CITYIST

The cityist

MY BATH Flavia

Flavia is a Roman lady, born around 30 AD. Her husband Gaius Tiberinus commissioned the building of the Roman Baths in Aquae Sulis –Flavia loves to spend time there, and she has a large collection of sandals.

Why did you make your home in Aquae Sulis?

Well it’s so much cleaner here than smelly old Londinium, and of course you have the wonderful baths here! My husband Gaius Tiberinus actually commissioned them, you know, so in a way, you have me to thank. They truly are a marvel of this colonial backwater you call Britannia –the only selfheated baths this side of the Empire! The waters have their healing properties from the blessed power of the Goddess, so Aquae Sulis really is the place to be in Roman Britannia.

Why did your husband fund the building of the Baths? And what is his role in life?

Well Gaius has always had a nose for the next big thing, and when he heard about this healing spring near the Mendip Hills, he just had this instinct it would be the perfect place to establish a bath house. You know, before we came along, it was little more than a muddy old puddle! The local Celts really had no idea how to harness the power of this spring, but we Romans are very good with water –you may have heard of our aqueducts? We’re jolly clever!

As for Gaius’ role, well… to me, he’s the man who funds my caliga addiction. He’s a government official, a procurator, so he’s in charge of the local money pots. Honestly, I’m not all that interested in what he does, so long as he keeps the denarii rolling in.

Where do you like to spend time in the Baths?

The Great Bath itself. I love to submerge myself in the warm waters –being careful to keep my wonderful hair dry, of course –and relax with a cup of wine and some oysters. It’s where I catch up on the latest gossip around Aquae Sulis with my lady friends. Though don’t believe anything Octavia Sabina tells you –she has a silver tongue!

Glossary

Caliga –Roman sandal Apodytereum –changing room Legate –governor of a Roman province Dobunni –Iron Age tribe living in the British Isles prior to the Roman conquest of Britain River Abona –River Avon Camulodunum –Colchester Saturnalia –Roman festival held on 17 December of the Julian calendar Caldarium –room with a hot plunge bath

With thanks to The Natural Theatre Company for enabling this interview with Flavia; naturaltheatre.co.uk

Have you ever commissioned a curse tablet?

Of course! I mean, who hasn’t? It’s like an unfortunate right of passage here. I had a glorious winter cloak that was taken from the apodytereum at the beginning of last spring. I was livid!

Have you ever met a Roman Emperor?

I have! Vespasian. Though, technically he wasn’t an emperor when I met him. He was just Titus Flavius Vespasianus, the legate of the second legion, Augusta. He’s actually a lot shorter in person than you’d think.

How do you and your family manage your energy consumption?

Darling, underfloor heating is the only way to go! It gets terribly cold here in Britannia during the winter months, and nothing can beat having warm feet. It really is worth it, even though the child slaves moan about getting into the crawl space to stoke the fires.

Do you ever mix with the Iron Age Britons?

Only when I have to. As the wife of an important politician, I have to help grease the wheels of our alliance with the Dobunni tribe. It makes life easier, even if they do have a bit of a pong. They bathe in the cold waters of the River Abona with this strange animal fat and ash mix… It looks revolting and can’t possibly get them clean –not properly! Olive oil and a good sweat in the caldarium or nothing, that’s what I say!

Goddess Sulis Minerva or Father Christmas?

Father Who? Oh, you must be referring to that new religion in the south of the Empire. One god? Ridiculous! No, no, of course Sulis Minerva is the best. I doubt this Father Christmas can heal aches and illnesses or possesses a fraction of her wisdom.

Do you like this time of year and what delicacies will you be eating at Saturnalia?

I’m not all that fond of this time of the year. I’m a creature of the warmth, and it gets so chilly and dark in Britannia over winter. I was born in the old capital of Camulodunum, but my blood yearns for the warmth of Italia. Saturnalia is the only highlight –I adore a good party! I already have my order in for peacock brains and the plumpest dormice they can import.

What do you think of the people who come to the Baths, but don’t get in the waters?

Well, they’re just missing out, aren’t they? It’s the ones who ask if they can drink the water that I find particularly odd. Why would you want to drink bath water? I suppose it takes all sorts. I just wish they wouldn’t bother me with their disgusting habits.

Do you think life has improved in Aquae Sulis over the centuries?

Well I do like all these new market stalls you have here now –I am fond of a bit of retail therapy, as you 21st-century people call it. But in many ways, it’s much the same as it was in my day with so many different languages spoken and people from across the globe making pilgrimage to the Baths. I’m not that fond of your carriages, though –far too noisy and smelly. Horses at least have a certain majesty, but these metal boxes are quite hideous.

Would social media have been beneficial for the Romans?

Oh, it would have made life a lot easier! I like to keep up with the latest trends and fashions of Rome, but it can take up to six months for news of what the Empress is currently wearing to reach me here in Aquae Sulis. It would be a different story if we had Instagramus at our disposal. With an Empire as big as ours, it’s so important to keep news and information flowing. You modern folk have no idea how lucky you are!

