21-27, QUEEN SQUARE (See details for further address information), Bath, Bath and North East Somerset

Description

QUEEN SQUARE
656-1/30/1333 (North side)
Nos.21-27 (Consec)
12/06/50

GV I

Includes: Bath and County Club QUEEN'S PARADE. Seven symmetrical terrace houses to north side of Queen Square forming part of a Palladian palace-fronted terrace. 1729-1736. By John Wood the Elder.
MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar, rendered right return, double pitched slate mansard roofs with moulded stacks to coped party walls.
PLAN: Double depth plans. .
EXTERIOR: Three storeys with attics and basement, twenty-three-window front made up of three-bay houses, with a five-bay house to centre. Ground floor of terrace has moulded base to two courses of chamfered rustication with radial voussoirs reaching platband, stepped forward over equal openings to set back windows and doors. Doorways deliberately understated to help create impression of `palace' entity. Forms substantial plinth that supports articulating grand order of engaged Corinthian columns, entablature and modillion cornice, four columns to each terminal and five to centre, all stepped forward, paired houses flanking centre similar with pilasters instead of columns (quarter pilasters in angles with projecting houses), coped parapets and dormers to attics. Terminals, No.21 and 27 have attic storeys with coped parapets, pilasters above columns and formerly three/three-pane sash windows (now all with dropped sills). Moulded architraves to upper floor windows, formerly three/three-pane sashes to second floor and six/six-pane sashes to first floors, ground floors and basements. First floor windows have alternate triangular and segmental pediments (triangular to outer ends), now with lowered sills and mostly six/nine-pane sashes. Doors were probably formerly of eight raised and fielded panels. No.21 to left has six-panel door and margin paned overlight to right. Blind glazed windows to second floor centre and left. Left return faces Queen's Parade. Coped parapet and cornice to attic and modillion cornice to second floor are returned with pediment spanning stepped forward three central ranges and rising to attic parapet. Five window range, with blind windows to attic storey (except to left), six/six-pane sashes to second and first floors, cornices to first floor windows. Single storey extension to ground floor left. Steps to basement area have wrought iron overthrow to former lamp. No.21 became Bath and County Club in 1858 (Founded in York Buildings in 1790), and single storey extensions for billiard rooms etc. were added to Queen's Parade front. In Bath limestone ashlar and top lit. Roof lights altered in c1980. Although plainly detailed these extensions included in listing. Now in residential use. No.22 has two dormers, three/three-pane sashes to second floor, six/nine-pane sashes to first floor and six/six-pane sashes to ground floor and basement. Door to right and landing over basement area paired with No.23. Now in residential use. No.23 similar to No.22 except for horned plate glass sash windows and splayed reveals to first floor. Now in office use. No.24 to centre pedimented with urns to apex and quoins, plate glass sash windows (two/two-panes to basement), sills lowered to platband with fine early C19 cast iron balcony to central window and full height seven-panel door glazed to top. Now in office use. No.25 has six/six-pane sash windows to two dormers, three/three-pane sashes to second floor, six/nine-pane sashes to first floor and nine/three-pane sashes to basement and seven-panel door glazed to top to right. Now in office use. No.26 similar except for painted splayed reveals to first floor, six/six-pane sashes to basement and door to left. Now in office use. No.27 similar to No.21 (left hand terminal) except for plate glass sash windows, balconettes to second floor and late C19 four-panel door with margin paned overlight. Rendered four-window right return in Gay Street has no pediment to attic storey, ashlar quoins, moulded architraves to upper storeys and cornices to first floor windows, blind windows to left and inside-left of first floor, and sill course (removed from Queen Square facade) survives and continues along parapeted two storey, two-window rear wing (probably original with similar quoins). Later similar two-window addition with early C19 six-panel door to left and some crown glass to windows, forms continuous four-window wing. Now in use as a tutorial college.
INTERIORS: Nos.21-22 now converted to flats (c.1975), having been converted into guest rooms for the Bath County Club in the 1880s. No.21 part-inspected by Bath Preservation Trust survey of interiors. Staircase possibly replaced, late C19, with replica. Interiors sub-divided. First floor front drawing room with modillion and rosette cornice to coved ceiling with Greek Revival ceiling rose, good late C18 marble chimneypiece with Siena marble inlays, relief of woman with amorino to centre, nymphs to sides (not original, and installed here recently); dining room in centre with modillion cornice, coffered frieze with rosettes, moulded architraves to windows, split panelled shutters. Dining room behind with modillion cornice, moulded shutters, moulded cill to windows. Bedroom at rear with octagonal ceiling frieze of rinceaux, blocked corner fireplace. No.22 part-inspected by the Bath Preservation Trust survey of interiors. Wooden staircase with wide, shallow treads with scrolled tread ends, dado rail runs up entire four flights. Moulded plaster cornices to upper landings. No.24 has an open-string wooden staircase with columnar newels and turned balusters, and a panelled dado. No.25 retains its wooden staircase to rear, with