Details
RUSSELL STREET
656-1/30/1446 (West side)
No.2 and attached railings
(Formerly Listed as:
RUSSELL STREET
Nos.1-18 (Consec))
12/06/50
GV II
House, now serviced flats. c1771-1773. Architect: John Wood the Younger.
MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar to front, rubble to plinth to basement, ashlar and rubble to rear, parapeted mansard roof covered in Welsh slate, single pile to left, double pile to right with hip to rear left, ashlar stacks on coped party walls to left and right and to rear right, disused flue at angle of two ranges of building to rear.
EXTERIOR: Three storeys, attic and basement; tripartite windows to left, standard three-bay elevation to right. First floor has to left Venetian window with plate glass sashes in plain reveals with continuous stone sill, to right three two-light casements with tilting opening light over in splayed ovolo moulded architraves with friezes and cornices and lowered moulded stone sills on cut down console brackets. Second floor has to left three grouped four/four, six/six, four/four sashes in plain reveals with continuous stone sill, to right three six/six sashes in ovolo moulded architraves with stone sills. Ground floor has to left Venetian window with plate glass sashes in splayed reveals with continuous stone sill, to right two two-light timber casements with tilting opening light over in splayed reveals with stone sills, to centre eight-panel door with fielded and glazed panels with one Pennant step in cyma moulded architrave in flat surround with heavy console brackets supporting moulded cornice forming hood over, one step to Pennant paved crossover with pair of wrought iron footscrapers. Basement has to left three grouped four/four, six/six, four/four sashes in plain reveals with continuous stone sill, plank door with overlight in boarded infilling under crossover, area steps largely rebuilt C20. Basement has to right two six/six-sashes in plain reveals with stone sills, two unmoulded six-panel doors under crossover. Two double dormers with six/six-sashes. Band course over ground floor, modillion eaves cornice and coped parapet. Lead hopperhead and downpipe attached to left shared with The Regina (qv). Rear elevation has eight/eight-sash to ground floor left, nine/six-sash with wrought iron balconette to first half-landing of staircase. Other sashes horned with and without glazing bars, segmental headed overlight to half-landing of basement staircase above roof of small extension with circular window to basement, rendered cantilevered lavatory extension off second half-landing. Stone surround to fireplace in former extension, now demolished, at angle of two buildings. Traces of white and deep brown limewash to left, brown to full height on ashlar of staircase.
INTERIOR: Staircase: Timber, dog-leg staircase with shaped cheek pieces, three turned balusters to tread, mahogany grip handrail. Hall arch has fluted pilasters, enriched timber architrave and panelled timber soffit. Acanthus leaf decoration to coved cornice to outer hall. Ground floor, front left: C19 fireplace; dado panelling; enriched modillion cornice, fat ovolo-architraves, six-panel door. Ground floor, front right: Stone and timber fireplace with frieze and cornice removed and shelf replaced on architrave, C19 grate, plaster panels with rope moulding to walls, swag frieze to moulded cornice. Chimney breast cupboard to left has dumb waiter inserted, to right key pattern impost band to round headed alcove. Cyma moulded double architraves in this room with six-panel doors and to hall.
HISTORY: Russell Street was developed by John Wood in conjunction with Assembly Rooms and east end of Rivers Street on part of Holdstock's Garden or Russell's Close bought by Wood and Andrew Sproule, his trustee from Thomas and Daniel Omer 30 December 1768. William Wilberforce lived in this house in 1832, the year before he died.
SOURCES: Bath City Record Office, Deed Packet: 2382A 15 RUSSELL ST; T. Thorp T, `Plan of the Parish of Walcot ... Surveyed for - Gay Esq 1740¿; Walter Ison, `The Georgian Buildings of Bath¿ ((2nd ed. 1980), 156.
Listing NGR: ST7483465376
