Description

656-1/30/1403

RIVERS STREET (North side)
No.30 Albany House and attached railings

(Formerly Listed as: RIVERS STREET (North side) No.16. Nos 17-31 (consec)))

12/06/50

GV
II
Terrace house, now flats. 1770-1775. Part of the Rivers Street development by John Wood the Younger.

MATERIALS: limestone ashlar to front, ashlar and rubble to rear, parapeted mansard roof, double pile to left, artificial slate, with coped party wall to left with two ashlar stacks with some early clay pots, coped wall to centre where double depth plan becomes single depth, single large ashlar stack, with early clay pots to right shared with No.31 Rivers Street (qv).

PLAN: house on wedge shaped site narrowing to right: double depth to left, single depth plan to right with canted bay.

EXTERIOR: house situated at the top of Russell Street and has a full-height canted bay axially aligned on Russell Street, forming a terminal feature. Three storeys, attic and basement, five-window front. First floor has to left six/six-sash with three fixed panes added below in ovolo moulded architrave with frieze and cornice and lowered moulded stone sill on console brackets, to centre left six/six-sash in similar architrave with frieze and cornice, moulded stone sill on console brackets. Bay to right has three six/nine-sashes in similar architraves with friezes and cornices and lowered moulded stone sills on console brackets. First floor has five six/six-sashes in ovolo moulded architraves with stone sills. Ground floor has, to left, three grouped four/four, six/six, four/four-sashes in chamfered reveals with continuous stone sill; in bay to right three six/six-sashes in chamfered reveals with stone sills, that to centre three fixed panes added below sash and lowered sill. To centre left, a six-panel door with flush reeded, fielded and single glazed panel with two pennant steps in pedimented Doric doorcase, three steps to pennant paved crossover.

Basement has, to left, two six/six-sashes in chamfered reveals with continuous stone sill with wrought iron window bars with shaped heads, plank door with wrought iron knocker and C19 timber architrave in ashlar infilling under crossover, limestone area steps with slate insets and wrought iron handrail; basement to right has four-panel door with five-pane overlight infilling under crossover, two six/six-sashes with chamfered reveals with wrought iron window bars with shaped heads to left and right of bay. Two double and one single dormer with six/six-sashes. Band course over ground floor continuous with Nos 28 and 29 Rivers Street, with incised street name RIVER'S-STREET (conserved c1985) to centre of bay; modillion cornice continuous with Nos. 28, 29 and 31 Rivers Street. Lead downpipe to centre left. Rear elevation has six/six-sashes, two small extensions to ground floor.

INTERIOR: not inspected.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: attached wrought iron railings and gate with shaped heads on painted limestone bases.

HISTORY: Rivers Street was developed by John Wood the Younger on three parcels of land: Nos. 1-11 constructed in conjunction with Catharine Place on ground conveyed on perpetual leasehold from Sir Benet Garrard to Wood and Brock as his trustee 19/20 December 1766. Nos. 16-28 and 36-47 Rivers Street with areas behind Nos. 46 and 47 on ground conveyed from Rivers Estate (owned by Sir Peter Rivers Gay) to Wood 5 March 1768 for 99 years. Nos. 28-35 Rivers Street were constructed in conjunction with Russell Street on ground bought by John Wood and Andrew Sproule as his trustee from Thomas and Daniel Omer 30 December 1768 on perpetual freehold rents. The strip of ground on which Nos 12-15 and 48-50 Rivers Street were constructed was probably never acquired by Wood. The sites of Nos. 12-15 were conveyed from the Rivers Estate to Thomas and James Beale on 30 December 1774 and 16 October 1776 on perpetual freehold rents.

A number of different Bath builders were responsible for implementing Wood's overall design, re Ison.

SOURCES: Building leases and rate books; Walter Ison, The Georgian Buildings of Bath (2nd ed. 1980), 233.

Listing NGR: ST7482865451

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26673756

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

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  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
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