As if by magic

Today our excursions are taking us to The Roman Baths in Bath in the south of England.

However, we’re also at the National Football Museum in Manchester in the North of England.

How is it possible? The answer is “magic”.

Choice

Bath

In history, Bath has been home of the rich and powerful twice. Once as an important town in the Roman Empire. Subsequently, more recently, during the 19th century when Bath became a playground of members of the aristocracy (the elite landowners).

As any Italian will tell you, British weather is a lot cooler than in Italy, so in order to create some ‘home comforts’ the Romans took advantage of the naturally occurring hot springs and built a very extensive spa complex.

#ThankYouItalians

Jane Austen, the famous British writer set many of her novels in Bath. During this period, appearance was everything. The rich competed to see who could build the most beautiful and impressive house. Very often they spent a lot of money on the front of the house to make it look impressive, but then saved money on the interior. In her novels such as Persuasion, Emma and Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen satirises the superficiality of high society at that time. Today, we all benefit from being able to visit a stunning city full of history.

Moor Park, the home of More Than English used to be the country home of aristocrats too. We have to admit, we love experiencing the lifestyle of the aristocrats!

Manchester

The contrast between Bath and Manchester couldn’t be greater. Manchester also rapidly expanded during the 19th century, not as a playground of the rich, but as the workshop of the poor during the industrial revolution. Manchester became full of the factories which created the wealth that made Britain, for a brief time, an economic superpower.

Whereas the rich in Bath enjoyed fine architecture and spa treatments, workers in Manchester endured smog, terrible working conditions and poverty.

However, these factories made the factory owners rich and created a new class of rich people whose wealth was no longer based on ownership of land but on business. The rise of the new rich in Manchester marked the end of the dominance of “the old money” that had rebuilt Bath.

Today, Manchester has been regenerated. It is proud of its industrial heritage, but it’s also a very modern cosmopolitan city full of opportunity. Manchester is particularly famous for its football clubs and its music scene. Manchester has a strong identity, a distinctive accent and it is place that is full of energy.

Best excursion?

So which excursion is better? Manchester or Bath? Only you can answer that question.