Most people know the story of how Mary Shelly came up with the idea in 1816 for her most famous book Frankenstein, often credited for being the first science fiction book. Mary Shelly (then Mary Godwin, she would marry Percy Bysshe Shelly later the same year in London) was with Percy Bysshe Shelly, her stepsister Claire Clairmont, Lord Byron and Dr John Polidori during the summer. The group were forced to stay indoors on a stormy night while on holiday near Lake Geneva at Villa Diodati, Switzerland. To amuse themselves, they told each other ghost stories they had created there.
What’s not so well known is that Mary Shelly came to Bath to live with Percy Bysshe Shelly and her stepsister Claire (who rented a house a short walk away) in late 1816 to early 1817 and wrote the majority of the first draft of her novel here. They lodged at number 5 Abbey Church Yard, which was demolished in the late 19th century to make way for the extension for the Pump Room.
During her time in Bath, Mary Shelly went to a number of scientific lectures just around the corner from where she lived in the Kingston Lecture Rooms, given by Dr Wilkinson. It was from these scientific lectures that Mary Shelly based her idea on how Frankenstein would bring his unnamed monster to life using electricity.
2018 was the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein and to celebrate a plaque was unveiled by Professor Sir Christopher Frayling and the then Chair of Bath and North East Somerset Council, Cllr Cherry Beath. The plaque is located in front of where the house the Shellys lodged in once stood. Interestingly, in the cellar beneath the plaque is an electricity substation.
Being a film fan and of sci-fi / horror films and literature like Frankenstein, being able to visit the place where Mary Shelly once lived and wrote the first draft of the novel and walk round the area where she attended the lectures on using electricity to bring things alive was fascinating!
If you’re in Bath and want to walk in the footsteps of Mary Shelly, Bristol-based theatre company Show of Strength has created an award-winning walking tour taking you around the Bath that Mary Shelly knew. See their website for more information: https://showofstrength.org.uk
I visited Mary Shelly’s House of Frankenstein, which is part museum and part immersive visitor experience and the first museum / visitor centre dedicated to Mary Shelly and Frankenstein in the world. It is spread over four floors and looks at the history of Marry and Percy Shelly (including their time in Bath), on the book Frankenstein and the multitude of creations based on the book. I really enjoyed finding out about her life and all the different films and other spin-offs based on her book that have been created. Be warned – the basement floor is only for those who are foolhardy or have a strong constitution, as this is the floor where the scares are kept! Those who enjoy escape rooms are in for a treat, as there are two to choose from: Victor’s Lair, which is in the attic, and The Shallows, which is in the basement floor. See their website for more information: https://houseoffrankenstein.com
