Devonshire Cottage

Details

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 21/01/2016


ST7463
656-1/0/2492

WELLSWAY (West side),
No. 70 (Devonshire Cottage)

(Formerly listed as 70 (Formerly Devonshire Cottage))

09-FEB-11

II

A house of 1799 extended in the mid-C19, built of rubble brought to course and ashlar, with signs of lime-washed render in several areas. The roofs are slate or C20 pantiles. The house is of two and three storeys with an attached L-shaped service wing to the west.

EXTERIOR: The north front is near-symmetrical with a projecting gabled wing to the centre. To left of centre at ground floor level is a doorway with four-centred head and projecting surround, which contains a half-glazed door with Gothick tracery. At first floor level are two metal-framed, casement lights set beneath a Tudor hood-mould, which have a pattern of intersecting glazing bars to the head. Set in the gable is a sexfoil plaque which reads 'J/TM/1799'. To either side of this gable are recessed single-storey portions which have two-light mullioned casements with hood-moulds. The roofing above each of these single-storey portions and the projecting wing is of C20 pantiles. The east flank has the single storey portion at right, with a two-light mullioned casement, as before. At left of this the two-storey building is slate roofed and has a shallow, segmental bow with three light casement to the first floor and a four-light, full-height window at ground-floor level with segmental fanlight which has bats-wing glazing, including panels of stained glass. This is slightly recessed within a basket-arched relieving arch. The walling to left of this has two single-light casements to the first floor and a single light to the ground floor. The south face has four gabled bays of which the central two are joined and recessed. Each of these has a two-light window to the ground floor and first floor, with hood-moulds and a projecting coping to the tops of the gables. At right of these and projecting slightly, is a gabled wing which has a single-storey, gabled porch. This has a six-panel door with arched panels to the top and bottom. Above the Tudor hood-mould is a small canopied niche which extends into the gable which has a sceptre finial. There is a two-light casement window above this and the gable has decorative, pierced bargeboards with wooden sceptre finial to the apex. The far left bay is of three storeys and more substantial. It has a canted bay window to the ground and first floors with French windows to the centre and sash window of sixteen panes to the right flank. At first floor level the windows have been replaced with C20 uPVC, and the two-light, second-storey windows have also been replaced in the C20. The parapet to the canted bay has a gablet to its centre and there are kneelers and a sceptre finial to the gable of the wing above. Extending to the left of this is stone walling which forms the northern boundary of the service court. This has a conservatory at right of its southern side, which is attached to the house and has a lean-to roof. Ordnance Survey maps show that there has been a conservatory in this position since at least 1885. However, this present building is a replacement of c.1984, which appears to incorporate C19 ironwork from an earlier conservatory. To left of this the rubble walling is covered with scribed render and has a square coping to its top. C20 windows and doors have been inserted to both north and south sides of this wing during the conversion to domestic use in the 1980s. The outhouse identified as a wood store to the eastern end was in the course of rebuilding during the survey visit (May 2010) and its north front had been largely demolished.

INTERIOR: The central room on the east side has original shutters with metal furniture (as do several rooms on this floor). The cornice and the decorative plaster over the segmental relieving arches to the northern and southern doors to the room are of C20 date. The bat's wing fanlight above the French windows has ultramarine glass quarries. The fireplace has simple mouldings and a steel grate. The sitting room and dining room on the south front have original, six-panel doors and panelled surrounds, however, the fluted surrounds to the doors and built-in shelves in the sitting room with their bull's eye corners, appear to have been replaced. The rooms also have replacement fireplaces; that to the dining room with a bolection surround and shelf and that to the sitting room of oak with a dentilled cornice. To the west of the ground floor is a substantial kitchen which has bare walls, from which the plaster has been removed. The staircase hall in the south-eastern corner contains a C20 oak staircase of Neo-Georgian design with ramped handrail, moulded tread ends, Tuscan column newels and three balusters per tread.

HISTORY
The northern gabled wing bears a date stone which reads 1799. It appears that a relatively small house was built at that date and added to considerably in the early-, or mid-C19. Service buildings including stables and a former wood shed were also added in a range which is joined to the west of the house. The Ordnance Survey map, published in 1885, shows that the footprint of the house has not changed since that time. It also shows that the house was set in a large plot of land with walls to three sides of the gardens. A kitchen garden was set to the north-west and a formal garden with paths to the north-east. These areas of the garden were sold off during the 1960s for development, but the surrounding wall is largely intact to the north and east sides. In the 1950s planning permission was obtained for the subdivision of the house into several, separate dwelling units; this division was partially executed. Fireplaces were removed in the mid-C20 by previous owners, together with accompanying chimney stacks.
The western, service, wing was replaced in 1984 by new living accommodation. The swimming pool and associated terrace were also built at that time.


REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
70, Wellsway, Bath, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Architectural: The house has distinct architectural presence and the various phases of the building are handled with assurance.
* Architectural: The use of the Gothic style at this time in Bath is relatively rare.
* Setting: The positioning of the house, beside one of the principal approaches to Bath, is indicative of the start of this development of suburban villas around the city.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

508528

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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