6-9, Abbey Church Yard

A terrace of shops with living accommodation above, dating to the late 1790s and designed by John Palmer. The terrace was initially conceived by Thomas Baldwin around 1790, but rebuilding was completed after his financial difficulties in 1793, incorporating a revised design. Built of limestone ashlar with Welsh slate roofs, the terrace comprises four buildings of three storeys plus attics and cellars, with a single-depth plan – No.7 has a rear extension. The front elevation has nine windows arranged one:two:three:two:one, with the centre and ends slightly projecting. Detailing includes a band at first floor level, sills at both first and second floor levels, and a Vitruvian scroll above the first-floor windows, except for the central three bays. A cornice and parapet top the building, with a shallow pediment over the three central windows. A Mansard roof is present. Most windows are twelve-pane sashes, though the first-floor windows of Nos.6 and 7 have been altered to six/nine-pane sashes. The left return (No.6) has two windows and a blind recess on each floor, while the right return (No.9) features four windows, the outer ones set into narrow, curved corner bays. Several small-paned dormers are present. Tall ashlar stacks, many retaining their pots, are visible. Nos.6 and 7 have Victorian shop fronts, with No.7’s dating to the mid-19th century. No.8 has a high-quality double-fronted shop front from around 1830-40, rising to first-floor sill level, incorporating ornamental cast iron undersill panels in a Greek Revival style. No.9 has a six-panel door with two glazed panels and a fanlight, complemented by modern plate glass windows with pram hood blinds, set within an early 19th century shop front; the arched window heads of this shop front are illustrated in a print from 1817. The interiors were not inspected. This terrace was part of a wider refurbishment of Bath’s city centre around the Pump Room, and included several notable shops from its inception.