No. 32 and Attached Railings

No. 32 is a terrace house, now converted into flats, built between 1770 and 1775 as part of the development of Rivers Street by John Wood the Younger. It is one of a group of buildings that reflect different land acquisitions and construction phases within Wood’s overall design.

The house is constructed of limestone ashlar to the front, with rubble to the basement. The rear elevation is not visible. It has a double-pile, parapeted mansard roof. The upper section of the roof is covered with stone slates, while the lower section is covered with Welsh slate, the rear of which is also not visible. There are two ashlar chimney stacks, featuring some early clay pots, built against the flank wall of No.1 Brunswick Place, which adjoins the house to the left.

The front has three storeys, an attic, and a basement, with a two-window frontage. The first floor has two six/six sash windows, wider on the left, set within ovolo moulded architraves with friezes and cornices, and stone sills on console brackets. The second floor also features two similar sashes in matching architraves and sills. The ground floor has a six/six sash window to the left, in a plain reveal, flanked by narrow, blind windows with a continuous stone sill. To the right is a six-panel door with flush beaded panels, a single oval glazed panel, and a stone doorcase featuring an ovolo moulded architrave, frieze, and cornice. A pennant paved crossover, flush with the pavement, is shared with No.33 Rivers Street. The basement has a six/six sash window in a plain reveal, with a stone sill, and a 20th-century window set within an ashlar infilling beneath the crossover. There are no area steps. The attic has a hipped double dormer with six/six sash windows in moulded architraves. A band course runs above the ground floor; a modillion cornice runs continuously with No.33 Rivers Street; and a coped parapet tops the building. A lead hopperhead is located at the eaves on the right. The rear elevation is not visible.

The interior of the house has not been inspected.

Attached to the front are wrought iron railings with a lifting section and gate, set on limestone bases and featuring shaped heads.

The Rivers Street development occurred in stages, involving leases and land purchases from various individuals, including Sir Benet Garrard, Sir Peter Rivers Gay, and Thomas and Daniel Omer. Different Bath builders were involved in implementing Wood’s overall design.