Pigissimo being made

Pigissimo is one many pigs you will see in the streets of Bath to celebrate our first king, King Bladud. This is an idea that is really getting big, and it seems that everyday you can see more and more pigs in the streets, of all colours and with all kinds of designs on them. There are flying pigs in trees, pigs dressed like Roman soldiers, even a dinosaur pig. But, of course, we think Pigissimo is the most beautiful.

The story of king Bladud starts a long long time before the Romans made Bath famous. When we was a prince he had leprosy, a terrible skin disease, and so he went away to look after some pigs, who soon had the same skin disease. One day, he saw his pigs splashing in mud near a hot spring, and when they came out of the water, their skin was cured. Bladud went into the water himself, and his skin also got better immediately. He went back to his family, and he was made king of this region, and the springs where this cure happened became famous.

When the Romans came to Britain, they hated the cold and the rain, and Britain was a long way from Rome. And so they loved Bath. With its seven hills surrounding the valley and the hot springs, it seemed as close to Rome as they could get. The local people worshipped the goddess Sulis at the hot springs, and so the Romans called this place “Aquae Sulis”—the Waters of Sul—and they made a big and beautiful building for the springs. This is the Roman Baths that you can still see today in Bath. Bath was almost the centre of Roman England (and definitely the place all Romans wanted to be) but after the Romans left in about 300AD the baths were forgotten. 

And then the Georgians came in the 18th century. This period is called “Georgian” because there were four King Georges at that time. The rich people of Georgian Britain liked to dress up and eat and dance, and when the Roman Baths were repaired, this was where all the rich and famous people came to enjoy themselves. Most of the buildings you see now in Bath are from this time, and Bath has been made a World Heritage Site because it still looks just like it did then. The houses and shops are made of Bath stone, which is very light in colour, and so Bath always looks so beautiful. And everywhere you look you see the green hills that surround the city.

Today, Bath is a very popular tourist place, with thousands of people coming from all over the world to see the Roman Baths and the wonderful abbey. You can also enjoy life like the Romans did by going to the Bath Spa, a new spa resort where you can swim in the hot mineral waters while you look at the houses and hills of Bath. All this started from a pig! If you go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirky/2570781545/in/pool-kingbladudspigs you can see lots of pigs. Can you find Pigissimo?

Pigissimo was made by Bath artist Claudia Phipps. If you want to see more of Claudia’s work, please go to:  http://www.claudiaphipps.co.uk