There has been a place of Christian worship on this site for well over a thousand years and the Abbey has undergone many transformations and changes during this time. Much like the city of Bath has experienced rise and falls in fortune, survived a number of major conflicts, architectural and religious reforms, and two World Wars, the Abbey still stands proudly today as an essential place for both worshippers and visitors.
- History
- People and Stories
- Collections
- Abbey Archives
- Abbey Cemetery
As the history of this sacred place stretches as far back asAnglo-Saxon times,there is a great deal to discover: tales of Kings and Queens, saints and sinners, as well as stories of ordinary people. Our timeline below gives an overview of the Abbey's history or you can read about people who have been involved with and influenced the Abbey over the years in our People and Stories.
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675AD
675 AD
The earliest record of a Saxon convent in Bath. Osric, a local king, gave lands near Bath to the Abbess Bertana.
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757AD
757 AD
The first mention of a monastery at Bath. Land was granted to the brothers of the monastery of St Peter in Bath.
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781AD
781 AD
King Offa of Mercia claims ownership of the Abbey at Bath.
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973AD
973 AD
Edgar is crowned King of all England in the Saxon Abbey. Archbishops Dunstan of Canterbury and Oswald of York perform the ceremony.
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980AD
980 AD
St Alphege is appointed head of the monastery at Bath by Archbishop Dunstan. He insists that the monks at the Abbey live more strictly. They must follow rules written in the 6th century by St Benedict of Nursia.
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1088AD
1088 AD
John of Tours, the Bishop of Wells, is given the monastery at Bath. He orders the building of a large new cathedral, which replaces the Saxon Abbey.
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1244AD
1244 AD
Bath and Wells are both given cathedral status. They are the most important churches in the area.
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1499AD
1499 AD
The beginnings of today’s Abbey church. Bishop Oliver King orders the building of a new church. The Norman cathedral built by John of Tours had fallen into disrepair.
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1539AD
1539 AD
King Henry VIII closes Bath Abbey and many other convents and monasteries. The monks are forced to leave the Abbey and it is left to decay.
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1572AD
1572 AD
The ruined Abbey church is given to the city of Bath to use as its parish church.
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1573AD
1573 AD
Queen Elizabeth I gives permission for a national collection to raise money for the restoration of the Abbey.
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1620AD
1620
The restoration of the Abbey is completed.
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1833AD
1833 AD
The City of Bath asks George Phillips Manners, a local architect, to restore the Abbey. He makes several major changes to the building. The design of the towers is changed and flying buttresses are added. Inside the building, there is a new organ mounted on a screen, galleries, and extra seating.
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1836AD
1836 AD
The right to appoint the Rector of Bath Abbey is sold by the City of Bath to the evangelical Cambridge clergyman, Charles Simeon. Charles Simeon’s trustees still appoint the Rector.
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1844AD
1844 AD
A new cemetery is opened, designed by the landscape architect John Claudius Loudon. The Abbey no longer allows burials under its floor.
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1863AD
1863 AD
George Gilbert Scott begins a major restoration of the Abbey. The organ is moved to the north transept. Pews are put in throughout the building. The wooden ceiling over the nave is replaced with stone fan vaulting.
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1899AD
1899 AD
Sir Thomas Jackson restores the West Front of the Abbey. Some of the statues are replaced with new carvings.
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1919AD
1919 AD
A new chapel is created in memory of those who died in the First World War. It is called the Gethsemane chapel. A new Memorial Cloister is built on the south side of the Abbey. It is now the Abbey shop.
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1929AD
1929 AD
Sir Harold Brakspear redesigns the East End of Bath Abbey.
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1942AD
1942 AD
During the Second World War, Bath is bombed. 400 people are killed and 872 are wounded. St James’s Church is badly damaged. The Abbey is not hit, but a bomb falls nearby. The Great East window and the windows on the north side of the building are badly damaged.
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1948AD
1948 AD
The Friends of Bath Abbey is founded. The Friends aim to raise money for the restoration of the Abbey.
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1951AD
1951 AD
The Book of Remembrance is placed in the Abbey. It records the names of all civilians and military personnel from Bath who died in the Second World War.
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1960AD
1960 AD
The post-war restoration programme is completed. £100,000 is raised by the Friends of Bath Abbey.
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1973AD
1973 AD
Queen Elizabeth II visits the Abbey to mark the coronation of Edgar in 973. A commemorative stone is placed in the floor.
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1991AD
1991 AD
A restoration programme called Abbey 2000 begins. It includes the restoration of the West Front, cleaning the outside and inside, and building a new organ.
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2010AD
2010 AD
The Footprint project is launched. It aims to repair the historic floor, create new spaces including a Song School, install a new heating system, and create a new Discovery Centre to re-tell the story of the Abbey.
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2023AD
2023 AD
2023 - Completion of the Footprint Project. The final phase of the project was the opening of the Discovery Centre on 7th March, an exciting interactive experience designed to bring the Abbey’s history to life.
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