The Uranus garden
A tiny back garden with a sundial on the spot from which Herschel is thought to have picked out the seventh planet in March 1781.
Nveitch at English Wikipedia — Public domain · Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). — CC BY-SA 4.0
On the night of 13 March 1781, in a back garden no bigger than a family living room, a church organist who played for a living in Bath spotted a planet nobody had ever seen, and the solar system doubled in size overnight. The organist was William Herschel, the planet was Uranus, and the house is the modest Georgian terrace at 19 New King Street, ten minutes' walk from the centre of Bath and a world away from the queues at the Roman Baths. The house is a narrow three-storey townhouse, not a mansion. You move through the music room where Herschel earned his keep, the kitchen, and the basement workshop where he and his sister Caroline cast their own telescope mirrors because nothing in the shops was good enough, then out into the small garden where a sundial marks the spot he is thought to have set up his telescope that night. A room called the Star Vault runs a short film that tells the story well enough for children of about eight and up. Caroline, who later became the first woman ever paid a salary for scientific work, granted by George III himself, gets a fair share of the space. Be honest with yourself: this is a small, specialist museum that takes 45 minutes to an hour, and it is not worth rearranging a day around. What it offers is rare quiet in a city that is packed in summer, and one genuine goosebump moment for a child who actually cares about space, standing on the spot a planet was found from. If astronomy leaves you cold, you will see a few ordinary Georgian rooms and can skip it without regret; Bath has far bigger things. Practicalities: adults pay £12.50 and the ticket works as an annual pass for twelve months, under-18s go free with an adult, and you can buy at the door, though the museum recommends booking online to be safe. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:00, closes on Mondays outside local school holidays and bank holidays, and shuts on 25 and 26 December. Pushchairs are not allowed inside to protect the furniture, and the basement stairs are steep and narrow, with only the ground floor step-free, so families with babies will find it hard work. Bath Spa station is about a 12-minute walk; the nearest car park is Charlotte Street, five to ten minutes away, which is also where the nearest accessible toilet is.
A tiny back garden with a sundial on the spot from which Herschel is thought to have picked out the seventh planet in March 1781.
Where Herschel and his sister cast telescope mirrors by hand, with his original lathe and replicas of the furnace and polishing machine that produced the finest instruments of their day.
The woman who found comets of her own and became the first scientist of her sex on a royal salary, given her own proper space here.
19 New King Street, Bath BA1 2BL
The Jane Austen CentreJane Austen never lived here. She lodged for a few months in 1805 at number 25, 4 minutes walk4.4
Royal Victoria ParkThe photograph everyone takes of Bath, that long stone arc of the Royal Crescent5 minutes walk4.5
The Circus, BathThe diameter of this ring of stone is, give or take a few feet, that of Stonehen6 minutes walk4.4
Thermae Bath SpaTwo minutes away at the Roman Baths you look at the hot water and are forbidden 6 minutes walk4.3
No. 1 Royal CrescentThirty terraced houses in a single sweep of honey-coloured stone above a green l6 minutes walk4.4If your child is eight or older and into space, an hour here will stick in the memory longer than an hour at the Baths. With babies and pushchairs, skip it: buggies are not allowed inside, the stairs down to the workshop and garden are steep and narrow, and only the ground floor is step-free.
Not strictly. The museum is small and rarely crowded even in July and August, and tickets are sold at the door, though the museum itself recommends booking online to avoid disappointment. Just remember last entry is 16:00.