Former St John's Hospital (including Chapel Court House)

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CHAPEL COURT
Former St John's Hospital (including Chapel Court House)

(Formerly listed as St John's Hospital (including Chapel Court House))

12/06/50

GV
I

Almshouses, originally called the Hospital of St John the Baptist. Founded 1174 by Bishop Joscelin, rebuilt 1573, pulled down 1727, immediate rebuild by John Wood the Elder, modifying earlier scheme of 1717 by John Killigrew, at expense of Duke of Chandos. Substantially rebuilt behind front in 1956 by Alan Crozier-Cole following war damage.

MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar and coursed rubble with slate roofs.

PLAN: Buildings in two principal ranges, forming east and north sides of Chapel Court, that to north known as Chapel Court House.

EXTERIOR: Long east range, facing St Michael's Place, coursed rubble with pecked ashlar ground floor, three storeys and attic, ten windows, with set back later section to right four storeys with attic, four windows. Main range has late C20 attic with various casements, remainder has glazing-bar sashes in raised plat surrounds with floating cornices; twelve-pane sashes to ground floor and above eighteen-pane sashes to first floor. Bay five has throughway, wide portico with open pediment on paired Roman Doric columns and moulded architrave to arched entrance. Platband above ground floor, plain quoin pilasters, cornice with blocking course and parapet, swept down in last two bays; two large ashlar stacks. Set back unit similar with narrow eight and twelve-pane sashes. Throughway has four-panel door each side, archway with keystone and responds part of way through.

West front, to Chapel Court, has eight-bay open arcade with plain arches to keystone and deep intrados on impost bands, under platband, above twelve and eighteen-pane sashes with sill band, architraves and cornice to pulvinated frieze. All covered by full entablature with pulvinated frieze and modillion eaves cornice under seven late C20 dormers. Under arcade eighteen-pane sashes in rubble walling, at either end of arcade are panelled doors. Right hand end one bay set back, return has bridge fronting Chapel(qv). Plaque records John Wood built hospital in 1727. North side of courtyard enclosed by Chapel Court House, four+one bays, to right set back, all in ashlar. Five twelve-pane sashes in full attic, above twelve-pane in eared architraves at second floor, eighteen-pane sashes with architrave, cornice and pulvinated frieze at first floor, and fifteen-pane sashes in plat surrounds and keystone to ground floor. To right panelled door in banded surround with coat of arms and swags to lintel. Plaque centred to ground floor records that Horace Walpole stayed here in 1766. Above ground floor deep platband, with first floor sill band, and full entablature with pulvinated frieze and modillion cornice, all detail returned to arcaded front. At left facade abuts No.6, Chapel Court(qv).

Rear of range extended and restructured (1963, by A Crozier-Cole).
INTERIORS: Not inspected. An elaborate Baroque buffet of stone, with a shell-headed niche, was inserted into Fitzjocelyn House. Chandos House has a balustraded wooden staircase.

HISTORY: Wood Block - formerly hospital range facing the Cross bath Phase 1:1527 range of six rooms built. Phase 2:1580 another six rooms added to west, and storeys above to let out as lodgings, so had external stair to first floor on North side passage, courtyard side. Phase 3: 1727 rebuilt by John Wood for first Duke of Chandos with external stone stair to first floor on south side passage, courtyard side. The Central wall with chimney stacks was retained from the first phase. The buildings are John Wood's first major enterprise in Bath; he took over from Killigrew, whose work he thought inferior. The vicinity suffered some bomb damage, but the inner court fronts are mainly as built. They form an unusually collegiate ensemble for Bath, blending traditional building styles with Wood's Palladianism. In October 1877-Jan 1878 it was refitted and floors, ceilings, partitions, doors, grates, windows and their casings removed. New four-pane windows were installed and Wood¿s external staircase removed. The wider window on the first floor is a replacement for the door at the head of the staircase. Chapel Court House, formerly No.3 Chapel Court, was enlarged over the site warehouse to the north by Alan Crozier Cole, Surveyor to St John¿s 1954.

SOURCES: The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: North Somerset and Bristol: London: 1958-: 119; Green M: The Eighteenth Century Architecture of Bath: Bath: 1904-: 37; Ison W: The Georgian Buildings of Bath: London: 1948-: 126; Orbach J: Card Index of Bath Architects and Streets: 1975-). Jean Manco: Supplement to 1991 Report on St John¿s Hospital, March 1997

Listing NGR: ST7493164701

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

510891

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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