Details
FOUNTAIN BUILDINGS
Nos.9, 10 AND 11 Fountain House and
attached railings and vaults
(Formerly Listed as: FOUNTAIN
BUILDINGS Nos.9 AND 10 Hay Hill
Chapel House)
12/06/50
GV II
Two houses, now hotel and two shops. c1730-1740, c1775, raised C19, shopfront added 1886 with C20 alterations, upper floors converted to hotel 1985-1987.
MATERIALS: No. 11 has limestone ashlar to front and left side with ashlar extension to rear, Nos. 9 and 10 limestone ashlar to front and rear, rubble to basement. No. 11 has double pile parapeted roof, hipped to left, Welsh slate with very large slates to front. Nos. 9 and 10 have parapeted mansard roof, hipped to right, double Romans to front and rear, two large ashlar stacks, probably shared, rise from coped party wall between Nos. 11 and 10, two ashlar stacks with some early clay pots rise from coped gable wall to right of No. 9.
PLAN: No. 11 at corner of Fountain Buildings and Hay Hill with front to Fountain Buildings and former entrance front to Hay Hill. Nos. 9 and 10 are five bay Palladian villa with single bay pedimented centre breaking forward slightly.
EXTERIOR: Nos. 9 and 10 have three storeys, attic and basement, five-window range. First floor has four six/six-sashes, two to left with horns in shouldered and eared cyma moulded architraves with pulvinated friezes and cornices rising from moulded stone sills on consoles, to centre Venetian window with four-pane fixed lights flanking nine/six-sash with fan glazed head in surround with four Doric pilasters in antis, entablature forming impost and cyma moulded archivolt to central opening, with continuous moulded sill on consoles. Second floor has five three/three-sashes in cyma moulded shouldered and eared architraves, two to left with horns in lengthened openings. Ground floor has to left C20 shopfront with three-light window and glazed door with fascia and moulded cornice over, to right two six/six-sashes in plain reveals with stone sills, to centre six-panel door with flush beaded and fielded panels in timber surround with flush beaded panels and six-pane margin lights to sides and timber fanlight over all with two pennant steps set within semicircular headed opening with triple keystone. Basement has to left three/three-horned sash in plain reveal with stone sill, C20 panelled door in plain reveal, C20 area steps, to right two six/six-sashes in plain reveals with continuous stone sill. Four doorways to vaults. Five single dormers with three/three-horned sashes in moulded timber architraves. V-jointed rustication to ground floor centre, moulded band course over ground floor, moulded eaves cornice and coped parapet. Rear elevation has C20 windows, two storey canted bay off staircase with intersecting glazing bars to sashes to first floor. No. 11 has four storeys and basement, two-window range to Fountain Buildings. First floor has two six/six-horned sashes in cyma-moulded architraves with splayed jambs rising from lowered stone sills. Second floor has two three/three-horned sashes in cyma-moulded architraves with stone sills. Third floor has two similar sashes in plain reveals with stone sills. Ground floor has an altered 1886 shopfront by Wilson, Willcox and Wilson. Two openings to basement with glass blocks and metal cover. Sill band to first floor cut through by lowered first floor windows, bracketed cornice over second floor, coped parapet over third floor. Lead hopperhead and downpipe in angle at junction of Nos. 11 and 9 and 10. Left side to Hay Hill similar three-bay composition with fourth bay created by full height C20 extension continued in matching style. Ground floor has window forming continuation to shopfront, stone doorcase with beaded surround and carved consoles to moulded cornice.
INTERIOR: Not inspected, but No. 9 has an elegant carved gothic fireplace with modern gas fire inserted.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Attached wrought iron railings and gates with shaped heads on limestone bases. No. 11 was listed on 11th August 1972.
HISTORY: Fountain Buildings, a group of double-fronted houses were built by William Philips and others around this larger and earlier house. This house was marked on Thorpe¿s 1742 survey of Bath as Fountain House, and thus would have been a handsomely fashionable Palladian house of some distinction when built: comparisons could be made with the pair of villas designed for the west side of Queen Square by Wood the Elder. When first built this large house would have stood some distance outside the town: its absorption within a slightly later terrace eloquently displays the northern growth of mid-C18 Bath. No. 11 was the former Hay Hill Dairy, and an 1888 drawing shows stall plates reading 'DAIRY PRODUCE'.
Listing NGR: ST7498165274
