Sydney Gardens is to host an afternoon of free activities on Sunday 13th April as the Council celebrates 27 years of Bath’s World Heritage Site status.
World Heritage Day will feature fun for the whole family in Sydney Gardens, one of the country’s last surviving 18th century pleasure gardens, from 12noon to 4pm.
Running alongside the Holburne Museum’s ‘Explosive Easter Eggstravaganza’, there will be events and activities for everyone to enjoy and a chance to learn more about the past and future of this historic park.
The Mayor’s Honorary Guides will be leading hourly guided walks (at 12.30pm, 1.30pm and 2.30pm) around the local area, including the canal – starting and finishing in Sydney Gardens.
There will also be opportunities to walk to Cleveland Pools and enjoy a stroll along the canal to Southcot Burial Ground in Widcombe.
There will be swingboat rides for children and traditional games to play. Craft activities are on offer, with the chance to make something to take away and to contribute to a very large ‘painting by numbers’ picture.
There will be some special Georgian characters to meet on the day.
Councillor Ben Stevens (Lib-Dem, Widcombe), Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: “Bath & North East Somerset Council is delighted to join Bath Preservation Trust in welcoming everyone to Sydney Gardens for this family-friendly event on Sunday 13 April.
“World Heritage status is a tremendous accolade for Bath. It means we are recognised as being amongst the most significant cultural sites in the world, and one of the only entire cities to be designated a World Heritage Site.
“World Heritage Day is all about encouraging people to enjoy finding out more about the legacy of this very special place and the responsibility we share in ensuring that future generations can appreciate it too.”
Groups including the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, the Friends of Sydney Gardens, the Cleveland Pools Trust and Bath Preservation Trust will be on hand to tell visitors more about the fascinating history of Sydney Gardens, and the exciting plans for the future.
Bath City Jubilee Waits will entertain visitors with lively English music from 2-4pm. The group re-establishes the tradition of playing music at civic occasions which existed in Bath for much of the 18th Century.
All of the day’s events and guided walks are free to all. The ‘Explosive Easter Eggstravanza’ at the Holburne Museum is also a free event offering science and art activities inspired by the paintings of Joseph Wright of Derby as well as a giant egg roll!
Elsewhere in Bath, the Herschel Museum of Astronomy in New King Street will be offering free admission to children on the day and making Eighteenth century fashion dolls. At Southcot Burial Ground children can follow the Tree Sprite trail from 11-3pm.
For more information on the World Heritage Day events visit: www.bathnes.gov.uk/heritageevents
