20 and 21 Rivers Street and attached railings and vaults
20 and 21, Rivers Street
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1394692
- Date first listed:
- 12-Jun-1950
- List Entry Name:
- 20 and 21 Rivers Street and attached railings and vaults
- Statutory Address:
- 20 and 21, Rivers Street
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1394692
- Date first listed:
- 12-Jun-1950
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 15-Oct-2010
- List Entry Name:
- 20 and 21 Rivers Street and attached railings and vaults
- Statutory Address 1:
- 20 and 21, Rivers Street
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- 20 and 21, Rivers Street
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Bath and North East Somerset (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- ST 74762 65456
Details
656-1/30/1394
RIVERS STREET (North side)
Nos. 20 and 21 and attached railings and vaults
(Formerly Listed as: RIVERS STREET (North side) No.16. Nos 17-31 (consec))
12/06/50
GV
II
Two terrace houses, now laterally converted into flats. 1768-1770 with C19 and C20 additions. Part of the Rivers Street development by John Wood the Younger.
MATERIALS: limestone ashlar to front, rubble below basement windows to left (No.20), rubble plinth to basement to right (No.21), rubble to rear to left (No.20), ashlar and rubble to rear to right (No.21). Both houses have double pile parapeted mansard roof, Welsh slate to front and rear, with two rebuilt ashlar stacks rising from coped party wall to left of each house.
EXTERIOR: each house has three storeys, attic and basement, behind a three-window front. First floor has six plate glass horned sashes in splayed ovolo moulded architraves rising from lowered moulded stone sills on consoles and with friezes and cornices, small C19 cast iron window boxes to right hand window to each house. Second floor has six plate glass horned sashes in ovolo moulded architraves rising from stone sills. Ground floor has, to left of each house, two plate glass horned sashes in splayed reveals with stone sills, to right of each house six-panel door; that to left (No.20) with flush reeded and three glazed panels with etched glass and C18 lion's mask knocker with one pennant step in enriched pedimented Doric doorcase, two steps to crossover paved with large pennant slabs with pair of C19 cast iron foot-scrapers; the house to right, (No.21), has a front door with flush and four glazed panels with similar etched glass with one pennant step in pedimented Doric doorcase, two steps to pennant-paved crossover with C19 cast iron footscraper. Basements have two six/six-sashes in plain reveals with stone sills to each house; to left (No.20), plank door with three-pane overlight in ashlar infilling under crossover, one plank door and one window opening to vaults; to right (No.21), panelled door partially visible under crossover, two plank doors and two glazed window openings to vaults, to left (No.20), limestone area steps with wrought iron handrail, to right (No.21), C20 area steps. Each house has band course over ground floor, continuous modillion cornice and coped parapet. Shared lead downpipe to centre.
Rear elevations partially visible have small plate glass sash to second floor left (No.20), eight/eight-sash to second floor right (No.21) and small tilting window, each house has double dormer with six/six-sashes.
INTERIORS: not inspected.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Each house has attached wrought iron railings and gate with 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. Strip of ground on which Nos 12-15 and 48-50 Rivers Street constructed probably never acquired by Wood. Sites of Nos. 12-15 were conveyed from 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: ST7476265456
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 510096
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 25-Jun-2026 at 10:29:17.
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All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.