When Mrs Austen and her daughters left Bath for the final time in July 1806, their first stop was at Clifton. This spa resort was some 15 miles northwest of Bath. A few years previously, it had been a thriving attraction, with wealthy visitors breaking their journeys there on their way to Bath.

When they had taken the waters from the Hotwells, visitors walked on the greenery of the Downs, or enjoyed fine views over the Avon Gorge.

There were also card rooms and Assembly Rooms, as well as shops and a circulating library.

The influx of visitors meant that lots of new building work was necessary, and many of the fashionably designed streets are still evident today. 

The resort was declining in popularity by the time the Austens arrived and developed a reputation for illness rather than cure. Sewage from the river had found its way into the Hotwell springs and made them harmful. Many people died whilst staying there, and were buried in the Strangers’ Burial Ground.

Map

Mrs Austen, Cassandra and Jane stayed for around four weeks in Clifton before moving on to relatives elsewhere.

If you would like to learn more about this area, Bristol Past has an interesting article entitled The Heyday of Hotwells which you can read here.

The blog spot, Down by the Dougie, has an article called Georgian Bristol - Clifton, with lots of photos and information about the Georgian buildings you can still see today. Read it here.

clifton EXTRACT

If you would like to read an extract from The Austens of Bath where events take place in Clifton, click here.