About
John Wood the Elder designed The Circus as a 'Roman' counterpart to his Royal Crescent, taking inspiration from the Colosseum. Three curved terraces of ten houses each form an unbroken ring around a central garden of plane trees, with three streets entering at equal angles.
The houses are private residences (David Livingstone, Thomas Gainsborough and Nicolas Cage have all lived here at various points), so the experience is purely architectural — but the proportions reward unhurried looking, and the carved Doric, Ionic and Corinthian friezes that ring each storey are a small lesson in classical orders.
In Bath
A Roman spa, a Georgian crescent and a literary capital — Bath sits where the Cotswolds meet the West Country.
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Hotels, B&Bs and self-catering cottages in and around Bath — within easy reach of The Circus. Browse availability for your dates on Booking.com.
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