|
Bath has attracted an extraordinary number of well-known people to
visit or live in this enchanting environment.
A random choice from our extensive database...
Frederic HARRISON
1829-1923
10 Royal Crescent
Frederic Harrison came to live at 10 Royal Crescent in 1912, when he was eighty-three years old, and after a long life devoted to public service and writing.
He was the son of a prosperous London merchant whose country residence was Sutton Place near Guildford, the impressive mansion that was later to become the home of millionaire Paul Getty. After being called to the Bar, he practised as a lawyer for fifteen years, and then devoted much of his life to writing. His religious beliefs were centred on the doctrine of positivism, which recognises only matters of fact and experience: it has been defined, perhaps more explicitly, as a 'reorganisation of life, at once intellectual, moral and social, by faith in our common humanity'.
Harrison loved Bath, and praised the city wholeheartedly in an article he wrote for Blackwood's Magazine. 'Here are the most important Roman buildings in our island; he wrote, 'one of our great medieval cathedrals; the best English examples of Palladian architecture adapted to city planning; a river valley that may hold its own beside the Thames at Marlow, and downs that may challenge the racecourse at Goodwood'.
On his ninetieth birthday in 1919, he was paid a remarkable tribute. An appreciative address was presented to him in his library at 10 the Crescentsigned by the Prime Minister, Mr Lloyd George, the leaders of both the Liberal and Labour parties, the bishops of London and Exeter, and many prominent doctors, authors, journalists, artists and musicians. There were ninety signatures on the addressone for every year of his life. A month later Bath endorsed the tribute by presenting him with the Freedom of the city. His long, immensely productive life ended peacefully in January, 1923.
|