3 Rivers Street and attached railings

656-1/30/1377

RIVERS STREET (North side) No.3 and attached railings

(Formerly Listed as: RIVERS STREET (North side) Nos.1-15 (Consecutive))

12/06/50

GV II Terrace house, now flats. Originally c1775 by John Wood the Younger, rebuilt in replica by Ernest Tew and Oliver after destruction by bombing in 1942.

MATERIALS: limestone ashlar to front and rear, double pile Welsh slate roof, parapeted to front, with coped party wall with two ashlar stacks to right.

EXTERIOR: three storeys, attic and basement. First floor has three grouped six/six, nine/nine, six/six horned sashes in plain reveals with continuous stone sill with balconette. Second floor has three similar four/four, six/six, four/four sashes. Ground floor has to right two six/nine horned sashes in plain reveals with continuous stone sill, to left six-panel door in pedimented Doric doorcase with two steps to pennant paved crossover. Basement has two six/six horned sashes in plain reveals with continuous stone sill, four-panel door under crossover, concrete area steps. Triple dormer with plate glass windows. Band course over ground floor continuous with No.4 Rivers Street (qv), modillion cornice and coped parapet continuous with Nos 1-4 Rivers Street (qv). Rear elevation has six/six horned sashes.

INTERIOR: not inspected.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: attached 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.

The writer Walter Savage Landor lived in this house 1852-1864.

SOURCES: Building leases and rate books; Walter Ison, The Georgian Buildings of Bath (2nd ed. 1980), 233. (Orbach J: Card Index of Bath Architects and Streets: 1978; Building leases and rate books).

Listing NGR: ST7464165486