The City of Bath World Heritage Site
UNESCO added the City of Bath as a cultural site to its World Heritage List in 1987.
The main reasons for Bath's inclusion are its:
Roman remains - the Roman Baths and Temple thermal establishment
18th century architecture - neo-classical public buildings and set-piece developments such as terraces, crescents, squares and the Circus by Palladian-inspired Bath architects
18th century town planning - its innovative and cohesive 'garden city' concept, harmonised with its green landscape setting
Social setting - its role as a destination for pilgrimage and the social aspirations of the fashionable spa culture that created the Georgian city.
UNESCO also recognised the importance of:
the Hot Springs - the only ones in Britain the reason for the city's existence
the Landscape setting - the valley of the River Avon whose hills provided the stone to build the city and form the backdrop to the city today.
The whole of Bath and not just its historic core is the World Heritage Site (WHS), unlike most other cities that include a WHS.
Bath contains nearly 5000 listed buildings, including the highest concentration of grade I and II listed buildings outside central London.
Other UK cities containing a WHS include Canterbury, Durham, Edinburgh and Liverpool.
London has several separate WHS designations including the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey.