Nos. 21-27 (Consec) and Attached Railings and Gates, Bath, Bath and North East Somerset

Description

GREAT PULTENEY STREET
(North side)

Nos.21-27 (Consec) and attached
railings and gates (Formerly
Listed as: GREAT PULTENEY STREET
(North side) Nos 1-10, 10A, 11-40
(consec))
12/06/50

GV I

Seven terrace houses. c1790. By Thomas Baldwin, John Eveleigh and other architects.
MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar, double pitched slate mansard roofs with dormers and moulded stacks to coped party walls, many with hand thrown chimneystacks.
PLAN: Double depth plans.
EXTERIOR: Three storeys, attics and basements, each house has three-window range. Continuous coped parapet, now partly removed, modillion cornice, frieze and fascia, moulded second and first floor sill string courses, six/six-pane sash windows. Ground floor platband moulded to base over chamfered rustication with radial voussoirs to flat arches, plinth, and raised and fielded panels to eight-panel doors to left with large overlights. Upper floors irregularly articulated by giant order of fluted Corinthian columns. No.21 to left stepped forward and pedimented. Semicircular arched window to centre of first floor has radial glazing bars and cornice on consoles with double festoon flanked by paterae to frieze. Three windows to ground floor. Left return in Sunderland Street has coped parapet. No cornice, second floor sill band, ground floor platband and banded pilasters to ground floor. To left-of-centre steps up to enclosed porch with dentil cornice, centre stepped forward under pediment. Clasping pilasters flank margin lights with wrought iron grilles, engaged columns with foliate capitals flank six-panel door and plain overlight. Six/six-pane sash windows above, tripartite windows to left, that to second floor has blind windows to each side, three blind windows to first and ground floor right. House was for sale unfinished in September 1794 following bankruptcy of developer, Messrs. Lowther. No.22 stepped back with quarter pilaster in angle and whole pilaster to right-of-centre. Pedimented first floor right hand window has paired pilasters with consoles and paterae to frieze flanking triple festoon. No.23 has pilaster to left-of-centre and semicircular timer glazing bars to overlight. No.24 has margin panes and beaded circular and quadrant glazing bars to overlight. No.25 has crown glass to cobweb fanlight within overlight. No.26 similar to No.25. No.27 similar to No.25 and has balconettes to first floor and quarter pilaster in angle to right.
INTERIORS: No. 21 inspected by Bath Council 1977. Red, cream and patterned ceramic tiled floor in hall. Stone staircase with modified balustrades and original narrow veneered handrail. Painted newel with unpainted ball finial. Fine architraving and marble fireplaces throughout. Original stairs with Victorian newel and banister with Doric newel. Fine Wedgewood plaque on half landing. Very fine fireplace with cherubs and reeding on second floor. No. 24 inspected by Bath Council 1981.Side board recess with elliptical arches, early C19 fireplace, original ceilings and early C19 console fireplace. Original stairs and square banisters and mahogany handrail. White Regency marble fireplaces on first floor. Original fireplaces third floor. No. 26 recorded by Bath Preservation Trust in the 1990¿s. Highly decorative gesso friezes and plaster cornices throughout the house. In the ground floor dining room is an original fireplace stripped, possibly Irish Georgian, stone and slate hearth and wooden mantle, green and white marble surround, cast iron grate decorated with cupid and a seated figure. There is a cantilevered stone staircase with inset stone treads and mahogany handrail, dogleg with open string, plain wooden banisters, two per tread, with random metal inserts. Decorative puddle iron casting banisters at the turn of stairs. In the hall there are flagstones with inset black diamonds. The ground floor parlour has the original painted wood fireplace decorated with musical instruments, Prince of Wales feathers, swags and garlands. Cast iron grate same period but inserted. Slate fillet, slate and stone hearth. First floor drawing room wall frieze of vases linked by festoons and ribbons with elliptical flower pattern between. In the1st floor drawing room the wooden fireplace was installed in the 1990¿s, possibly Irish Georgian. There are double connecting doors to the library where the painted wooden fireplace circa 1760/70 was installed in the 1990¿s. The central panel on the mantelpiece depicts a stag attacked by two hounds. In the second floor front bedroom the two main original doors have the lock boxes and sliding latches. On the landing is the original sixteen-panel wooden screen concealing the attic stairs. The moulding is the same as the bedroom door. No. 27 inspected by Bath Council 1972. White Sicilian marble fireplace, simple design with cupids either side. Stone cantilevered stairs, two square balustrades per tread. No. 29 original ceiling and fluted frieze with rosettes. Early C19 fanlight of patterned glass and engraved glass panels. Front room has original cornices and fluted chair rail. Rear room has stairs to first floor, Fine Victorian fireplace with lilies on first floor, original Georgian fireplace and hob grate on third floor front and very pretty fireplace to rear.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Terrace fronted by square-section railings with urn finials, vases above plinths and gates to basement areas. Some C19 boot scrapers.
HISTORY: Great Pulteney Street forms the principal element of the late C18 development of the Bathwick estate east of the River Avon. Laid out on an unusually generous scale, 100ft wide, it is one of the most imposing urban set-pieces of its day in Britain. Robert Adam prepared designs in 1782, but Thomas Baldwin was responsible for the eventual design. Leases were granted from 1788 but progress was delayed as a result of the building crash of the mid-1790s. No.21, formerly a school, was listed on 14th July 1955 and sub-divided into flats in 1980. No.27 was sub-divided in 1973.
SOURCES: (Ison W: The Georgian Buildings of Bath: Bath: 1980-: 164; Bath City Council planning files ).

Listing NGR: ST7548865158

External Links

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.