Details
656-1/41/1937
11/08/72
YORK STREET
(East side)
Part of Queen's Bath, including `Bridge' spanning York Street
(Formerly Listed as: Museum & Queen's Bath including `Bridge' spanning York Street to City Laundry)
GV
II
Surviving part of Douche and Massage Baths, now part of Roman Baths Museum. 1889. By Major Charles Davis.
MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar, roofs not visible from street.
PLAN: Small rectangular block, surviving section of Douche and Massage Baths built on the site of, and incorporating parts of the Queen's Bath of 1576 and the New Private Baths of 1786 (see South Colonnade, Stall Street). Portion forms link from rear of Grand Pump Room to York Street, western wall of Roman Great Bath (qv) and houses part of excavated baths including Circular Bath in basement.
EXTERIOR: Two storeys to street, three storeys to Great Bath. Elevation along York Street has five bays of Ionic pilasters through lower floor, and attic storey with sash windows, plain, moulded architraves, second window has open pedimented head with bust, breaking into segmental pediment above, crowned by two obelisks. Ground floor has plain doorway in first bay, plaque recording building in second bay, and pilaster supporting "bridge" in fifth bay. Dentilled cornice, blocking course with urns, fluted pilasters between windows, roof not visible. Elliptical arched "bridge" with central broken pediment, panelled sides and soffit, and surmounted by obelisks and urns, spans York Street. This exuberant eye-catcher, a mutant Bridge of Sighs, was actually a functional device, was intended to carry a hot water pipe from the spring to the City Laundry. The elevation to the Great Bath has three blocked arches at pool level, these lead through to the Circular Bath which is beneath the building. Ground floor has four blind bays with Ionic pilasters supporting entablature. First floor has four similar bays, but each with six pane window in architrave surround.
HISTORY: Until its demolition in 1972, this building continued to the corner of Stall Street, and also ran behind South Colonnade (qv). Stall Street/York Street corner has been replaced with three storey building reproducing Thomas Baldwin's design of 1789. Three bays with colonnade to Stall Street, five bays to York Street, and modelled north wall facing towards Great Pump Room (qv). Despite surviving only as fragment the 1889 building remains of interest, both example of the introduction of latest German Spa treatments with steam, electricity etc, to Britain, but also for the careful way in which the City Architect preserved and displayed his findings in the Roman Baths beneath. It is also one of the most opulent High Victorian public buildings in the city, and highly expressive of the pride and excitement that accompanied the rediscovery of the Roman baths; it attracted criticism for its ostentatious display of `Free Renaissance' motifs from an early date, however. For further description see Roman Baths, Abbey Churchyard, and City Laundry, Swallow Street.
SOURCES: J. Orbach, Card Index of Bath Architects and Streets: (1978); R.E.M Peach, Bath Old and New (1891), 76-77; Barry Cunliffe, The Roman Baths - A View over 2000 Years (1993); Bath Archaeological Trust/RCHM England, Roman and Medieval Bath Historical Map (1989).
Sited within the Roman Baths Scheduled area ref: OCN BA 82
Listing NGR: ST7506364703
