What's your favourite part of Bath?
At the risk of being obvious, it is the Royal Crescent. I've been spending a lot of time there over the past year, helping to prepare No. 1 Royal Crescent for its grand reopening on June 21, and we've just launched the fantastic No. 1 Fan Club, which offers members behind-the-scenes tours, specialist lectures and a whole range of privileges in return for contributions of £50 a month towards the restoration and conservation of the house.
The moment when the whole Crescent opens out before you as you approach the steps of No. 1 is one of the most thrilling experiences in the world. It doesn't get any better than this.
Where's the best place to eat?
One of the first restaurants I visited when I moved to Bath in the early 1980s was the Rajpoot on Argyle Street. I've been eating there ever since. I love the small booths, the sense of being hidden away deep beneath the city. It's not cheap, but it's Indian food at its best.
What's the best view in the city?
The best view of the city is from Beckford's Tower on Lansdown Road. Climb to the top of the tower and look down, and it feels as though the whole of England is spread out at your feet. But the best view in the city (the Royal Crescent aside) is that long broad vista from Pulteney Bridge down to the Holburne Museum. If we could just magic away all the parked cars...
What would your perfect day in Bath entail?
My life revolves around heritage and history. That makes Bath the perfect place to live – but it also means that even after 30 years of living here I never stop being both a tourist and a tour guide. My perfect day involves showing good friends around the sights – the abbey, the baths, the museums. Then maybe a stroll along the canal from Sydney Gardens to Widcombe and, if I haven't worn them out, we'd go up to Prior Park and the Bath Skyline walk.
Where would you meet friends for a drink?
My wife often works in London, and when I can pick her up from the station we'll usually meet at the Ring O Bells in Widcombe for an early evening drink. It has great wines, lovely food if we don't feel like eating in, and the friendliest welcome of any bar in the city.
What's your favourite shop?
Toppings & Co on the Paragon is the antidote to online shopping. The staff know books – something of a rarity in bookshops these days – and I have never once set foot in the place without finding at least one book that I've never heard of and absolutely must have.
What one thing about Bath would you change?
Funnily enough, considering my passion for the past, I do wish Bath would be more adventurous when it comes to contemporary architecture. Eric Parry's recent extension to the Holburne is a great example of how good modern design can enhance the city. We need more like it. Today is tomorrow's history.
● For information about the No. 1 Fan Club, call the Bath Preservation Trust on 01225 338727 or visit the Trust's website at www.bath- preservation-trust.org.uk.
● Next week: Entertainment entrepreneur Phil Andrews
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