7-12, NORTH PARADE

Details

NORTH PARADE Nos.7-12 (Consec) (Formerly Listed as: NORTH PARADE Nos.7-12 AND 12A (Consec)) 12/06/50 GV I

Houses, now mixed use. 1740, with various C19 alterations. By John Wood the Elder. MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar, ground floor of No.7 rendered and painted, with Welsh slate roofs. PLAN: Double depth houses with projecting stair wings (see below). EXTERIOR: Three storeys, attics and basements. Palace fronted terrace of seven houses (including 12a qv), twenty-five-bays in all, three:seven:five:seven:three, with ends and centrepiece set slightly forward, centrepiece (No.10) with overall eaves pediment. First floor platband. Ground floors have wrought iron area railings (originally stone balustrades), sash windows in plain architraves, either six/six late C18 type, or plain plate glass. Basement windows are same except for Nos 7 and 8 which have been very altered, and No.12 which has two six/six original sashes. First floor has sashes with dropped sills and cornice heads as before. Doors are six-panel, but those of Nos 8 and 9 are part glazed, pedimented heads on console brackets. Doorway of No.10 larger, with Ionic pilasters and pediment rising above platband. Doorways of Nos 12 and 12a are paired, doors have arched heads, which break pediment, and radiating fanlights, would appear to be late C18 alteration. Arrangement for Nos 7 and 8 appears to have been different, with door of No.7 in third bay of end projection, but now converted to window. Projecting shopfront to No.7, with single-bay to each elevation and canted corner. Early C19 alteration, two plate glass windows with fancy heads. Projection carries round into two storey porch on Pierrepont Street, eight-panel door and radiating fanlight of Adam type. No.7 has four-bay elevation to Pierrepont Street, left hand three-bays project forward as end piece for Pierrepont Street terrace. Windows have dropped sills and all C19 plate glass sashes except for top left hand corner, which has six/six sash. Cornice, two flat topped dormers. Second floor has sashes in plain architraves as before but those for No.7, and Nos 9-11 have dropped sills. Nos 8-10 have restored sashes of late C18 type, others have late C19 plate glass sashes. Dentil cornice, parapet, mansard roof, flat topped dormers or varying dates and sizes, some double, ashlar stacks with pots. INTERIORS: Not inspected, bar those mentioned below. One peculiar feature of these buildings are rounded ends of half-landings on staircases to enable chairmen to take people directly up to their rooms on coming from the Baths. These apsidal extensions, visible at the rear of the terrace, are frequently covered with semi-domes of lead. Interior of No. 8 partly inspected by Bath City Council 1980. Ground Floor: Entrance hall: original moulded timber cornice; two-panel high panelling with dado rail to walls; pilasters either side of archway in spine wall. No.8: five bays wide: part inspection 2nd June 1980: Ground Floor: Entrance hall: original moulded timber cornice: two-panel high panelling with dado rail to walls: pilasters either side of archway in spine wall. Front rooms both panelled as hall. Fine top-lit original mahogany staircase in south west corner with symmetrically ramped panelled Baroque dado and spirally fluted Doric colonnette-on-vase banisters. First Floor: two front rooms combined: fine panelling as on ground floor: two severe early C19 white marble fireplaces, one at either end, both with classical heads carved on central keystones. No 9 partly inspected By Bath City Council 1980. Ground Floor: Regency cornices to front and back rooms. Fine original staircase; semi-circular half-landing. Front rooms both panelled as hall. Fine top-lit original mahogany staircase in south west corner with symmetrically ramped panelled Baroque dado and spirally fluted Doric colonnette-on-vase banisters. First Floor: two front rooms combined; fine panelling as on ground floor; two severe early C19 white marble fireplaces, one at either end, both with classical heads carved on central keystones. No. 10: partly inspected by Bath City Council 7th March 1980, 1981 and 3rd January 1995. Basement: hall in centre, opposite staircase; semi-circular arch with keystone to staircase hall; front west room with arched window reveals, remains of original architrave fireplace, four-panel door with architrave. Front east room: old kitchen with two fireplaces, one with Tudor-style arch; semi-circular arch to back room east, which is similar to front room east. Back extension east: fireplace as back extension west but without its arch. Back room west: four-panel door with cyma reversa single fascia architrave, cyma-moulded original stone architrave fireplace with rounded corners to opening. Ground Floor: hall: big original cornice, big arch on pillars in spine wall. Front room west: Victorian cornice, early Victorian console fireplace. Front and back room east (now combined): Victorian fireplace with over mantel. Back room west: Victorian cornice, Georgian door with wide double cyma architrave to original doorway to front room, now blocked; semi-circular arch to right of original fireplace position; original window in south wall with single fascia cyma architrave. Rear extension: original south window, torus skirting; rear extension south east: single fascia cyma architrave. First floor: fine central timber staircase with well and semi-circular bow to large half-landing, Doric colonnette on vase banisters, tread ends. Front north east room: early Victorian cornice, two windows with original shutters, Victorian skirting. Centre front room: one window with original shutters. North west front room: early Victorian cornice; two windows. South east room: early C19 cornice, fireplace with original bold moulded stone architrave; three-panel cupboard door to left; two six-panel ovolo corner doors with original large double cyma reversa architrave; back sash window with big ovolo shutters. Back south east wing: cyma recta, cavetto and bead cornice; D-arched stone fireplace surround with cymas to outer vertical edges. No.10 has painted and stencilled wooden panelling discovered on the first floor at the rear of the house, a small room with plain fireplace and panelling: this is quite a rare survival. Second Floor: front landing: two-panel high ovolo panelling with dado rail. Front north east room: early Victorian cornice, architrave fireplace, two windows. Centre room: cornice as above, one window with original box shutters. South west back room: early Victorian cornice, two windows, original six-panel ovolo doors with wide cyma reversa architraves. South east back room: this matches the south west room. Front north west room: two windows, original fireplace with flat D-arch and later architrave. Third Floor: front east room: fireplace with cyma-moulded stone surround. Front west room: as above, with four-panel unmoulded doors. Four back attics, each with a dormer. HISTORY: William Wordsworth stayed in No.9 in 1841. The Duke of York stayed in No.10 in 1761, and the Duke of Northumberland in 1771. Oliver Goldsmith stayed in No.11 in 1771, as did Edmund Burke in 1797 (see plaques). A part of John Wood's uncompleted scheme for the Abbey Orchard, 1740-1748. A print of c1787 `A View of the Parade at Bath¿ shows an elegant double bow-fronted shop (No. 7) facing North Parade. Also a print of 1828 showing a shopfront similar to the existing one, with an arched doorway. SOURCES: Ison W: The Georgian Buildings of Bath: London: 1948-: 145; Mowl T and Earnshaw B: John Wood Architect of Obsession: Bath: 1988-: 135-147; Lees-Milne J and Ford D: Images of Bath: London: 1982-); Finch G: Shopfront Record, Bath City Council: 1992; Ruth Davis: Report on the Grosvenor Hotel, Bath: English Heritage 1997.

Listing NGR: ST7527864682

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