Description

RIVERS STREET
656-1/30/1411 (South side)
12/06/50 No.37 and attached railings

GV II

Terrace house, formerly end of terrace, now flats. 1770-1775.
Part of the Rivers Street development by John Wood the Younger.
MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar to front, rubble below basement windows, ashlar and rubble to rear. Welsh Slate parapeted mansard roof, hipped to left, with two ashlar stacks one axial rising from rear wall with some early clay pots to left end, coped verge at junction of roofs to centre, ashlar and rendered stack with early clay pots to right.
PLAN: House on long, shallow wedge-shaped site, becoming narrower to east; narrower eastern block stands hard on pavement; wider western part set back behind basement area; staircase to centre left.
EXTERIOR: Three storeys, attic and basement; irregular four-bay front. First floor has, to projecting left-hand block, four six/six-sashes, paired in centre, in ovolo moulded architraves with frieze and moulded cornice over and moulded stone sills on console brackets. Recessed right-hand block has a Venetian window in set back portion to right has similar sashes with fan glazing to head of centre window, three further fixed panes added below because of lowered sill with continuous wrought iron balconette; set within a splayed ovolo moulded architrave with frieze and moulded cornice over ramped up to form hood over centre window. Second floor has to left three six/six-sashes in ovolo moulded architraves with stone sills; right-hand block has a trio of window surrounds with similar architraves with continuous stone sills, but only the central opening is glazed with a six/six-sash: the flanking openings are blind. Ground floor has, to left block, three six/six-sashes in plain reveals with stone sills, the central pair coupled with a continuous sill; to right-hand side of projecting block is a six-panel door with flush, fielded and single glazed panel with three pennant steps, set within an enriched Doric doorcase with paterae to fluted frieze. Recessed right-hand block with Venetian window with six/six-sashes with fan glazing to head of centre window in splayed reveals with continuous stone sill.
Basement has to left three six/six-sashes in splayed reveals with stone sills, paired to centre left, with heads partially above ground level and gratings in pavement, to right to basement area two six/six-sashes in plain reveals with stone sills, door to centre with six unmoulded recessed panels set deep in plain reveal with one pennant step. Similar six-panel door to right side return of section of house to left, C20 area steps. One double dormer with six/six-sashes in moulded architrave. Band course over ground floor, modillion cornice and coped parapet.
Rear elevation partially visible: has a shallow canted full height bay to left, six/six-sashes and small C20 window to second floor.
INTERIOR: Not inspected.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Attached wrought iron railings and gate with C20 shaped heads on 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: ST7478965428

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26673764

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.

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