Description

ROYAL LEAMINGTON SPA

1208-1/0/10018 SPENCER STREET
15-AUG-06 Bath Assembly Rooms

II
Dance hall and shop premises designed by Horace Bradley.1926. Red Flemish bond brick and stone with concrete tile roof. Two and three storey. The two storey dance hall is at first floor level above the shop space.

Exterior: The entrance front has a taller, symmetrical portion of three bays at left which has a wide, recessed opening to the ground floor with a fascia above. At left is a portion of later-C20 mosaic tiling, and at right are the half-glazed panelled doors of the dance hall beneath an awning hung from suspension-brackets. To the upper levels there is a prominent architectural display with an ashlar centrepiece which has a recessed triple-window at the centre with a large fanlight, leading out to a bowed balcony with metal balustrade. At either side are tall, shell-headed niches. Heavy brackets support a deep cornice which rises in an arch over the fanlight. Above this centre portion the parapet is also arched and has lettering in relief "THE BATH ASSEMBLY". Below the fanlight is further lettering in relief "1926. HALL . EST". At the apex of the façade is a figure of a classically draped young woman with raised arms, perhaps representing Terpsichore. At either side of this central bay are panels of brickwork with oculus windows and large projecting lanterns. To the right of this is a lower portion of the front of two storeys with two doors and a shop window to the ground floor and two casements with arched heads and blank tympana to the first floor.

Interior: The interior is little altered. The panelled entrance lobby has a cash desk and niche. From this a wider staircase with terrazzo paving and chequered borders leads up to the dance floor at first floor level. This has a balcony at the north, street end and an apsidal stage or band stand at the opposite end. The room has the original sprung floor and there is parquet flooring to the balcony area. The sitting-out areas at either side of the dance floor take the form of large, segmental apses with plaster friezes of putti to their upper walls. The decoration, which all appears to be original, has lion's head masks and Greek-key ornament and there is a barrel-vault over the central space. The triple-light and oculus windows to the sides all have some panels of stained glass, as does the large fanlight at the north, street end.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: As a building type the dance hall flourished in the inter-war period of the C20 and survived through to the 1950s and early 1960s. Cultural changes have meant that the great majority have been demolished or considerably altered when adapted for other purposes. This example, with its boisterous classical decoration, expressed inside and out, survives in a highly intact state. Its façade mirrors the decorative style of the interior which has an integrated and fluid plan.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26671084

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014