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FRESHFORD & DISTRICT LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY
IN July Society members had a very interesting and enjoyable evening visit to Hinton Priory by kind permission of Dr. Johnson. The weather was showery but few of us will forget the brilliant rainbow in a darkening sky which seemed to span the ruins of the Chapter House. The September Meeting was well attended and we heard a fascinating talk by Mac Hopkins Clarke on the history of the Bath Theatre up until 1862. The 15c records of St. Michael’s Church show that Mystery plays were then a regular feature. Later, travelling bands of players performed and it seems possible that Shakespeare visited the city. Sonnets 153 and 154 could easily be read as referring to the Bath waters. At this period plays were performed in rooms in Inns or in the new Guildhall built in 1626. However theatre nearly died out during the Puritan period and it was not until the restoration of Charles II that it was able to blossom again. Over the years theatres were built on a number of different sites and had many ups and downs, but Bath was a fashionable place to take the waters and at its peak in the late 18c many well known actors performed in the city. However by 1850-60 the standard of plays had deteriorated and audiences had changed – we await the next instalment!
Isla Tuck