The grandeur and design of Bath make even the most ordinary of us who visit feel like somebody import, so it’s no surprise that the centuries have seen the city attract some of the most famous faces of their times. In fact, for many, Bath spa breaks are as much about following in the footsteps of an idol or personal inspiration as they are about relaxing., so just exactly who has called Bath home?

As if we could start with anyone other than Jane Austen! Miss Austen spent five years living in Bath until her father died, and it features in some of her most famous novels. The Jane Austen Centre ensures that fans know just where to go to experience Jane’s Bath, and there are themed events every year.

Jane wasn’t the only literary success to seek inspiration in Bath though, the years have also seen it act as home to Mary Shelley (who penned Frankenstein’s Monster) and it was also visited by Charles Dickens regularly. In fact, he set some of his Pickwick Papers in the city. A visit to Sally Lunn’s bakery will show you the place where the infamous Sally first invented the Sally Lunn cake, and the astronomer who discovered Uranus – William Herschel has a museum dedicated to him in the street where he lived.