naturally hot? It's pretty amazing! The water actually starts as rain falling on the nearby Mendip Hills. This rainwater then slowly soaks deep into the ground.
It travels through layers of limestone, which are like natural sponges underground. The water goes down very far, between 2,700 and 4,300 meters (that's over 2.5 miles!). Deep underground, the Earth's natural heat warms the water. The temperature can get as hot as 64°C to 96°C (147°F to 205°F).
Because of the high pressure underground, this super-heated water then pushes its way back up to the surface. It rises through cracks and faults in the rock. At the Cross Bath, hot water comes up at about 46°C (115°F). A huge amount of this warm water, about 1,170,000 liters (over 300,000 gallons), flows out every single day!
A Dip into History
The warm springs in Bath have been used for a very long time. People might have been bathing here even before the famous Roman Baths were built.
The name "Cross Bath" might come from a story about a saint. It's believed that the body of St Aldhelm rested here in the year 709. This happened during his journey from Doulting to Malmesbury Abbey.
The healing power of the water was well-known. Around 1180, a hospital called St John's Hospital, Bath was founded near the Cross Bath. It was started by Bishop Reginald Fitz Jocelin and is one of England's oldest almshouses, which are places that provide housing for poor people.
Royal Visitors and Popularity
Over the centuries, the Cross Bath became very popular. Many kings and queens visited the baths in the 1500s, 1600s, and 1700s. Their visits made the baths even more famous.
One famous royal visitor was Mary of Modena, the wife of King James II. In June 1688, she gave birth to her son, Prince James, about nine months after bathing in the Cross Bath. To celebrate this important birth, a special cross called the Melfort Cross was put up in 1688.
Today, the Cross Bath has been beautifully restored. You can still visit and enjoy the warm waters, as it's now managed together with the nearby Thermae Bath Spa.