columnar newel posts and turned balusters. No.27 has an open string wooden staircase with upswept handrail, twisted balusters and columnar newels (Mowbray Green photo in the National Monuments Record). No. 21: inspected by JNE c.1981. Ground floor: attractive room in single storey rear extension with high coved plaster ceiling. Staircase: Doric newels, three banisters per cut tread with Doric colonnettes over vases and tread ends. A sample of what was thought to be the original decorative oil paint finish was preserved in situ under glass: it was marbled ¿in various shades of earth pigments: umbers, ochres and sienna¿s¿ with a yellowish varnish finish. Front room: Regency cornice with rosettes in coffers: three windows with raised and fielded shutters: original white marble fireplace with elliptical-arched recesses on either side. South west corner room in Victorian extension: raised panel in ceiling: segmental arched recesses on north and west walls: Victorian fireplace: four panel door to North. Back room: cornice as front room: three light window to Victorian extension. First Floor: Front south east room: Regency cornice: very simple fireplace. Front south west room: Regency cornice: windows with panelled shutters: original six-panel ovolo door with wide cyma architrave: original cavetto and torus skirting: Regency fireplace. Small north west room: timber panelling cyma reversa moulded above dado, ovolo below: panelled shutters: six-panel door: marble fireplace with ovolo architrave: torus skirting. Big north west room: enriched cornice: timber panelling and shutters as above: six-panel door: original white marble fireplace. North room: Regency cornice: six-panel door. The following rooms are also recorded and appear to be the rooms in the principal end-of-terrace house: Front room: a very fine room: a coved ceiling with raised coffering in the centre with a Regency rose: enriched modillion cornice: Regency doors: Regency white marble fireplace: unusual original deeply moulded shutters. Central west room: modillion cornice: Regency rose: Regency marble fireplace: six-panel Regency door. North west room: ceiling with irregular octagonal frame with rococo garlands: panelled shutters: Regency cornice and fireplace. No. 22: inspected by JNE ¿ no date. Ground Floor: Entrance Hall: Regency cornice with rosettes in coffered soffits: Front room: cornice as Hall: three-panel window shutters: Victorian arch on consoles to back room: Victorian segmental-arched wall recesses: original six-panel door: Back room: Regency cornice: three panel shutters. Room in back extension: massive classical cornice: Regency fireplace. Staircase: three Doric colonnette on vase banisters per tread, cut strings and Baroque tread ends with double C curves. First Floor: Landing: rococo decorative plasterwork with modillion cornice: first/second floor half landing: very fine hemi-spherical coffered dome with central sun with rays, the ribs of the coffering ornamented with ribbons. Front room: Regency cornice with Grecian scrollwork on soffit: three windows with panelled shutters: original six-panel ovolo door with wide cyma architrave: large opening with reeded architrave to back room. Back room: Regency cornice: acanthus rose: original door to landing: plain Regency fireplaces Back extension: Regency waterleaf cornice: two windows with panelled shutters: plain Regency fireplace with good original grate. Second Floor: Front south east room: original four-panel ovolo door with wide architraves as below. Front south west room: detail as room above: Regency cornice: torus skirting. Back room: Regency cornice: two-panel original window shutters: Victorian door: original six-panel cupboard door: six-panel back door with Regency architrave: fireplace with stone architrave with beaded arrises and central line of bead and reel ornament. Back extension: same fireplace: torus skirting. No. 23: inspected 2nd June 1975. Staircase: timber open treads, wide mahogany handrail, three banisters per tread, plain soffit, panelled dado, cable moulded panels to wall above. Cornice of cyma recta enriched with water leaves, plain frieze, architrave of bead and reel and singles fascia. First floor: front room: cornice: enriched soffit with deep ornamented frieze: ceiling rose with radiating acanthus leaves: three windows with wide ovolo architraves and three-section shutters: fluted architrave to large opening to back room: marble fireplace white shelf on white Ionic columns with Sienna background. Back room No.1: cornice and ceiling rose as front: painted stone fireplace with tapering fluted pilasters supporting frieze with spiralling vase. Back room No.2: blocked corner fireplace with timber shelf: plain cyma reversa cornice, plain frieze and shallow architrave: dado rail. Second Floor: Landing: walls cable moulded into panels above dado. Front room: simple plaster cavetto cornice: timber-panelled with dado rail: later painted stone fireplace. Back room No.1: unenriched plaster coved cornice: timber panelling with dado rail: simple painted stone fireplace. Back room No.2: plaster coved cornice: timber panelling with dado rail: fireplace with timber architrave moulding, marble fascia and cast iron grate. No. 24: partial undated inspection by JNE.
