My Bath: Crescent view takes some beating
Mr B’s bookshop owner Nic Bottomley answers the questions in our My Bath feature
1. What's your favourite part of Bath?
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Nic Bottomley and wife Juliette in bookshop Mr B's Emporium
The unnamed area where our shop is located spanned by George Street at the top, Queen Square to the west and Milsom Street to the east. It's full of independent shops and restaurants, cobbled streets, glimpses of the tree-lined hills that surround the city and full of picnicking folk on the square in the summer.
2. Where's the best place to eat?
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For superb service and delicious American brasserie food, you can't beat our neighbours at The Firehouse in John Street. For fine French cuisine, I love Casanis Bistro on Saville Row, not that I've had the time to go there in the evening for a long time thanks to our very young children.
3. What's the best view in the city?
There are so many from the Skyline Walk up above Widcombe and Monkton Combe into the city and then out to the valleys behind the city. Of course the Royal Crescent on a sunny early summer morning takes some beating.
4. What would your perfect day in Bath entail?
It's sunny, warm and a gentle breeze. The light's pouring in through the shop's crinkle-crankle windows. I spend the morning talking books with my customers, before having lunch outside somewhere - on the roof of Hall & Woodhouse or at Society Café on Kingsmead Square, maybe. I'm imagining now, falsely, that I have some afternoon leisure time available and that childcare is all sorted out, so I'll persuade my wife to come into town and we'll watch a film at The Little Theatre, before a beer in the garden at The Marlborough Tavern and then dinner there or at The Circus and a cocktail at Opium. I'm not sure who's driving.
5. Where would you meet friends for a drink?
First and foremost The Salamander opposite the shop for a beer, especially in the winter. My colleague Becky likes us all to go to The Tasting Rooms on Green Street on a very regular basis. For coffee it would be Colonna and Smalls though.
6. What's your favourite shop?
Present company aside, I'd have to say Bath Compact Discs for music, or Found just across the other side of Pulteney Bridge for stuff.
7. What one thing about Bath would you change?
We need to do more to encourage independent businesses. Having free parking after 6pm rather than 7pm would help businesses such as ours which organise evening events.
One of the next events at Mr B's Emporium is an evening with author Mohsin Hamid on March 25. Tickets are £6 from books@mrbsemporium.com, the shop at John Street or by calling 01225 331155.
The Independent Bath Literature starts on March 1 - details at www.bathlitfest.org.uk.
Next week - Bath Half Marathon race director Andrew Taylor
6 Comments
by tomsjan
Saturday, February 23 2013, 9:03AM
“The parking change was another nail in the coffin for many of the small restaurants who did a good pre-theatre trade when it was free and on single yellows after 6 o'clock. If you can't park free until 7 there is not enough time for a meal before the show so you eat at home and don't bother.
And...... crinkle-crankle??????
This "paper" is getting so parochial now I don't even look at it every day any more - is there any real news out there?”
by joning
Friday, February 22 2013, 2:09PM
“No one said they did and I totally agree that no-one has that right but that goes for visitors as well. Central zone is mostly if not all pay and display as well as permits. People paying for those permits are paying an awful lot of money for a parking lottery, somewhat relieved by the time change. FYI, I'm not one of those people.”
by housebird5
Friday, February 22 2013, 12:41PM
“Nobody has a right to park outside there house and anyway isn't this why we have resident parking permits”
by Wilts_Driver
Friday, February 22 2013, 12:34PM
“@joning I was referring the cost of parking in the city centre car parks, which, a few years ago, used to be free from 6 p.m. onwards. By the way, those "people possibly poppin in for book event/meal/cinema showing" are what helps to keep the cash tills in Bath ringing for a longer period of time each day, thus helping to keep local people in employment.”
by joning
Friday, February 22 2013, 11:33AM
“... and render it almost impossible for anyone returning home from owrk to park even vaguely near to where they live. Are you suggesting that the needs of people possibly popping in for book event/meal/cinema showing should be priortised over those of tax-paying residents? Get real.”
by Wilts_Driver
Friday, February 22 2013, 11:10AM
“Nic Bottomley makes a very good point about the free parking having been pushed back to 7 p.m. I know that this discourages people from travelling into Bath for the Cinema etc, when they can park for free at other multi screens. Similarly, I can imagine that the availability of free parking from 6 p.m. would indeed encourage more people to attend the book events, and to travel to Bath to eat out in the evenings.”