St Michael'S Church House

This is a church house built in 1904 by Wallace Gill, situated on a sloping site to the left of number 88 Walcot Street, and partly integrated with that building. The building is constructed of random sized limestone ashlar with wide joints, and has a double Roman tile roof topped by a bellcote. The front gable features a diagonally set stone finial and three louvred windows in the apex. A valley to the right has an inverted semicircular dip and an ornamental rainwater head on the downpipe. A right-hand quoin features a moulded kneeler. A two-storey semicircular arched recess contains five narrow windows, stepped up at the centre, above an elaborate stone doorcase with a canopy and a statue of St Michael slaying a dragon, set within a broken swan neck pediment. Pilasters with Composite capitals rise from the plinth and support a lintel inscribed with "ST MICHAELS CHURCH HOUSE" on either side of the stepped keystone. Flanking the recess are two-storey, five-window ranges with leaded windows containing Art Nouveau coloured glass motifs at the top of each light. A thick moulded plinth is also present. The tapering bellcote has paired semi-elliptical louvred openings and a tall swept copper roof. An impost string runs across the front and continues to the left return, descending in a spectacular scroll to the lower string above three mullioned and transomed two-light windows.

The interior has been converted to office use, featuring glazed brown brick facing up to dado height with plaster husk decoration above. A panelled reredos is located at the east end, and a gallery with turned wooden rails and ball finials to the posts is situated at the west end. An open timber roof completes the interior. The church house was built to serve the nearby church of St Michael, coinciding with significant changes to the church, representing a period of dynamic activity. A dedication plaque made of beaten copper records the building’s gift from Ellen Taunton Little and its dedication by the bishop on December 2nd, 1904. The facade's free Gothic design draws on local vernacular elements and fashionable modern motifs, which is an unusual style for Bath. The carving shows exceptional quality.