(See Ison pages 106 and 107 for plan and description and plate 119a for photograph of staircase. See Mowbray Green, page 51 for floor plans and 52 for measured drawing of staircases). Ground Floor: West front room: Victorian rococo plaster ceiling. Second Floor: one-bay centre front room: big scale cyma recta and reversa cornice. Two-bay front room to east: cornice as above: Edwardian fireplace. Two-bay front room to west: more complex moulded cornice: fireplace with cyma reversa and two-fascia architrave. West back room: two-cyma cornice with corona: fireplace with architrave as above. Staircase: ceiling with coffered semi-dome. No. 25: inspected 23rd April 1973. Ground Floor: Entrance hall: plain cornice: panelled dado: arch with architrave to floor in spine wall with three rows of square coffers to soffit and single panels to reveals: six-panel doors with wide architraves. Staircase: timber with cut string, three square banisters per tread: wide handrail with ramps to landing: tapered newels. Front room: moulded cornice: white marble fireplace with large moulded consoles and shells supporting shelf with moulded edge: Back room: cornice as front room: white and grey marble fireplace. First Floor: large front room: ornate cornice: central rose with radiating leaves and flowers: white marble console fireplace. Back room: cornice as front room: plain later white and grey marble fireplaces. Second Floor: Small front room: no cornice: original fireplace with stone arch four-panel doors. Large front room: no cornice: Back room: no cornice: plain painted stone fireplace. Staircase: close-string staircase to third. floor attics with bulbous banisters. No. 26: partially inspected 7th July 1975. Ground Floor: Front Room: later plain moulded cornice with ornamented soffit: later panelled shutters: later segmental arch with panelled soffit supported on panelled pilasters with moulded capitals. Back room: simple moulded cornice: original panels under windows but later architraves to windows and door. Basement: ¿Eagle¿ range with double ovens. No. 27: inspected 3rd April 1979. Ground Floor: outer Hall: large enriched dentil cornice: narrow cavetto door architraves: staircase: very fine original with broad mahogany handrail, torus and cavetto moulded cut treads, carved Baroque tread ends with triple spirally-fluted Doric colonnette on enriched vase banisters and very large spiral wreath at bottom. Front Room: Regency cornice with foliage to soffit: central rose: flat elliptical arch to back room: Back Room: very delicate late C18 cornice with acanthus enrichment and scrollwork in frieze: six-panel ovolo doors with cavetto architraves as above: Adjacent room in back extension: fine modillion cornice with egg and dart enrichment: window with wide architrave with enriched cyma and enriched ovolo shutter mouldings. North end of back extension: reproduction staircase opposite side door to Gay Street: First Floor: Staircase first/second floor: simpler Doric colonnettes. Front Room: Regency cornice with soffit scrollwork: three windows with enriched architraves and Regency shutters: door with enriched architrave: Regency fireplace. Back room: modillion cornice: enriched window architrave: original dado with moulded rail: six-panel door with enriched architrave. Very fine adjacent room in north wing: cornice with acanthus leaves on modillions and rosettes between: decorative plaster ceiling with central rose in moulded circular frame, rococo scrollwork in two panels either side and plain plasterwork in panels at either end: enriched dado rail, skirting and window architraves: door with egg and dart enrichment in its six-panels. Second Floor: West front room: cornice with egg and dart and leaf ornament: ornamental plaster ceiling with wide cavetto-moulded frame to central circular panel, and bolection mouldings to four panels round it: (see Mowbray Green, plate XXXVI for photograph). Wide architrave to door to back room: original cavetto and torus skirting. East front room: wide window architrave. Back room: no cornice: six-panel ovolo door, skirting as front rooms. Third Floor: attic stair is cased in: four-panel unmoulded doors. Basement: Front two-bay west room: rectangular fireplaces. Back room: one stone Tudor arched recess.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Front retains its cast iron railings. Entrance to No.24 is marked with an overthrow. Bronze plaque over door of No.24 marks residence of John Wood the Elder (1704-54): it is now thought he lived elsewhere in the square, i.e. No.9.
HISTORY: the seminal example of a palace-fronted terrace, which notably achieves the aim of this emerging (and subsequently very popular) approach to house-building: subordinating the individual houses to a single architectural conception. The north side commands the highest ground and possesses the finest outlook; it formed the culmination of Wood's expansion of the city. No.21 was built by Samuel Emes, responsible for the rough masonry work of the Queen's Square development: finished in 1736, it burnt down in 1747 and was rebuilt in 1749. John Wood leased the site from Robert Gay from 1728 onwards, and granted underleases in 1729-1731 to a range of developers, and the houses are first recorded as occupied in the rate books in 1734. Wood originally intended to level the sloping site, but this was abandoned on the grounds of cost. Queen Square is of exceptional importance as the first large-scale instance of town planning to arrive at Bath. Wood drew on precedents in contemporary London house-building and, through the courageous and skilful pursuit of his vision, created a monumental ensemble on a fresh sloping site some distance to the west of the former city walls. Each side of the square forms a symmetrical composition, but none of the sides are alike. Queen Square forms the earliest, and lowest, element in the sequence of set-pieces by the Woods which culminates with the Royal Crescent.
SOURCES: Tim Mowl and Brian Earnshaw, 'John Wood. Architect of Obsession' (1988), 65-86; Walter Ison, 'The Georgian Buildings of Bath' (2nd ed. 1980), 115-120, 226-28.

Listing NGR: ST7478065047

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