The roads in modern Aquae Sulis are more chaotic than in your day. What’s the answer?

I cannot stand all your wiggly roads. They’re just so complicated and unnecessary! If you want to get somewhere, just have a straight line from point A to B. That’s how we do it with our roads. I love a straight Roman road. And get rid of all these metal carriages! If you need something to transport you, just hire a couple of servants to carry you around in a litter. There’s nothing like having two strapping men heaving you about on a big pile of cushions –far fewer emissions and much easier on the eye! ■

romanbaths.co.uk

Victor Suchar Christmas lecture

Museums are more than just collections of objects; they also reflect and help to shape how we see our culture and place in the contemporary world. A lecture by Dr Tristram Hunt on 19 December at BRLSI considers issues around the civic and the global, the V&A and the cultural mission of museums. Dr Tristram Hunt is the Director of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, arguably the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance. The V&A’s founding commitment to design, education and industry continues to define it today. Tracing the museum’s genesis from its Victorian roots, Dr Hunt will consider how the V&A’s civic foundations – the national and the global – engendered a world-class collection, and today, the creation of a nationwide family of museums, from Dundee to Stoke-on-Trent. His talk will consider the challenges and opportunities for a major museum in the context of current financial challenges and cultural anxieties.

Tristram Hunt: the civic and the global pm– the V&A and the cultural mission of museums, 19 December, 7.30–9pm, BRLSI, 16 Queen Square (or online), Bath £4–£7, brlsi.org

Presidents’ Award for Footprint Stained-glass windows publication

Map of The Enchanted Garden of Light

Bath Abbey's Footprint Project has brought the city's parish church honours at the first-ever National Churches Awards ceremony held in London. Along with Bath-based architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, the Abbey has been jointly awarded the Presidents’ Award which honours excellence and creativity in church architecture.

The Footprint Project was developed with architects Feilden Clegg and Bradley Studios, and was given for the best example of new design in re-ordering, alterations, extensions and new buildings which are specifically for liturgical use. The project aims were to repair the Abbey’s collapsing floor, install a new eco-friendly heating system using Bath’s hot springs, and provide new, improved spaces and facilities to ensure the Abbey is more sustainable, hospitable and useable for all visitors.

A new scheme of energy-efficient LED lighting was installed, which reduces energy consumption and allows the unique interior of Bath Abbey to be fully appreciated. The Abbey has also made use of the Roman Great Drain, which carries over 1 million litres of hot spring water each day, as a low-carbon heat source. Beneath the Abbey, in the pavement vaults and in the adjacent Georgian terrace, spaces have been reorganised and new spaces created.

The judges recognised the immense challenges and complexity of the project as well as the innovation behind the heating scheme. The Presidents’ Award, an historic silver Chalice and Paten, will be lent to Bath Abbey for a year and it also receives a £500 prize. bathabbey.org A new book called Glass and Glory has been published on the history of the world-class, hand-crafted Victorian stained glass windows in St Stephen’s Church, Lansdown. Written by art historian Carolyn Cowley and photographer Alastair Chalmers, the richly illustrated book covers the history of the church’s stained-glass windows and Victorian Gothic revival fittings. The foreword is by Mark Angus, the Bath-born, internationally acclaimed stained-glass artist who designed and created the last contemporary window installed in 1982. All other windows are Victorian, handmade by the period’s renowned artisan craftsmen and stained-glass luminaries. Collectively they form a parade of the period’s best known and internationally famous makers: Clayton & Bell, Burlinson and Grylls, James Powell and Sons (formerly Whitefriars), and Messrs Campbell and Smith.

The book stands as a definitive reference for architectural historians, ecclesiastical history enthusiasts, stainedglass connoisseurs and those who appreciate the beauty of classic Victorian churches. Available to order for £55.

To order email carolyn.cowley@yahoo.co.uk

Bath-based illustrator Alice Tait has designed the branding for The Enchanted Garden of Light, the sparkling festive trail at the American Museum & Gardens that runs from 1–31 December. Alice has also created this unique hand-drawn map of the trail, which will be given to visitors on arrival.

Alice is a British illustrator and designer whose artwork has been commissioned by Waitrose, Vogue and renowned fashion houses, Carolina Herrara and Chanel. Best-known for her map illustrations, including a best-selling map of Bath, her prints and merchandise have also been sold in Habitat, John Lewis, Foyles, WH Smiths, and even the Royal Palaces. Alice has also created cover art for Nigel Slater’s cookbooks, Sue Townsend’s modern classic Adrian Mole, and a series of books for children published by Walker. The Amazing Christmas Store at the American Museum & Gardens will be stocking Alice Tait products and books. americanmuseum.org/Christmas

John Rutter at Bath Abbey

Bath Camerata is welcoming back John Rutter to Bath as the conductor of its Christmas Concert. You can join them in the Abbey on 19 December for an uplifting celebration of festive music. There will be Christmas songs, old and new, alongside some favourite carols for the audience to join in with – all presided over with gusto and style by ‘Mr Christmas’ himself. Here John whets our appetites:

