John Nixon, The King's Bath, 1800
Little remains now of the medieval city of Bath. Much of it was
owned by Bath Abbey, and the church dominated the city – and the
baths. The King’s Bath gets its name from being next to the royal
lodgings in the priory precinct. It was so close that once Henry
III had one of his knights thrown, fully clothed, from his
apartments into the bath.
The monks allowed people to use the baths for healing, and this
continued after the monasteries were dissolved. The King’s Bath
became increasingly popular and crowded, with men and woman bathing
together. This was seen as scandalous, particularly as many people
bathed in the nude.