Details
QUEEN SQUARE
656-1/40/1332 (West side)
Nos.18A, 19 AND 20 and attached railings (Formerly Listed as: QUEEN SQUARE (West side) No.14. No.15. Nos 16-18 (consec) (Reference Library). Nos 18A, 19 & 20)
12/06/50
GV I
Three houses, now offices, in one symmetrical pedimented front, with a long northern return to Queen Square Place. c1730 with C20 alterations. By John Wood the Elder, part of layout to west side of Square.
MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar, slate roof.
EXTERIOR: Palladian villa with hipped mansard roof, central three-bays brought forward under pediment, to rear two storey wing to 18A, and return to No.20 extended by full height extra bay. Three storeys, attic and basement, two+three+two windows, all glazing-bar sashes; four dormers above nine-pane at second floor in moulded architraves, and twelve-pane to first floor, in architraves with cornice hoods, but with Ionic pilasters to pediments, segmental to centre, to middle three bays, all to deep sill band, but taken through band in first two bays. Rusticated ground floor also has twelve-pane sashes, in Gibbsian surrounds, with segmental or triangular pediments and heavy triple keystones to outer bays, but in bays three and four to moulded architraves set in recessed arched panels. Bay two has large four-panel door with plain transom light, and segmental pediment, and bay five has large eight-panel door in moulded architrave under plain tympanum to sunk panel, centre three-bays have impost band under arches, which have prominent rusticated voussoirs. Basement includes three twelve-pane sashes, and plank door with margin pane transom light, light steel stair at left hand end. Modillion cornice, with blocking course and parapet, small attic pedestals to pediment, but no urns, deep ashlar stack to right, and smaller stack to rear left. Long return to right has rendered ground floor, and main five-bays covered by pediment, with three fine terminal urns, and containing two small oculi with radial bars and four keystones. Second floor nine-pane sashes in architraves, and first floor has twelve-pane, with architraves, and cornice hoods on pulvinated friezes, centre light also with pediment on consoles, and all to deep sill band. Ground floor includes two painted-in and three twelve-pane sash, all in Gibbsian surrounds with triple keystones, and central six-panel door in Ionic doorcase with pediment, and rusticated inner surround. Main floors have flat pilaster quoins. Extra bay, to flat parapet, has blind light at each level above four-panel door with slab hood on brackets. Rear has central three-bays with pediment containing oculus, above twelve-pane and at first floor four-pane with cornice hoods. Wings have twelve-pane sashes in plain reveals, and further sashes to rear wall. Rear mansard two deep ashlar stacks.
INTERIORS: Nos. 18A, 19 and 20 (interconnected): partial inspection by Gus Astley 17th December 1993. 18A: First Floor: original doors to front and back rooms. Staircase original. 20: First Floor: two original doors. Restoration work took place in 1989.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Basement areas are enclosed by cast iron railings on stone curbs, returned to doorways.
HISTORY: This house corresponds with Nos 18A and 19 Queen Square (qv), both pairs forming the fronts of projecting wings which flanked a recessed mansion in the centre of the composition, set back behind a courtyard. This recessed section was done away with in 1830, when the present Institution was constructed. The elevations facing into the courtyard were destroyed, and the entrance arrangements have consequently undergone some changes. The entrance remaining on the north return shows the way in which Wood originally managed the matter of designing a single architectural unit, while creating separate entrances to each of the three houses. 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: ST7473665001
