Paul Interview

Here is the third instalment of the interviews I'm posting on this blog. This interview is with the lovely Paul who is a retired maintenance worker from Bath. Hope you enjoy! 

  

So, tell me a bit about yourself and what you do in Bath?

 My name's Paul and I worked as a maintenance worker in Bath for 30 years before retiring last summer. I started working when I was 18 but just in factories and manual labour sorts of thing. But then I started working for private maintenance companies and found my groove a bit more. I grew up in Bath, in Lansdown. I feel like I know the city pretty well! But then again, I suppose it's changed a lot over the years! 

 What kind of maintenance work did you do? 

 I was a street cleaner for about 10 years in central Bath. Then I worked in various schools and offices around the city, cleaning, rubbish disposal etc. My favourite job was cleaning the streets in the centre of town. I'm a bit of a nosey person and I loved being a fly on the wall while people are going about their day. I write songs and poems in my head and I always found the people around the city, the hustle and bustle really inspired me- yeah. 

 Did people ever take notice of you while you worked? Was anyone ever rude or unkind? 

 Yeah, I mean you get the nasty people of course. Most of the time people were ok and mostly I think people try to avoid your gaze. A lot of homeless people probably get this too, but people tend to try to not look to avoid awkwardness. A lot of the nicest people I met were the tourists, whenever I would clean by the baths, I would get a lot of tourists asking me for directions and chatting to me. That was nice and as someone who knows the city well, I could always give them tips they wouldn't get in a travel guide you know? 

 Speaking of which, what parts of Bath that are usually overlooked my tourists would you recommend the most from the city? 

 Oh! Well, my first instinct is to tell you all about the pubs haha! But no, there are lots of lovely areas around Bath that people don't see. I do think that if you visit the city you shouldn't just look at the central posh areas. The hare and hound pub which is at the top of Sion Hill is lovely, great views. It is a bit out of the way but you can get a bus up there. Also, the farm is a lovely break from the city up near Southdown. That's near where I grew up and it's a lovely spot. You can see a lot of the city from up there. And also, the Sydney Gardens which is in the Holburne museum! I proposed to my wife there and so she'd kill me if I didn't include it!  

 How important do you think it is to visit these smaller/ lesser-known places? Especially as a tourist?  

 I think it's so important! If you visit a place and only see the places and things on a tourist leaflet you might as well have not come! Do you know what I mean? I think it's silly to do that so yeah, I recommend you do your research before you travel anywhere, try to get inside information from people who've lived in that city and they'll be able to tell you about cool, smaller known places. When you visit things like that you get a completely different flavour of the city and your trip is so much more memorable!  

 Do you think Bath is a good place to live? How do you feel about the overpopulation of students? 

 I think Bath is great. I did get a bit frustrated when I was a younger lad as the nightlife wasn't great. My kids say it's still not! But I feel like I've appreciated the city at different stages of my life for different reasons. Now that I'm older and I'm retired I love going on walks in different parts of the city. There are parts of the city that are really serene and calm and I like that. I do think there is a divide between older people and students in the city and I do understand that. I personally don't have a problem with the students here, as long as they're learning! I don't think any city should be closed off to people. I welcome tourism and students definitely! I think if people make an effort to meld into a city and fit in, and if they support local businesses and explore the city beyond just what you see on the telly then that's fine by me! 

 In terms of art and culture do you think Bath remains an old-fashioned city or is it modernising? 

 I think it's modernising! At least it's felt like it over the last 30 years haha! It's always going to have a certain level of old-fashioned style and culture because it's a city very much based on architecture and history but I don't think that means the city can't still have modern elements!  

 Do you feel in any way that you're an underrepresented voice in Bath? 

 Not me personally. I'm white and an older man and I mean I've never struggled to live here or feel at home and that tells you something. I do think being a cleaner I've been able to see what people can be like when they don't have to talk to someone. Like if they aren't being forced to have a conversation or if that other person can't benefit them then it's very easy for people to just switch off. Being a cleaner has meant I've seen how some people get treated and how easily dismissed some people have been in this city. So, I think it's important to really look around when you visit the city, talk to people, smile and be kind.  

  

Thanks, so much Paul! For a really thoughtful and lovely interview!