Details
ST JAMES'S SQUARE
656-1/29/1549 (North side)
Nos.16-22 (Consec)
and attached railings
(Formerly Listed as
ST JAMES'S SQUARE
1-45 Consec))
12/06/50
GV I
Seven houses. c1790-1793. By John Palmer.
MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar to front, rubble and ashlar to rear, double pile parapeted mansard roof, Welsh slate to front, Welsh slate, clay pantile and concrete tile to rear, coped party walls and six large ashlar stacks with some early clay pots.
EXTERIOR: Palace front forming north side of St James's Square. Three storeys, attics, basement and sub-basement, nineteen-bay range. Symmetrical composition with house to centre (No.19) breaking forward and enriched by giant order of four Corinthian pilasters and triangular pediment; houses to left and right ends (Nos.16 and 22)treated as pavilions breaking forward, with full height segmental bows with Venetian windows to first floor, flanked by single Corinthian pilasters. No.16 to left has one bay front. No.17 four-bays, No.18 three-bays, No.19 to centre three-bays, No.20 three-bays, No.21 four-bays, No.22 to right one bay to front. No.16 has two-bay entrance front at angle to left side to Park Street, No.22 has four-bay entrance front at angle to right side to Great Bedford Street. Typically, houses have six/six sashes in plain reveals to first floor, plate glass horned sashes in Venetian windows to left and right ends (Nos 16 and 22), blind fanlight over centre west (No.19), with wrought iron balconettes to Nos 16, 17, 19 and 21, similar windows with stone sills to second floor, No.17 with wrought iron balconettes, similar windows to ground floor, No.16 with continuous wrought iron balconette. Six-panel doors with reeded and fielded panels in plain reveals, to Nos 17, 18 and 20 in round headed reveals with decorative fanlights, typically single step to crossover paved with very large pennant slabs. Basements have six/six sashes in plain reveals with stone sills, openings to sub-basements, early area steps with wrought iron handrails to Nos 19, 20 and 21, variously infilled below crossover. Single, double and triple dormers, largely altered in C20. Moulded band course over ground floor, moulded sill band to first floor windows, moulded band course over first floor windows breaking upwards over round heads of centre and Venetian windows, frieze, moulded dentil eaves cornice and coped parapet. Corinthian pilasters to pedimented centre and flanking bows to left and right spring from moulded sill course to first floor windows. No.17 has wrought iron lamp bracket over front door, lead downpipes between Nos 17 and 18 and 20 and 21. Left side to Park Street (No.16) has two plate glass sashes in plain reveals to first floor, two similar sashes with stone sills to each of second and ground floors, six-panel door with flush and fielded panels and cast iron knocker in plain reveal within timber pedimented Corinthian doorcase. Band courses over ground floor and sill band to first floor continued unmoulded from St James's Square elevation. Right side to Great Bedford Street (No.22) similar with plate glass horned sashes and blind windows, six-panel door with reeded and fielded panels with three-pane overlight in pedimented Doric doorcase. Band course over ground floor and sill band to first floor continued unmoulded from St James's Square elevation, frieze and moulded eaves cornice, lead hopperhead to centre. Rear elevations partially visible, largely retain early glazing bar sashes and have early ashlar extensions. No.18 has oval light to first half landing of stairs. Nos 17 and 18 have lead hopperheads.
INTERIORS: Not inspected; past site visit notes report the following features as present. No.16: Wrought iron lyre-type balusters to stair; Neo-classical cornices; chimney-piece with reeded surround to first floor rear room. No.17: ground floor front room retains fine Neo-classical marble chimney-piece with relief of grapes; side board recess. No.18: altered. Ground floor front room retains Neo-classical chimney-piece and cornice; stairs with column and vase balusters. No.21: some cornices in situ; later chimney-pieces. No.22: Basement kitchen with heavy stone fire place and large in-situ wooden cupboard.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Attached cast iron railings and gates of baluster form with shaped heads on limestone bases.
HISTORY: Developed on land leased by Messrs. Fielder, King, Hewlett and Broom[e] from Sir Peter Rivers Gay, Lord of the manor of Walcot, on 25 March 1790. The successor to Wood's Queen Square, St James's Square shows a development in town planning theory in that the diagonally set approach roads (St James's Street from south-east, Marlborough Street from south-west, Great Bedford Street from north-east and Park Street from north-west) form part of the overall conception, thus creating a more picturesque urban effect. Compare the contemporary Laura Place and Sydney Place [qqv] for other examples of this tendency. No.19 built by Thomas Beale and James Beale (underlease of 20 November 1790 for 96 years from 24 June 1790); No.20 built by John Copner; No.22 built by Henry Street (underlease of 20 June 1792 for 94 years from 24 June 1790).
SOURCES: Walter Ison, 'The Georgian Buildings of Bath' (2nd ed. 1980), 173-76; Bath City Archives, 'Abstract of title of Sir J F Rivers ... to property sold 1856': DEED PKT 2379 & MAPS.
Listing NGR: ST7448365682