Q: Can you give us a bit more information about what to expect from the Christmas concert? A: First and foremost, we will be featuring the great traditional Christmas hymns and carols. There are some for the audience to join in, like O Come, All Ye Faithful and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, and some for the choir to sing on their own, like The Holly and the Ivy and In the Bleak Mid-Winter. We are fortunate to have Bath Abbey's own outstanding organist Huw Williams to supply the organ accompaniments and to play two dazzling organ solos. With Ukraine so much in our thoughts this year, I wanted to include a Ukrainian carol in the programme –called A Ukrainian Alleluia, it is based on a traditional Ukrainian melody. We will also be premiering a new carol arrangement (Shepherds, Awake) that I have done specially for Bath Camerata.

Q: I see you are doing Christmas Celebrations in a number of venues across the UK – is Christmas your most favourite time of year? A: I enjoy Christmas, and in particular I enjoy contributing to everyone's seasonal festivities in music; I hope to make their Christmases merry. But I am active for the other 11 months of the year!

Q: How do you adapt your programme to suit the different locations/venues? A:That takes time, experience, and thought. It helps that I know Bath Abbey and I know Bath Camerata very well as a guest conductor.

Q: Your musical life includes composing, conducting and producing recordings. What gives you most pleasure? A: Anything musical gives me great pleasure, and I enjoy alternating between my different musical activities. The highlight in 2022 has been to experience the full return of choirs to singing as it was before the pandemic, and to visit the different countries where I've conducted this year: America, Italy, Iceland, the Netherlands, and Denmark. More to look forward to in 2023.

Q: How would you describe your taste in music, and do you like to explore new pieces and new composers? A: Eclectic; I enjoy many different genres. No barriers. Indeed, I do like to explore –if we didn't make new discoveries, we would all stagnate. And one of my greatest pleasures is to get to know young composers just starting out.

Q: What does Christmas itself hold for you and will there be live music during the holiday break? A: Relief that I can relax on 25 December after a whole series of Christmas concerts! Live music? Probably a visit to King's College Chapel in Cambridge for their Christmas morning service.

Bath Camerata’s Christmas Concert with John Rutter, 19 December, 7.30pm, Bath Abbey. Tickets, from £10 to £30 with half-price tickets for under 25s, available from: bathboxoffice.org.uk bathcamerata.co.uk

Enhanced pacemaker developer wins award

Same-day hip and knee replacement

Bioelectronic company Ceryx Medical, a spin-out from the Universities of Bath and Bristol, has won the 2022 Business Start-up Award from the UK’s Institute of Physics, which praised the company’s revolutionary bioelectronic devices.

Ceryx was formed in 2016 as a joint venture exploiting the neuronal technology patented by the University of Bath and the know-how in cardiac neuromodulation at the University of Bristol. This innovative research created microchip technology for medical devices that restores the natural synchronisation of biological rhythms, including a neuronal cardiac pacemaker, which has the potential to provide the world’s first curative therapy for heart failure.

“These bioelectronic devices help restore the lost physiological functions within the body. This approach allows revolutionary therapies with no side effects to be employed,” The Institute of Physics said in its award citation.

Unlike conventional pacemakers which apply metronomic stimulation, the neuronal pacemaker produces minute adjustments to heartbeat intervals to resynchronise the cardiac and respiratory rhythms. This has the effect of saving the heart energy, reverting the debilitating symptoms of heart failure by giving the heart the opportunity to repair itself.

“An estimated 30 million people suffer from heart failure and, once the cycle of heart failure is established, current therapies can do little to prevent disease progression. We believe we can change that,” said Dr Stuart Plant, Ceryx Chief Executive Officer. bath.ac.uk;

ceryxmedical.com

Sulis Hospital, the award-winning hospital based in Bath, has become the first in Bath and Bristol to offer same-day hip and knee joint replacement surgery, without the need for an overnight stay.

In line with its mission to adapt, keep ahead of medical advancements and constantly improve its practices, Sulis Hospital has defined a medical pathway aimed at aiding overall recovery and reducing post-operative complications such as DVT. This enhanced recovery programme (ERP) or enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) aims to help every patient recover from surgery more quickly and is based on NICE guidelines.

Historically, patients who undergo knee or hip joint replacement surgery would spend an average of three days in hospital to recover; however, a team of experts at Sulis Hospital has been able to reduce this number to just an average of one day spent in hospital with many going home on the day of surgery.

The patients who have so far undergone day case Joint Replacement Surgery within a three-month period total 44, with an average of 0.96 days spent in hospital. By recovering in their home environment, each patient is also encouraged to take ownership of their recovery, increasing independence. Alongside this, day case surgical procedures will help to reduce the backlog of patients waiting for surgery, which is currently standing at a record high of 7 million people in England alone. sulishospital.com