Discover The Latest Property Statistics and Sold House Prices In Bath, Somerset.

A World Heritage Site and one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, the city of Bath sits in the valley of the River Avon, in North East Somerset, around 13 miles away from Bristol. It is perhaps the best-known Roman site in the UK, both famous for and named after its Roman-built baths, built around 60 AD, which make use of local hot springs. During the Georgian Era, Bath became a popular spa town, with visitors convinced of the curative properties of its spring water, and it became quite wealthy. The city is immediately recognisable for its Georgian architecture, including the famous, Royal Crescent, Pump Room and Assembly Rooms, which still attract large numbers of tourists. Indeed, tourism is one of the city's primary industries, with nearly 4 million visitors per year. It has more than 80 hotels, countless places to eat and drink, remarkable museums, galleries and theatres and of course, the countryside of Somerset, which holds attractions like Stonehenge and Avebury, is a huge draw. While tourism is very important for Bath's local economy, there is considerably more to the city than just that. The two universities pull in almost 30,000 students, at any one time, which, making up a large proportion of the 101,557 residents as of the 2021 Census, has a huge impact on the cultural life of the city. Manufacturing was once important but as with many places, has declined somewhat and been replaced by more service-orientated industries. Large employers in the city include the NHS, the local authority and the Ministry of Defence (although a few of the MOD's offices have recently relocated to Bristol). Retail in the city is booming, with over 400 shops and a much greater proportion of independent retail than is usually found in one of the UK's cities. It is also a nationally recognised centre for publishing and over recent decades, has seen a rapid expansion of local companies, working in marketing, digital services and telecommunications. The rapid expansion of digital businesses, IT security and tech investment in Bath has not gone unnoticed by local policy-makers who are keen to point out that the combined areas of Bath and Bristol represent the biggest digital hub, outside of London. In response, Bath and North East Somerset Council have committed to growing creative and ICT employment by 20%, by 2026, alongside other economic commitments to grow the area's GVA by £1 billion, create 10,000 new jobs and increase productivity per worker by 20%. Because of its architecture and heritage status, there are unique challenges in the city, when it comes to regeneration and development. However, the development of Bath's Enterprise Area, 98Ha of land along the river bank, which has been recognised by the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership as a key zone for growth, provides a much-needed expansion of office and workshop space for high-value businesses and is one example of the local authority's commitment to nurturing the local, high-tech economy. Bath has a housing shortage and while that is true of many places in the UK, the city's problems here, are particularly acute. High demand, of course, means higher prices and whether you are an aspirational homeowner, a renter, a student or a tourist and truth is, according to the Home Truths South West report from the National Housing Federation, renters face the highest rents of anyone in the South West. The city centre is a very sought-after place to live, not least of all because Bath is fairly notorious for traffic congestion so those properties, mainly apartments and townhouses, that are within easy walking distance to amenities are at a premium. Expensive, as they may be, these houses are in high demand for renters. Further out from the city, housing stock is more-or-less exactly as you would expect of a modern city. There is everything from family homes to single-person dwellings, from student accommodation to HMOs. With some of the most expensive properties in the South West, bargains may be hard to come by but with strong growth and demand, this dynamic city still has a lot to offer.