Details
ST JAMES'S SQUARE
656-1/29/1551 (South side)
Nos.38-45 (Consec)
and attached railings
(Formerly Listed as
ST JAMES'S SQUARE
1-45 Consec))
12/06/50
GV I
Eight houses. c1790-1793. By John Palmer, No.38 built by Henry Street.
MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar to front, ashlar, rubble and coursed squared limestone to rear, double pile parapeted mansard roofs, Welsh slate with clay pantiles to some upper slopes to rear, ashlar stacks with some early clay pots to front and rear ranges.
EXTERIOR: Palace front forming south side of St James's Square, symmetrical composition with centre enriched by giant order of four Corinthian pilasters and triangular pediment, houses to left and right ends (Nos 38 and 45) with full height segmental bows with Venetian windows to first floor, flanked by single Corinthian pilasters. No.38 to left has single bay front. Nos 39-44 have three-bay fronts, No.45 to right has single bay front, No.38 has three-bay entrance front at angle to left side to St James's Street, No.45 has three-bay entrance front at angle to right side to Marlborough Street. Three storeys, attics and basements, twenty-bay range. Houses have plate glass sashes in plain reveals to first floor, two/two sashes to Nos 38 and 39, wrought iron balconettes to Nos 39, 41, 43, 44 and 45. Second floor has similar windows with stone sills, lowered to Nos 41 and 42, ground floor has similar windows with wrought iron balconettes to Nos 39 and 45. Six-panel doors with beaded, reeded and fielded panels in plain reveals, round headed to Nos 39, 41, 43 and 44, with decorative fanlights, No.39 incorporating lantern, No.42 has moulded architrave in flat shouldered surround and pediment on console brackets. Pennant paved crossover flush with pavement. Basements have glazing bar sashes in plain reveals with stone sills, variously infilled below crossovers, early area steps with wrought iron handrails to Nos 38, 42 and 45. Single and double dormers with plate glass and glazing bar sashes, to Nos 39 and 41-44 retaining moulded architraves. Moulded band course over ground floor, moulded sill band to first floor windows, moulded band course over first floor windows breaking upwards over round heads of centre and Venetian windows, frieze, moulded dentil eaves cornice and coped parapet. Corinthian pilasters to pedimented centre and flanking bows to left and right spring from moulded sill course to first floor windows. Left side to St James's Street (No.38) has C19 windows to first and second floors and centre, to centre with coloured glazed borders, blind windows to right. Mid C19 projecting painted ashlar doorcase to ground floor left has six-panel door with flush and fielded panels with single pane overlight in round headed opening with small round headed openings with stone sills to left and right, each with moulded archivolt with key-stone, to centre with incised numeral `38¿ springing from unmoulded impost, frieze and dentil cornice. 1926 timber shopfront, by Rolfe and Peto (qv No.37 St James's Square), to right has two plate glass windows with bordered glazing above transom, splayed to glazed door and overlight with bordered glazing to centre, console brackets flanking panelled fascia with gilded lettering `CHEMISTS/HAWES,WHISTON AND CO/PHARMACISTS¿ behind glass, dentil cornice with blind box. Hanging sign bracket, probably early C20, with sign with lettering `CHEMIST¿ painted behind glass. Band course over ground floor and sill band to first floor continued unmoulded from St James's Square, moulded eaves cornice. Right side to Marlborough Street (No.45) has six/six sashes, most with horns, and blind windows to first and second floors, similar sash and blind window to ground floor left and right, ashlar Ionic porch and crossover to centre has pair three-panel doors with reeded, fielded and glazed panels with narrow side lights with decorative intersecting glazing bars approached by four pennant steps, porch has fixed lights with bordered glazing to left and right sides, two ionic columns attached to front, entablature with fluted frieze, moulded cornice and blocking course. Band course over ground floor and sill band to first floor continue unmoulded from front, band course with C19 painted street name `MARLBOROUGH STREET¿, frieze, moulded eaves cornice and coped parapet. Rear elevations largely have C19 and C20 windows to upper floors, Nos 40 and 43 have early six/six sashes to second floor, lower floors not visible. Small one ½ storey ashlar extensions to rear of Nos 39 and 41 similar two ½ storey extension to No.43; No.42 has large full height C19 rear wing.
INTERIORS: Not inspected.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Attached wrought iron railings and gates with shaped heads on limestone bases, with crane to No.43.
HISTORY: Developed on land leased by Messrs. Fielder, King, Hewlett and Broom[e] from Sir Peter Rivers Gay, Lord of the Manor of Walcot, on 25 March 1790. The successor to Wood's Queen Square, St James's Square shows a development in town planning theory in that the diagonally set approach roads (St James's Street from south-east, Marlborough Street from south-west, Great Bedford Street from north-east and Park Street from north-west) form part of the overall conception, thus creating a more picturesque urban effect. Compare the contemporary Laura Place and Sydney Place [qqv] for other examples of this tendency. The underlease of No.38 was granted to Henry Street 18 September 1790 for 96 years from 24 June 1790.
SOURCES: Walter Ison, 'The Georgian Buildings of Bath' (2nd ed. 1980), 173-76; Bath City Archives, 'Abstract of title of Sir J F Rivers ... to property sold 1856': DEED PKT 2379 & MAPS.
Listing NGR: ST7446765560
