A new public artwork has been unveiled in Parade Gardens as the culmination of twelve months of celebrations for the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution’s 200th anniversary.

The Mayor of Bath Councillor Michelle O’Doherty cutting the ceremonial ribbon with Lord Kerry | Photo © BRLSI
The new mural celebrates 200 years of the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI), the cultural hub in Bath’s Queen Square.
BRLSI was founded in 1824 and its original building, opened in 1825, was located directly above the mural’s nine panels in Parade Gardens.
Commissioned by the BRLSI and Bath & North East Somerset Council, with funding from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, the artwork was designed by Tanith Gould, and recounts both the story of BRLSI and Parade Gardens.
Tanith’s work was selected through a design competition and was installed by local company Freestyle.
It includes images of Charles Darwin, early maps of Bath, the fire which destroyed the Lower Assembly Rooms in 1820 upon whose foundation the Institution was built, the medieval scientist Adelard who would have known Abbey Gardens (as Parade Gardens was known then) well, the demolition of the Institution building in 1932, and ends with a snowy view of the Institution at its present home in Queen Square.
The illustrations give visitors to Parade Gardens a historic insight of Bath that goes beyond the usual story of the Georgians and Romans, and paints the city as a natural home to the arts and sciences.

Visitors to the public unveiling in Parade Gardens | Photo © BRLSI
The unveiling ceremony was the culmination of the BRLSI’s Bicentenary Finale, which comprised a special afternoon lecture on 18th January from Professor Frank James of UCL about BRLSI’s inaugural lecture on the state of science in England in 1825, and a Bicentenary Banquet for BRLSI members in the Banqueting room of Bath’s Guildhall on the morning of 21st January.
The selection of the date marked 200 years to the day from BRLSI’s first public events.
The artwork was unveiled by the Right Worshipful the Mayor of Bath, Councillor Michelle O’Doherty, and Simon Petty-Fitzmaurice, Earl of Kerry, PhD, Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution’s Honorary President for the Bicentenary and a direct descendant of the Institution’s founding President, the 3rd Marquis of Lansdowne.
Members of the BRLSI along with representatives from the universities, Bath & North East Somerset Council, and other local cultural and heritage organisations were also in attendance.
Lord Kerry described how happy he was to have been the latest member of his line to take up association with the Institution.
He said: “As a descendant of the Institution’s first President, the 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne, I am delighted to renew the 200-year-old connection between my family and the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution.
“I am sure the 3rd Marquess would be pleased that the institution he saw come into being has reached this landmark and that his heir had been invited to preside over its Bicentenary year. I wish it every success for the next two centuries.”
Professor Ian Gadd, current Chair of the BRLSI Board, added: “We wanted to make 2024 a year to remember and we are very proud not only to be sharing the wonderful work of an local artist with the community but to be still at the centre of Bath’s cultural landscape in 2025.
“The panels illustrate how the Institution has been part of the city’s creative and scientific life over the past 200 years – and we are proud to have established our home within it as a leading ‘cultural hub’.”
Paul Roper, cabinet member for economic and cultural sustainable development at B&NES Council, said: “We are delighted to support the installation of this fantastic and informative artwork in the beautiful setting of Parade Gardens – the home of many hidden histories.
“We welcomed more than 29,000 visitors to our October half term event in the autumn when we opened up the Colonnades as part of the Bath Central Riverside regeneration scheme.
“Parade Gardens is an intriguing area of our city which can only be enhanced by this creative mural telling the stories of the past.
“Congratulations to BRLSI on your bicentenary – we look forward to continuing our partnership to support cultural life in Bath for many decades to come.”
Over the last year, BRLSI has celebrated its anniversary by inviting the community to a range of cultural activities.