Designed by John Wood the Younger in 1769, at a time when Bath and its spa were becoming fashionable among polite society, the Assembly Rooms were both a meeting place and a venue for public functions. Bombed in 1942, they were subsequently restored and are now let to Bath & North East Somerset Council, which has its Museum of Costume in the basement. What’s new in 2004: ‘Behind the scenes’ events programme in August