Walcot, Bath

Walcot is a suburb of the city of Bath, in the Bath and North East Somerset district, in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It lies to the north-north-east of the city centre, and is an electoral ward of the city.^[2]

Walcot
Walcot Street
Walcot Location within Somerset
Population	5,920 (2011; ward)[1]
OS grid reference	ST753659
Unitary authority	Bath and North East Somerset
Ceremonial county	Somerset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BATH
Postcode district	BA1
Dialling code	01225
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Avon
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	Bath
List of places UK England Somerset 51.3920°N 2.3558°W / 51.3920; -2.3558

The Paragon and, continuing out of the city, London Road are part of the A4 road. The other main thoroughfare is Walcot Street, which adjoins the city centre and is well known for its artisan shops.^[3][4]

Walcot Street and London Road are believed to be a Roman road, leading north from the Roman town of Aquae Sulis and linking with the Fosse Way. Walcot originally grew as a residential area (a vicus) in the 1st to 3rd centuries, located between the walled town, the Fosse Way and the possible Roman fort sited across the river in the Bathwick area.^[5]

The parish church of St Swithin, on The Paragon was built in 1779-90 by John Palmer.^[6] The 18th-century poet Christopher Anstey is buried at the church.^[7][8] Walcot was the birthplace of Richard Debaufre Guyon, who would become, in succession, an Austrian officer, a Hungarian rebel and an Ottoman Pasha.^[9][10]

Governance

The electoral ward returns two councillors to Bath and North East Somerset Council. The wards surrounding Walcot ward are: Lansdown to the north-west, Lambridge to the north-east, Bathwick to the south-east, and Kingsmead to the south-west. The River Avon forms the boundary with Bathwick and is crossed here by the Cleveland Bridge. The Grosvenor area of the city falls within the ward.^[2]

In 1891 the civil parish had a population of 24,899.^[11] On 26 March 1900 the parish was abolished to form Bath.^[12]

Notable residents

• Richard Guyon (1813–1856), British-born Hungarian soldier, general in the Hungarian Revolutionary Army.
• Sir William Herschel (1738–1822), astronomer, musician.
• Benjamin Plim Bellamy (1782–1847), actor and proprietor of the Bath Assembly Rooms.^[13]
• Arnold Ridley (1896-1984), actor and playwright.
• Margaret Graham (balloonist) (1804-1864) first British woman to make a solo balloon flight, which she accomplished in 1826.