A GCSE student has helped bring spoken Latin back to The Roman Baths after creating a new Latin audio guide for the historic attraction, narrated by Stephen Fry.
Inspired by a family visit earlier this year, London student Florence Golding was fascinated by the site’s multilingual audio guides, available in 13 languages. As a Latin student, she wondered why visitors could not also experience the attraction in the language once spoken by many of its Roman visitors.
Florence contacted The Roman Baths team and began translating an abridged version of the existing guide into Latin. Hoping to make the project even more authentic, she approached classical enthusiast Sir Stephen Fry to narrate it.
He agreed, inviting Florence and her mother, Sarah, to a recording studio where he recorded the guide, bringing the ancient language to life for modern audiences.
Stephen said, “I was enchanted both by Florence’s marvellous idea – to offer a Latin audio guide to the magnificent Roman Baths, one of Britain’s greatest treasures – and by her infectious passion for the classical world.
“I have been so thrilled to see over the past decade or so the notable rise in young people’s enthusiasm for the language, art, mythology, history and culture of Ancient Greece and Rome. I apologise in advance to any scholars or Roman ghosts who might raise their eyebrows at my Latin accent and pronunciations…”
Florence said, “Visiting The Roman Baths was incredible, and I loved the audio guide, but I kept thinking how amazing it would be to hear it in Latin, right where the Romans once spoke it.
“I never imagined it would become a real project, or that Sir Stephen Fry would be involved. I hope it helps visitors feel even more connected to the history of the site.”
The new guide is now available to download from The Roman Baths website alongside a written version with an English translation.
Originally built in the 1st century AD around Britain’s only natural hot spring, The Roman Baths remains one of Northern Europe’s best-preserved Roman sites and welcomes more than one million visitors each year.
The project also celebrates the enduring influence of Latin, a language whose legacy lives on in countless English words and phrases still used every day.
Visitors can now experience The Roman Baths through Florence’s Latin translation, narrated by Sir Stephen Fry, offering a unique new perspective on one of Bath’s most famous landmarks.
