Such solidarity was needed, as the project - an intensely difficult one on this very tight site - took longer to build, with more hold-ups, than anyone expected. The final glitch concerned the quality of paint finishes to the pool basins, which delayed public opening still longer. But now it's there, assuming all the pipes and Jacuzzis work, the construction saga will be swiftly forgotten as such delays always are, and Bath will find itself with even more visitors, thanks to its latest stately attraction. There is something about those four massive columns with their mushroom heads, carrying all the immense weight of the structure and running right up through the building, that makes the new Bath Spa seem somehow rooted in history, with just a touch of the Roman triumphal gateway. As Grimshaw says of Bath in general: "It's a funny kind of place - but the grandeur, it's hard to beat."

Hence, presumably, choice of the Three Tenors to open it, a publicity stunt that worked admirably even though it went wrong. Everyone involved in the project had this cartoon vision of Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras all jumping into the rooftop pool simultaneously. A tsunami of hot mineral water would have engulfed Bath. Treasure the image. And in the fullness of time, absorb the pleasing implications of an architect of Grimshaw's calibre mixing it with the Georgians and Romans.