Let me take you back to the 18th century, a time when Bath was the height of fashion and the place to be seen for the great and the good of society. It was a time when the city was a hub of activity, with people flocking from all over the country to experience the healing waters of its famous spa. And at the heart of it all was Pulteney Bridge.

The bridge was the brainchild of William Pulteney, a wealthy landowner and politician who saw an opportunity to cash in on the booming spa trade. He commissioned the renowned architect Robert Adam to design a bridge that would be both functional and beautiful, and what a masterpiece it turned out to be.

With its arches spanning the width of the river, Pulteney Bridge was a marvel of engineering, but it was the shops that lined its sides that really made it stand out. These were no ordinary shops, mind you, but elegant arcades that sold everything from fine china to exotic spices. It was like nothing that had ever been seen before in England.

But as with all great stories, there was a dark side to Pulteney Bridge. You see, the bridge was built on a site that had once been a monastery, and there were whispers that it was cursed. People claimed that they could hear ghostly chanting echoing across the water at night, and that strange shadows would dance along the walls of the bridge. Some even said that they had seen the ghost of a monk wandering the arcades, his face twisted in agony.

Of course, these were just rumours, but they added to the mystique of Pulteney Bridge and made it all the more fascinating to the people of Bath. It became a place where locals and tourists alike would go to see and be seen, to shop and gossip, and to catch a glimpse of the supernatural.

And so it went on for centuries, with Pulteney Bridge standing firm through wars and revolutions, through boom times and busts. It was a symbol of the city, a testament to its wealth and power, and a reminder of its past.

Today, Pulteney Bridge still stands tall, a testament to the ingenuity of its builders and the spirit of its people. It is a place where history and modernity meet, where ghosts and reality collide, and where the beauty of the past lives on for all to see. And it is a story that I, for one, shall never tire of telling.