It was a weekend like no other.
Feeling adventurous with nothing much planned, a short break to the historical city of Bath sounded perfect.
But what we discovered on our trip, was that Bath city, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site, was host to a unique and sacred gem.
One barely known beyond the Ancient Roman-built Baths but is revered and widely celebrated by unified members of the Ethiopian and Rastafarian community in Britain today.
A guided tour of Fairfield House, the former residence of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I was led by historian Ras Benji, who said he was ‘humbled and honoured’ to serve at the Emperor’s house.
As we explored the six-bedroom Victorian Italianate villa, we discovered what it was like for a ‘remarkable African royal figure’ to live in a foreign but welcoming community, following exile from his beloved homeland 90 years ago today.
How Bath City welcomed an Ethiopian Emperor
The City of Bath was no stranger to famous historical residents.
During the 19th the century, the acclaimed English novelist, Jane Austen, famously graced the city for five well documented years and is still celebrated in the city today. According to the National Trust, she attended balls at Bath Assembly Rooms both regularly and enthusiastically.
Other notable names from past include Britain’s youngest prime minister William Pitt the Younger, who resided in Bath between 1801 and 1804, and the British politician William Wilberforce who was an instrumental figure in the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 and resided at multiple locations across the city.
But many years later, Bath extended an exceptional warm welcome to the Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie I, after he sought refuge in the city following the Italian invasion of his homeland in 1936.
I was amazed at how well documented the Emperor’s story was at Fairfield House.
A testament to the continued effort of activists and members of the Ethiopian and Rastafarian community to preserve and promote a rare narrative -a distinctive and wonderful portion of 20th-century British history.
I arrived not knowing what to expect.
But there was an elevated sense of embrace as I entered the grounds of Fairfield House. It felt spiritual. As the green grass surrounded me and the Rastafari flag featuring the Lion of Judah stood proud, I knew I was somewhere special, important and historical.
On entering the six-bedroom Victorian Italianate villa, the smell of home-cooked, traditional food instantly triggered my imagination, and I began to visualise what day-to-day life was like for an Ethiopian royal family to live here in Bath.
Although London was the Emperor’s first port of call for residency after his monumental arrival at the port of Southampton where he was met with ‘jubilant cheers’, British officials in London didn’t displace much warmth towards him because they feared of upsetting the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini who illegally occupied Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941.
To add insult to injury, when the emperor appealed to the League of Nations to defend his country Ethiopia against Italy’s chemical attacks, although the British government were sympathetic to his plight, his words were seen as an embarrassment and officials considered the emperor’s pleas for justice an obstacle to them warming ties with the Italian dictator.
Unbeknown to the emperor, and to his country’s detriment, the Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin’s government were actively pursuing a policy of appeasement with Italy, in hopes of maintaining peace in Europe.
With this intense wave of political hostility, It soon became clear that the ‘great’ City of London was no place for the Ethiopian royal family to settle and call home. And the emperor was discreetly ushered away from the City of London and ordered to ‘go out to the provinces’, where a place of solace was found for him in the Roman City of Bath.
Bath provided safe haven for Emperor Haile Selassie and promised the therapeutic environment much-needed for a war distressed king.
The Emperor used the Roman Baths to primarily heal burns and injuries obtained by Italian chemical weapons during the war, the spa’s healing waters offered him vital rest and mental clarity.
It’s hard to imagine the personal challenges that the Emperor faced during his five years stay in Bath. It’s understood that he faced financial hardship after arriving in the UK with limited funds, having to support many members of the royal household.
In his book Imperial Exile: Emperor Haile Selassie in Britain (1936–40) Keith Bowers, spoke of the generous neighbours who arranged deliveries of coal for heating during the blistering winter months so the family’s new home at Fairfield House would be kept warm and cosy.
But while I was particularly keen to find out more about the family’s personal hardship, and how the Emperor balanced life between the UK and international affairs back home, with the family receiving frequent tragic news, I was also intrigued to find out about local attitudes towards ethnic communities during this period.
Bearing in mind that in 1936 there was no anti-discrimination legislation in the UK, making public harassment and racism, wrong but in the eyes of the law- perfectly legal until the Race Relations Act 1965 was passed.
Despite this racial assertion, we learn that the local people of Bath welcomed the Emperor and his royal family with warmth and compassion and as mentioned previously, did many kind-hearted things to support the Ethiopian household and to make their time in the city as comfortable as possible.
“The Emperor was welcomed into the city of Bath with open arms and really cared for by the local people. He was shown such kindness.” said Ras Benji.
The city’s friendly atmosphere also created a happy place for the Emperor’s young children, who assimilated well into the British way of live whilst not forgetting their African roots.
The Emperor was often draped in a magnificent black robe, adorned with medals of honour, and rarely went unnoticed when out and about on his daily walks to the River Avon with his pet Chihuahua named Lulu. And it was said that local people displayed elated affection when he was spotted, with cheering crowds and traffic jams gathering to have a sneak peek at His Majesty.
History
The King of Kings, left Bath in 1941 to return to his beloved homeland- but certainly didn’t forget about the compassionate city that supported him through turbulent times.
And during a celebrated state visit in 1954, he stayed at Fairfield House and was once again greeted enthusiastically by the local people as they gathered at the gates of Fairfield to cheer him. It was during this visit, sadly his last, that the Emperor was awarded the Freedom of the City in the Guildhall.
In 1958, His Imperial Majesty lovingly decided to gift Fairfield house to the city of Bath for use as a home for the aged and other benevolent purposes. Today the house is utilised by Bath’s diverse community who run a day service for local elderly residents and other social events.
90 years ago today, Haile Selassie I, left the city of bath. His legacy is still alive and widely celebrated. The Emperor was one of the most famous working leaders in the 20th century and his teaching still has a very positive influence today.
Speaking of what Fairfield House represents today, Ras Benji said: “the house represents a special positive relationship with the African continent. It represents human attributes, like kindness, compassion, welcome, sympathy,
“But it also includes lots of different communities that use the building. The local community and the elderly people of Bath, which encompass Caribbean, Chinese, African, Indian, elderly members, and European elderly members, and then the Ethiopian community as well.” He added.
If you’d like to visit Fairfield House and experience this informative and insightful tour, exploring a museum of rooms with historical, spiritual and cultural significance, while you walk in the footsteps of a famous Ethiopian Emperor, sign up for a guided tour at https://www.fairfieldhousebath.co.uk/
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