Temple Of Minerva In The Botanical Gardens

Temple of Minerva in the Botanical Gardens

This is a former exhibition pavilion built in 1924 and designed by local architect Alfred J Taylor. The rectangular building, approximately 6 by 5 metres, is constructed of limestone ashlar and combines Classical and Tudor stylistic elements.

The single-storey pavilion has arcades to its sides and a moulded coped parapet. The south front displays pierced letters reading "AQUA SULIS", whilst the east side bears "CITY OF BATH". The south elevation features a returned modillion cornice beneath the parapet, and a returned impost cornice with moulded archivolts to a triple arcade. The central arch is supported by Tuscan columns, paired front to rear, whilst the side arches have similarly paired antae. Tripartite sash windows with thick moulded glazing bars light the returns, their glazing arranged as two/two, six/six, two/two.

The building's history is documented on an interior plaque, which records that it was originally erected by the Corporation of Bath at Wembley in 1924 for the British Empire Exhibition, where it advertised the City of Bath, its spa, and the quality of its waters. Following the exhibition, the pavilion was dismantled and re-erected on its present site in 1926 when the Botanical Garden was extended and landscaped to accommodate it. The Botanical Garden itself was first laid out in 1887 within Royal Victoria Park, which opened in 1830 following the visit of the Duchess of Kent and her daughter Princess Victoria, and was among the first municipal parks in the country.

The pavilion stands at the top of a gentle slope along a circular path around the Botanical Garden, overlooking a lavishly planted waterfall that descends to a kidney-shaped pond. Despite its relative youth and modest scale, the building's fine proportions and distinctive fusion of architectural styles have made it a lasting focal point for the Botanical Garden and its early twentieth-century landscape design.