Nos 1-19 (Consec) Prior Park Buildings

Details

PRIOR PARK ROAD 656-1/42/1291 (West side) Nos 1-19 (consec) Prior Park Buildings 14/07/55

GV II

Nineteen units forming a palace-fronted terrace. c1825. Attributed to John Pinch. MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar, slate or concrete tile roofs. EXTERIOR: Three storeys and attics, each house with two windows, Nos 1-10 with door to right, and Nos 11-19, doors to left. Windows are all sashes, mainly twelve-pane, but without bars to Nos 2, 4, 11, 13, 14, 18 and 19, to second floor of No.5, and ground floor, No.15. At first floor each pair of sashes has decorative iron balcony railing, mainly with intersecting palmette motif, on brackets and grille floor, and at second floor continuous sill band. Doors are fielded six-panel under deep transom light. Ground floor channelled, with channelled voussoirs to door and window, below platband, inscribed, in fine Roman lettering at right hand end on No.1, `PRIOR PARK BUILDINGS', and first floor windows to end pavilions and centre unit in shallow sunk arched panels, blank panel corresponding with door between Nos 10 and 11 to balance composition. Lintel, frieze, blocking course and parapet run full width, wide centre tympanum has large tripartite oval oculus flanked by small sashes, and backed by attic. Right hand return has gable with sixteen-pane sash, with blind windows below, and six-panel door with transom light to right in deep reveals with incised pilaster surround, and single storey addition with swept coping to flight of steps to former door. Left hand end rendered and painted, with five windows, and cornice and string courses are returned to both ends. Rear also in ashlar, to eaves, but with parapet to No.19. Various dormers above sashes, many of these twelve-pane, some small single storey wings, and full height flat roofed wing to No.19. At party divisions deep ashlar ridge stacks. INTERIORS: Not inspected. That of No.8 recorded by Bath Preservation Trust survey of interiors. This reports presence of two room per floor plan, with staircase at rear. Cantilevered stone staircase with mainly wooden rails, mahogany hand rail. Ground floor front, dining room: reeded architraves to doors and windows, grey and white marble fireplace, leaf and trellis plaster cornice. Drawing room to first floor front with reeded architraves to interconnecting doors and windows; grey and white marble fireplace with reeded surround; scrolled foliate cornice; room to rear with similar features. Bedrooms on upper floors with wooden reeded fireplace surrounds, cast iron hob grate to second floor back room; moulded plaster cornices. Interior of No.12 recorded by Bath Preservation Trust survey of interiors. Two rooms per floor. Stone stairs up to second floor with plain wooden rails (every sixth one is iron), turned double baluster newel post at foot. Dining room to ground floor front with guilloche ceiling frieze, moulded door and window architraves, six-panel door. Interior of No.13. 1826, by John Pinch the Elder. Interior recorded by Bath Preservation Trust survey of interiors. Two rooms per floor. Cantilevered stone stairs with plain wooden rails (every sixth one is iron), mahogany hand rail. Dining room to ground floor front with reeded architraves to doors and windows, ceiling cornice with grapes and corn, wooden surround to cast iron grate. Drawing room to first floor front with floral trellis cornice, black and white marble chimneypiece, reeded architraves to windows and doors repeated in room to rear. Reeded ceiling cornices, four-panel doors, cupboards flanking stone fireplaces to upper floor rooms. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: A number of the doors retain their original fanlights, with projecting lanterns. Service road runs parallel with rear of terrace, with access roads at either end. Entire terrace is set up on bank above the road, with a channelled Mill Stream set within stone basin, with plain railings. HISTORY: One of the later Georgian terraces of Bath, built as part of the south-eastern expansion of the city, and taking full advantage of its raised position to command a fine northerly prospect over as-then undeveloped Widcombe. The channelled stream in front is an unusual and effective device, emphasising the monumental linearity of the composition. SOURCES: Walter Ison, 'The Georgian Buildings of Bath' (2nd ed. 1980), 192-94); Robert Bennett, `The Last of the Georgian Architects of Bath¿, Bath History IX (2002), 99.

Listing NGR: ST7554764069

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509891

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LBS

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