Bath Abbey has a nationally significant collection of 1,500 church monuments, more than any other church in the country: three times the number of ledger stones and an equal number of wall tablets as Westminster Abbey. These monuments chart the rise of Georgian Bath, from market town to leisure capital. They tell the stories of parishioners, visitors to the spa, the doctors who treated them, and the sculptors who commemorated them. The social history of Georgian Bath is told through the Abbey's monuments; they are just as much a part of the city's Georgian architecture as the Circus and Royal Crescent. However, they now reflect the visions of the Victorian architects who reordered the Abbey's interior 1835-1874, most notably George Gilbert Scott. This book tells the story of these monuments, the lives they commemorate, and why their management led to a £19.3 million project to save the historic floor from collapse. AUTHOR: Oliver Taylor is Head of Interpretation, Learning and Engagement at Bath Abbey. He holds a first class honours degree and PhD from Durham University. Since 2011 he has worked in the heritage sector and managed a number of projects that have widened access to local history. He lives in Backwell, North Somerset. 40 colour, 40 b/w illustrations
