The Ultimate Guide to Shopping in Bath

“Shopping in Bath, a small, historic and very walkable city in the UK, is a pleasant and easy experience. It’s not only home to big brands, but also lots of independent boutiques and galleries of local designers. You can find award-winning cheese and Somerset cider; second-hand designer clothes and handmade jewellery; rare antiques and artisan ceramics. Get started with our ultimate guide to shopping in Bath.

For Your Fashion Fix
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Opposite Bath bus and train stations, SouthGate is an open-air shopping complex housing all the major high-street fashion stores. You’ll find familiar names like AllSaints, Topshop and Topman, Urban Outfitters, H&M, Kurt Geiger, River Island and New Look here – and much more. There are 60 stores in total, including plenty of cafés and restaurants for refuelling on the go.

On Milsom Street, Jolly’s is one of Europe’s oldest department stores – it was founded in 1823. It’s now owned by House of Fraser, which has fully restored the 19th-century building. It sells clothing for both men and women, homeware and, among other things, beauty products.

For boutique fashion, head to Broad Street. Boho stocks a collection of clothing, footwear and accessories, such as linen dresses, straw hats and leather sandals. Icarus Silver Jewellery is a Bath business selling handmade silver jewellery designed by owner Dilek Köroğlu, and you can also order bespoke pieces.

In Kingsmead Square, head to Grace & Ted, which is owned by mother and daughter Sharon and Emma Savage. They sell second-hand designer clothes from labels such as Chanel, Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton – a great place to find a luxury bargain.

Waller & Wood in Abbey Green sells beautiful hand-painted silk clothes and scarves by Carole Waller and ceramics designed by Gary Wood.

Southgate place, By Rwendland – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15359205

Markets: Foodie to Festive
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Bath Farmers’ Market, which is in the Victorian railway station of Green Park, is open on Saturdays from 9am until 1:30pm. It’s one of the oldest in the country, with local cheeses, fresh veg and fruit, meats, pies, honey, cider and craft beer. In the same station, Bath Vintage & Antiques Market runs on the last Sunday of the month.

Open every day except Sunday, the indoor Bath Guildhall Market is the oldest shopping venue in Bath – it has been trading for over 800 years. There are 20 stalls selling leather goods, traditional sweets, pet supplies, jewellery, coffee and books.

During the festive season, head to Bath Abbey’s Christmas Market, where you’ll find 150 chalets bearing Christmas decorations, handmade jewellery, hog roasts and mulled wine.

The Artisan Quarter
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The area around Walcot Street and London Road has been known as the Artisan Quarter since the 1960s. Here you’ll find some of the city’s best independent retailers and boutiques.

Check out Graham & Green, an interiors store with an eclectic range of homeware (think wicker couches, brass floor lamps, geometric coffee tables and arched window mirrors). Farrow & Ball, meanwhile, sells a range of high-quality paints and arty wallpaper. Avenida Home specialises in placemats, trays and home accessories, all with original designs.

Pop into the Bath Hat Company for a colourful trilby, browse the LPs at Ghetto Funk – open on Thursday and Friday – and pick up some fancy bespoke stationary printed on 1960s printing presses at Meticulous Ink.

Check out the Fine Cheese Co., which sells around 100 types of cheese, from a rich Colston Bassett Stilton – a Gold winner at the 2018 World Cheese Awards – to the full-flavoured Brie de Meaux Dongé.

Outside the Artisan Quarter, the Bath Artisan Market opens in Queen Square, close to Milsom Place, on the first Saturday of the month.

The Bell, Walcot St. – By Rwendland – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75543808

Best of the Rest
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Wander down Margaret’s Buildings, between The Circus and The Royal Crescent. Here you’ll find a variety of stores from Ellie Rose Bridal to Alexandra May Jewellery. Gallery Nine sells a selection of jewellery from a changing roster of designers, as well as ceramics and sculptures. There are also a number of art galleries; try Gray M.C.A for fashion illustrations or Red Rag Gallery for fine contemporary art.

Head on over to Belvedere, where you’ll find the eclectic Antique Textiles and Lighting. It has a wide range of period pieces from the 16th to early 20th centuries.

If you’re a book lover, head to Topping & Company Booksellers on The Paragon where you’ll find oak shelves stocked with 50,000 titles to peruse – as well as a handy rolling ladder to reach the top tiers. For a huge selection of niche magazines from all over the world, visit Magalleria on Broad Street.

Bath Aqua Glass, which you will find next to Bath Abbey, sells glassware made in the onsite studio. You can watch the artists in action before browsing the wine glasses, stained-glass mirrors, earrings and pendants. Taking its title from Bath’s Latin name Aquae Sulis and using copper oxide to give the glass an appropriate aquamarine colour, Bath Aqua is a great place to pick up a memento of your trip.

Bath aqua glass, by shrinkin’violet – Under Creative Commons license CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/) – https://www.flickr.com/photos/samuir/15378537921/“