Athole Guest House, Bath – Fielding

Henry Fielding

(1707 – 1754) was one of the greatest novelists and dramatists in the English language. His greatest work was Tom Jones (1749), a picaresque novel telling the convoluted and hilarious tale of how a foundling came into a fortune.

Aside from his literary achievements, he has a significant place in the history of law-enforcement, having founded what some have called London's first police force, the Bow Street Runners.

He lived for some time at Twerton (now part of Bath) where he is believed to have written part of Tom Jones. The house, long known as “Fielding’s Lodge”, was destroyed in the 20th century to make room for “improvements”.

His sister Sarah was also a novelist and lived at Widcombe Lodge in the village of Widcombe, now part of Bath, a short walking distance from the centre of the city, and well worth a visit. A bronze tablet unveiled by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in June 1906 records the fact that Sarah and Henry Fielding stayed there.

Fielding often stayed with his sister, and was frequently a guest at Prior Park, Ralph Allen’s stately mansion nearby. Ralph Allen later formed the basis of Squire Allworthy in Tom Jones. After Fielding's death, Allen provided for the education and support of Fielding’s children.