Description

RIVERS STREET
656-1/30/1415 (South side)
12/06/50 No.42 and attached railings

(Formerly Listed as:
RIVERS STREET (South side)
Nos.38-47 (Consecutive))

GV II

House, now flats. 1770-1775.
Part of the Rivers Street development by John Wood the Younger.
MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar to front, rubble below basement windows, rubble to rear, double pile parapeted mansard roof, Welsh Slate to front, double Romans to rear, with coped party wall to right with two ashlar and Render stacks with early clay pots. Staircase to front.
EXTERIOR: Three storeys, attic and basement, three-window front. First floor has three two/two horned sashes in splayed ovolo moulded architraves with friezes and cornices, lowered moulded stone sill on console brackets. Second floor has three plate glass horned sashes in ovolo moulded architraves with stone sills. Ground floor has to right two plate glass horned sashes in splayed reveals with stone sills, to left six-panel door with flush beaded and glazed panels with one Pennant step in pedimented Doric doorcase, two steps to Pennant paved crossover, small two-pane window in plain reveal with stone sill to left of door. Basement has two two/two horned sashes in plain reveals with stone sills formed out of top of plinth, C20 glazed door under crossover, limestone area steps with C20 handrail. Double dormer with two/two-sashes.
Band course over ground floor, modillion cornice and coped parapet. Lead downpipe attached to right shared with No.43 Rivers Street (qv). Rear elevation partially visible has three grouped plate glass sashes to second floor, C20 windows to double and single dormer.
INTERIOR: Not inspected.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Attached wrought iron railings and gate with shaped heads on limestone bases.
HISTORY: Rivers Street was developed by John Wood the Younger on three parcels of land: Nos. 1-11 constructed in conjunction with Catharine Place on ground conveyed on perpetual leasehold from Sir Benet Garrard to Wood and Brock as his trustee 19/20 December 1766. Nos. 16-28 and 36-47 Rivers Street with areas behind Nos. 46 and 47 on ground conveyed from Rivers Estate (owned by Sir Peter Rivers Gay) to Wood 5 March 1768 for 99 years. Nos. 28-35 Rivers Street were constructed in conjunction with Russell Street on ground bought by John Wood and Andrew Sproule as his trustee from Thomas and Daniel Omer 30 December 1768 on perpetual freehold rents. The strip of ground on which Nos 12-15 and 48-50 Rivers Street were constructed was probably never acquired by Wood. The sites of Nos. 12-15 were conveyed from the Rivers Estate to Thomas and James Beale on 30 December 1774 and 16 October 1776 on perpetual freehold rents.
A number of different Bath builders were responsible for implementing Wood's overall design, re Ison.
SOURCES: Building leases and rate books; Walter Ison, `The Georgian Buildings of Bath¿ (2nd ed. 1980), 233.

Listing NGR: ST7475365432

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26673768

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)