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Museum of Costume and Assembly Rooms Review

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Museum of Costume and Assembly Rooms

Fodor's Review:

In its role as the Assembly Rooms, this neoclassical building was the leading center for social life in 18th-century Bath, with a schedule of dress balls, concerts, and choral nights. Jane Austen came here often, and it was here, in the Ballroom, that Catherine Morland had her first, disappointing encounter with Bath's beau monde in Northanger Abbey; the Octagon Room was the setting for an important encounter between Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth in Persuasion. Built by John Wood the Younger in 1771, the building was badly damaged by wartime bombing in 1942 but was faithfully restored. Today the Assembly Rooms house the entertaining Museum of Costume, displaying costumes from Jacobean times up to the present (audio guide included). Throughout the year, classical concerts are given in the Ballroom, just as they were in bygone days.

  • Cost: £6.50; combined ticket with Roman Baths, valid 7 days, £13
  • Open: Mar.-Oct., daily 11-6; Nov.-Feb., daily 11-5; last admission 1 hr before closing
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