Details
BATHWICK HILL
(North side)
Bathwick Hill House
11/08/72
GV II*
Detached Greek Revival villa. c1825, probably by H.E. Goodridge.
MATERIALS: Ashlar, slate roof.
PLAN: Square plan, with broad portico entrance on the north side to a symmetrical layout with central transverse staircase, and south front with recessed centre.
EXTERIOR: Two storeys and basement. Each front is three bays wide. The centre of the northern, entrance, front has a wide three pane casement set high, above a truncated sash with radial fanlight and margin lights, set to a recessed arch with archivolt and impost band; to the left is a small inserted casement. The ground floor has a wide tetra style portico with composite palmette capitals and plain pilaster responds, to a flat entablature, over a wide doorway with lintel carried on bold decorative scroll consoles, with a pair of three panel fielded doors and sidelights. To each side is a balustrade, returned to the front of the main range in quadrants, and extended left with an opening to a flight of steps; in the deep areas are twelve pane sashes, and under the portico landing is a pair of doors, with a small oculus in the main wall to the left. There are broad but shallow quoin and central pilasters defining the three bays, the ground floor arched sashes have a thin impost band, and the mid band is carried across the outer bays. The pilasters rise to a deep plain eaves band, and the small stone eaves mould has paired square brackets over each pilaster. Rising above the centre bay is a wide and tall chimneystack treated as an attic course on a base, with sunk centre panel, to slight moulded capping, and with flues contained each side. On each of three are prominent stacks boldly treated as secondary attics with square columns to sides. The roof is low-pitched, hipped, and with central area containing lantern to the staircase. The south front is the principal elevation, facing onto the street. It has 12 pane sashes in moulded architraves to the first floor, in a set back square panel, with a central cast iron balustrade with three rosettes, to free-standing end dies; set back to the centre, on a stone-balustraded balcony, is a pair of small-pane French doors, also with architrave. The ground floor has very deep six/nine pane sashes with margin lights, that to the left glazed but blind, and with a small moulded impost band returned to the reveals and stopped to flat pilasters. The central bay has a pair of glazed doors on two stone steps and landing, under a large square transom light with decorative bars, set back from a pair of fluted columns in antis, with palmette capitals, plain responds, and deep plain architrave. There is a slight plinth, and pilasters, frieze and eaves are detailed as the entrance side. The right (east) return has a small two storey later extension, and the main range has three twelve pane, above a large twelve pane and an inserted twelve pane; there is a basement grille with curved bars above two large sixteen pane sash. The opposite end has twelve pane above large twelve pane, with basement grilles above sashes. Both returned ends have broad shallow quoin pilasters, a small plinth, frieze and mould above the ground floor lights, and small moulded sill band to the first floor, with eaves detail as the remainder. Central to each of these fronts is a broad attic stack similar to that to the entrance front.
INTERIOR: The ground floor only inspected. The lobby and broad entrance hall are on geometric coloured tile floors, and the main stair has painted stone treads with returned nosings, and cast iron paired balusters with anthemion and rosette motifs to a swept mahogany rail. All doors are original five panelled, including a curved door, left, to the dining room. The central small ante-room to the south has a shallow segmental vault with delicate plaster enrichment. To the left of the entry is the dining room, with inner corners radiused, and to the right the drawing room has radiused corners at the outer end, with deep plain niches. Fireplaces in both these rooms are probably late replacements. Shallow plaster cornices may have been modified. On the north side is a near-square room each side of the entry.
HISTORY: This is one of the finest Greek Revival houses in Bath, and was very probably designed by the young Goodridge, before he travelled to Italy, after which he designed in a more Italianate manner. The austere masonry, bold forms, and fine decorative detail of the south front in particular clearly reflect the spirit of the Greek Revival, and of Goodridge¿s mastery of building in stone.
SOURCE: 1972 sales particulars in the National Monument Record.
Listing NGR: ST7658564411
