Details
SYDNEY PLACE
656-1/32/1654 (South side)
Nos.93-103 (Consec) including No 93A
and attached forecourt railings
12/06/50
GV I
Eleven symmetrical terrace houses. 1808-9 by John Pinch the Elder.
MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar to front, rough ashlar and coursed rubblestone to rear, slate roofs with moulded stacks to party walls, mostly with original hand-thrown chimney pots.
PLAN: Double depth plans.
EXTERIOR: Palace-fronted terrace of eleven houses, stepped downhill from No.93 to right, set in a thirty-three bay range, disposed three-twelve-three-twelve-three. Central house No.98 and Nos. 93 and 103 to ends are stepped forward and have separate entablatures under pediments. Each three bay house is set slightly lower than its northerly neighbour, producing an elegantly descending rhythm anchored to the cylindrical corner of No. 103. Each house is of three storeys with attics and basements; arched door openings to left of pair of ground floor arched windows: fielded eight-panel doors with margin lights, set beneath fanlights; arched windows with nine/six pane sashes; string course at impost level. Front areas with railings to street, with lamp bracket overthrows to most entrances. First floors of three windows (six/six pane sashes) with separate cast iron balconies sporting trellis screens in front of each window: end and centre houses (Nos. 93, 98 and 103) have continuous first floor balconies and aedicular surrounds to central first floor windows. Band of Vitruvian scroll ornament at second floor level. Three six/six-pane sashes to second floor below projecting cornice; three three/three-pane sash windows to each attic. Attics to end and centre houses terminate with pediments: the central one bears the eroded carved crest of Vane family within the tympanum. Entrance to terminal houses in returns. No. 103 has projecting doorcase with paired fluted Doric columns bearing an entablature enriched with paired garlands and metopes sporting lozenges and paterae; set against a corner drum, full height, with blind arched recesses flanking doorcase. Cast iron trellis screen balcony to first floor over doorcase; fenestration otherwise as per other houses; two bay end of terrace front links to similar corner drum to right hand angle. No. 93 to left has glazed first floor conservatory over doorcase with wide segmental fanlights over tripartite six/six-pane sash windows to three sides (already in existence in 1818 but not shown on Pinch's original design), set between segmental full-height bow windows with several painted blind windows.
INTERIORS: Not inspected but noted as having panelled shutters. No.93 recorded in 1946 photographs in the National Monuments Record as having a fine cantilevered stone stair with scrolled wrought iron railings. Bath Preservation Trust Interiors Survey of lower ground floor flat reports presence of liver-coloured marble chimneypiece with columns, reeded architrave and acanthus-decorated cornice in drawing room; similar features to bedroom; basement stripped out. Ground floor flat with double mahogany doors dividing main rooms, reeded architraves to doors and windows, neoclassical chimneypieces. No.94 recorded in 1946 photograph as having a niche, with reeded surround, along side of entrance passage containing a cast iron stove with gadrooned decoration. No.95 recorded by Bath Preservation Trust Interiors Survey, which reports the presence of a four-flight cantilevered stone staircase with plain balusters carrying mahogany hand-rail, wrought iron panels to landings; entrance with stove alcove within reeded surround, plaster cornice with rosette and guttae motif, inner fan-light above entrance to lobby; dining room at ground floor front, with Gothick cornice and ceiling rose, veined marble chimneypiece with grape motif to corners, moulded architraves with paterae; drawing room to ground floor rear with recessed alcoves flanking white marble chimneypiece with reeding and corner rosettes, similar architraves; first floor front drawing room with eight-panel doors, double to rear room, floral cornice, matching architraves to doors and windows with lion masks; plainer rooms to upper floors; basement retains early kitchen fittings including oven and roasting hooks. No.97 sub-divided into five flats in 1983. No.99: recorded by Bath Preservation Trust Interiors Survey (1991). This reports presence of cantilevered stone stair; entrance hall with stove alcove set within reeded surround, arch at foot of stairs with meander pattern to soffit; ground floor front drawing room with veined marble chimneypiece with grape decoration, reeded cornice and ceiling rose, reeded architrave to door; reeded architrave to sliding double doors between first floor rooms, rear recess framed by screen with Ionic columns. No.100: recorded by Bath Preservation Trust Interiors Survey (1991-98). Two rooms per floor on lower levels, extension to rear on ground floor. This reports presence of features including cantilevered stone staircase with wrought iron lyre decoration to each floor, scrolled mahogany hand-rail; entrance with fanlight over inner door, niche for stove with reeded surround, arch to ceiling, acanthus leaf cornice; dining room at ground floor front with reeded marble chimneypiece, reeded architraves to doors and windows, large folding door to rear room with reeded architrave with lion mask roundels to corners; basement contains highly unusual survival of a marble-lined bath, 81 ins. long by 29 inches. wide, approx. 46 inches. deep, with steps beneath floor of rear room, with hinged cover over. No.101: recorded by Bath Preservation Trust interiors Survey (1993). This reports presence of features including five-flight cantilevered stone stair with plain railings and mahogany hand-rail; entrance all with interior fanlight to inner door, stove alcove with reeded surround, acanthus leaf cornice; dining room to ground floor front with marble chimneypiece enriched with vine reliefs, quatrefoil decorated cornice, reeded architrave to doors and windows with foliate reliefs to corners; similarly decorated room to ground floor rear; drawing room to first floor front with reeded marble chimneypiece, reeded ceiling band and foliate rose, reeded architraves with lion masks to corners, sliding panelled doors to room at rear with similar decoration; further features on upper floors; basement kitchen retains range with name of local manufacturers, Stothert and Walker.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Terrace fronted by wrought iron railings with vase bases, gates to basements and fine trellised overthrows with a complete set of lamp brackets.
HISTORY: Originally known as New Sydney Place, this was among the most prestigious of all Late Georgian developments in Bath (bronze plaques record that Queen Charlotte stayed in No.93 in 1817 and King William IV, when Duke of Clarence, stayed at No.103 in 1817 too). It marked the completion by John Pinch of Baldwin's design for the Sydney Place development after financial delays in the 1790s, and forms a key part of one of the most impressive of all Neo-classical urban set-pieces in Britain. Building lease of No.95 for 96 years dated 30 September 1808 between the Earl of Darlington and John Jacobs, builder and plasterer of Walcot, which stated that adjoining plot to east had been let to Walter Harris, builder and mason, that to west to William Seward and William Waters, builders and carpenters. No. 99-101 was used as an art school until 1998. It is regarded as John Pinch's finest creation: it is the first appearance of his distinctive ramped horizontal detailing, and the inclusion of very tall windows and an architecturally treated attic floor is also noteworthy. The quality of the ashlar fronts was particularly admired, with the courses of masonry being raised sequentially in order to create as harmonious and even a tone as possible.
SOURCES: RCHME Report in the National Monuments Record, ref. 82858; Walter Ison, 'The Georgian Buildings of Bath' 2nd ed.1980), 183-85; Neil Jackson N, 'Nineteenth Century Bath - Architects and Architecture' (1991), 15-21; Robert Bennett, `The Last of the Georgian Architects of Bath The Work and Times of John Pinch', Bath History IX (2002), 93 ff.
Listing NGR: ST7569665160
