A VISIT TO MERRIE OLDE ENGLAND: DIVING INTO BATH.

Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer

BATH, England

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After nearly a week in London, my husband and I were anxious for a respite in England's rolling countryside, away from the constant hum of traffic, commuters and our fellow travelers.

Bath, an ancient Roman city known for its natural hot springs, seemed the perfect answer for a day trip.

About 90 minutes west of London by train, the city of 84,000 offers a cornucopia of shops, restaurants and historic places of interest set amid honey-colored medieval stone buildings, forested hills and sylvan meadows.

Site of the only hot springs in the United Kingdom, Bath receives 250,000 gallons of water a day from an underground spring that produces water at a constant temperature of 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

Centuries ago, visitors to Bath drank and bathed in the water (thus, its name), believing it could cure such maladies as palsy, paralysis and colic. Legend has it that Prince Bladud, father of Shakespeare's King Lear, used the area's hot springs to overcome leprosy.

Although travelers may no longer bathe in the waters, they can buy a glass of the water at the Pump Room Restaurant. Warning: The water has a ``hard'' taste, containing 43 minerals such as iron, calcium, sulphate and sodium.

But the hot springs isn't all the city has to offer. To make the most of our day, we took a free, two-hour walking tour of the city arranged by the Mayor's Corps of Honorary Guides.

Little has changed since the days of celebrated writer Jane Austen, who spent part of her youth in Bath, and described it in two novels, ``Northanger Abbey'' and ``Persuasion.''

As Catherine Morland says in ``Northanger Abbey'': ``Here are a variety of amusements, a variety of things to be seen and done all daylong ... I really believe I shall always be talking of Bath.''

Many of the places frequented by Austen still exist today.

Among them is Bath Abbey, a 15th-century stone building built on the site of a Saxon monastery where Edward, the first king of England, was crowned in 973.

The angels and ladders on the building's west facade were seen in a dream by founder Oliver King Bishop whose name is symbolized by a bishop's conical mitre, olive tree and crown on the structure.

Standing in the Abby's shadow, I was struck by the angels climbing up and down the ladder; the ones descending the ladder are not going to hell, our guide told us, but meant to show sinners that they can change their ways and ascend to heaven.

We also visited several of Bath's architectural masterpieces, including the Circus, Royal Crescent and Pulteney Bridge, one of the world's few bridges lined with shops.

A circle of 33 homes divided into three sections, the Circus was the vision of John Wood, an 18th-century architect whose dream was to re-create Bath's former Roman splendor.

Using Rome's Colosseum as a model, Wood gave the Circus three styles of architecture: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. Carved friezes represent the arts and sciences, while the acorns atop the roof line refer to the story of Bladud, whose pigs fed on acorns.

One of Austen's favorite views, a hilltop copse overlooking Bath, can be seen from here.

Our next stop was the Royal Crescent, so named because of its half-moon design. Wood also drafted the plans for this structure but died before construction began. His son, John Wood the younger, completed the building of the Royal Crescent and the Circus.

On the way back into town, we browsed in shops along the narrow Pulteney Bridge, stopping to gaze at tiny porcelain animals and a shop selling Bath Rugby Club T-shirts and baseball caps in the team's white, blue and black colors.

Tired and hungry after our tour, we headed toward the Pump Room for lunch. First built in 1706 as a place for bathers to see and be seen as they reveled in the healing spa waters, the structure had to be completely rebuilt in 1795 to make way for more visitors.Now it houses a restaurant and the Roman Baths Museum, which features the remains of a complex of swimming pools, saunas and Turkish baths built by the Romans.

After a leisurely lunch, we headed outdoors again to investigate Royal Victoria Park, which we had passed on our tour.Opened in 1830, it was named after 11-year-old Princess Victoria who was visiting Bath at the time.The 57-acre park boasts a bowling green, two golf courses, tennis courts and a botanical garden.

Afterward, we wandered down to the banks of the River Avon and tried out a concrete maze carved into the lawn overlooking the river's weir. Located in the shadow of Pulteney Bridge, the maze is easy to follow and attracts both adults and children alike.

Before heading back to London, we stopped at Sally Lunn's House for one of its famous golden buns. Reportedly the oldest house in Bath, it doubles as a tea shop and museum. Walk down the narrow, winding staircase and you'll see the type of oven in which Sally Lunn used to bake her breads hundreds of years ago.

We ordered our bun to go. Toasted and smothered in strawberry preserves and clotted cream, it made a delicious souvenir on the way home.

On Location

Free, two-hour city walks of Bath are arranged by the Mayor's Corps of Honorary Guides along with the Bath & North East Somerset Council. Tours meet outside the Pump Room entrance in the Abbey church yard. No reservations are necessary for individuals, but they are recommended for groups. Information: [phone], Ext. 7786.

For more information on Bath, contact the Bath Tourism Bureau, Abbey Chambers, Abbey Church Yard, Bath BA1 1LY, or call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

5 Photos, Box

Photo: (1-3--Color) Bath's Royal Crescent, above, has been a hallmark of the English town since the days of author Jane Austen. Inset, left, the spires of 15th-century Bath Abbey tower over the city. Inset, right, a view of Bath's River Avon includes Pulteney Bridge, one of the world's few bridges lined with shops.

(4--Color) Remains of baths built by the Romans in Bath.

(5) In the 1600s, Sally Lunn, a Huguenot refugee, gained fame with her fresh-baked golden buns sold from her house in Bath. You can still get a version of them at the house, now a cafe and museum.

Susanne Hopkins/Daily News

Box: On Location (See text)