The Pump Room was a popular place in Bath and still is today. The thermal waters of Bath were a popular thing for people not only to bathe in but to drink, hence the name Bath. The water in Bath was thought to be healing, and people would come from around England to experience the healing waters. People would drink from the stream, and thus William Oliver (a doctor of the time) persuaded the city of Bath to build a building to shelter the drinkers. It was completed in 1706. The Pump Room became a popular place, not only to drink the waters but to promenade and walk with friends. Jane Austen describes the Pump Room in her novel Northanger Abbey as well as her novel Persuasion. It is described as a popular place there as well. People referred to attending the Pump Room as "taking the waters". It is interesting that they believed something was special about the waters of Bath, but indeed it might just be that people did not drink enough water at the time. We know now that water is healthy and important for everyone to drink, but they did not know much about it back then, so it makes sense that they thought a specific location's water was "magical". 

The location became a restaurant before World War II, and escaped damage from the air raids in 1942. It remained to be a restaurant and a popular one at that. To this day, it remains a cafe and a popular place to visit. It is also a popular place for weddings and other events. At the moment, it is closed due to COVID-19, but it still remains an important part of Bath's history.