Present state of the City. 95 



The present structure was built by Prior Cantlow in 1495, 

 and was restored in 1837. 



The citizens have during this nineteenth century done 

 more than restore to their charitable objects the properties 

 of these ancient institutions. 



The Mineral Water Hospital was in 1861 doubled in size 

 at a cost of ^^20,000, and now provides beds for 160 

 patients from all parts of England. 



The Royal United Hospital is the result of the amalga- 

 mation in 1826 of two older institutions — the Bath City 

 Infirmary (established in 1747 and reconstituted in 1792), 

 and the Bath Casualty Hospital (founded in 1786). The 

 hospital contains 120 beds, and is maintained at an annual 

 cost of nearly _;!^5,ooo. 



These are the largest and most important foundations for 

 the sick poor of the present century, but there are also 

 numerous dispensaries and special institutions for particular 

 diseases, all of which are unostentatiously performing 

 thoroughly good work. 



The nineteenth century has been prolific in Church- 

 building. The greatest work, the restoration of the Abbey 

 Church, under the directions of Sir Gilbert Scott, finds a 

 place in another article. 



Unfortunately the ancient city churches were rebuilt 

 during a period of prolonged depression of architectural 

 taste. St. James's Church was commenced, on the site of an 

 older building in 1768, and the tower was added in 1846. 



The Church of St. Michael extra muros as now existing 

 is the second on that site since the Reformation. It was 

 erected in 1837. The little Church of St. Thomas-a-Becket 

 in Widcombe (formerly a chapel annexed to St. Mary de 

 Stalles) is a pre-Reformation structure, and was restored in 



