25 Rivers Street and attached railings

656-1/30/1398

RIVERS STREET (North side) No.25 and attached railings

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

12/06/50

GV II Terrace house. 1770-1775 with C19 and C20 additions. Part of the Rivers Street development by John Wood the Younger.

MATERIALS: limestone ashlar to front, rubble to plinth to basement, ashlar and rubble to rear, double pile parapeted mansard roof, Welsh Slate to front in lower slope, double Romans to upper slope, Welsh Slate to rear, with coped party wall with two ashlar stacks with some early clay pots to left.

EXTERIOR: three storeys, attic and basement, three-window front. First floor has three plate glass horned sashes in ovolo moulded architraves with splayed jambs with friezes and cornices and lowered moulded stone sills on cut down console brackets. Second floor has three plate glass horned sashes in ovolo moulded architraves with stone sills. Ground floor has, to left, two plate glass horned sashes in splayed reveals with stone sills, to right a six-panel door with flush reeded and glazed panels has pattern cut in frosted upper panel, one concrete step in pedimented Doric doorcase, two steps to pennant paved crossover with pair of C19 cast iron foot-scrapers.

Basement has two six/six-sashes in plain reveals with stone sills. Plank in ashlar and plank infilling under crossover, limestone area steps with pennant inserts to trends with wrought iron handrail. Double dormer with two/two-sashes. Band course over ground floor, modillion eaves cornice and coped parapet.

Rear elevation has plate glass and six/six-sashes with and without horns, C20 conservatory extension.

INTERIOR: not inspected.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Attached wrought iron railings and gate with shaped heads on concrete coated 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: ST7479365450