17, Rivers Street and attached railings

656-1/30/1391

RIVERS STREET (North side) No.17 and attached railings

(Formerly Listed as: RIVERS STREET (North side) No.16. Nos 17-31 (consec))

12/06/50

GV II Terrace house, now flats. 1770-1775 with C20 alterations. Part of the Rivers Street development by John Wood the Younger.

MATERIALS: limestone ashlar to front, rubble below basement windows, rubble to rear, double pile parapeted mansard roof, Welsh Slate to front and rear, coped party wall to left with two rebuilt ashlar stacks.

EXTERIOR: three storeys, attic and basement, three-window front. First floor has three two/two horned sashes in ovolo moulded architraves with friezes and cornices, lowered moulded stone sills on cut down console brackets with wrought iron balconettes. Second floor has three two/two horned sashes in ovolo moulded architraves with stone sills. Ground floor has, to left, two two/two horned sashes in splayed reveals with stone sills, to right six-panel door with flush beaded, fielded and glazed panels with one pennant step in pedimented Doric doorcase, two steps to pennant paved crossover. Basement has two six/six-sashes in plain reveals with stone sills, C20 infilling under crossover in ashlar with plank door and four-pane overlight, C20 area steps. Double dormer with plate glass sashes. Band course over ground floor, modillion cornice and coped parapet. Rear elevation largely not visible.

INTERIOR: not inspected.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: attached wrought iron railings and gate with shaped heads on limestone bases.

HISTORY: Rivers Street was developed by John Wood the Younger on three parcels of land: Nos. 1-11 constructed in conjunction with Catharine Place on ground conveyed on perpetual leasehold from Sir Benet Garrard to Wood and Brock as his trustee 19/20 December 1766. Nos. 16-28 and 36-47 Rivers Street with areas behind Nos. 46 and 47 on ground conveyed from Rivers Estate (owned by Sir Peter Rivers Gay) to Wood 5 March 1768 for 99 years. Nos. 28-35 Rivers Street were constructed in conjunction with Russell Street on ground bought by John Wood and Andrew Sproule as his trustee from Thomas and Daniel Omer 30 December 1768 on perpetual freehold rents. Strip of ground on which Nos 12-15 and 48-50 Rivers Street constructed probably never acquired by Wood. Sites of Nos. 12-15 were conveyed from Rivers Estate to Thomas and James Beale on 30 December 1774 and 16 October 1776 on perpetual freehold rents. A number of different Bath builders were responsible for implementing Wood's overall design, re Ison.

SOURCES: building leases and rate books; Walter Ison, The Georgian Buildings of Bath (2nd ed. 1980), 233.

Listing NGR: ST7473865460