Bath

This 719 piece, non-interlocking plywood jigsaw puzzle, formed part of the stock of the library in the 1960s before being retired. It features a superb piece of artwork which has its roots in the world of transport posters. The original "British Railways" poster promoted Bath as "The Georgian City" and the branding indicates a c1948-1965 issue date, after which the company name was shortened to that of "British Rail".

A companion poster, featuring a Georgian scene in front of Bath Abbey carried the signature of the British artist Gordon Nicoll (1888-1959), who is now known to have created this artwork also, in 1956, from information available at the Science Museum Group.
The puzzle itself has been carefully outline cut from the full poster creating effective irregular edges on the left and right sides.

I took this puzzle in its unassembled state to our BCD quarterly meeting at Chippenham in September 2025, where the chosen meeting theme of "London to Bristol" seemed to suit this example. Given the large size of the pieces, I naively expected it to come together successfully during the day. Wrong!! Lots of other puzzles, plus many fellow puzzle enthusiast to talk to, along with a wide selection of sales puzzles, all contrived to make the task too difficult. It therefore returned home with me to complete. I hope you enjoy the finished result!

Artist: Nicoll, Gordon
Date: 1960's
Brand: BJPL
Material: 3-ply wood
Nationality: British
Number: 1232
Pieces: 719
Size: 23 1/2" x 29 3/4"
Theme: Famous People
Title: Bath