Retaining Wall With Balustrade To Parade Gardens, And The Vaults Beneath

NORTH PARADE Retaining wall with balustrade to Parade Gardens, and the vaults beneath 18/10/95

GV II

Retaining wall, vaults and balustrade. c1740, balustrade c1932. By John Wood the Elder. MATERIALS: Coursed squared limestone, balustrade ashlar. Also heavy reinforced concrete strapping to top of wall that balustrade sits on. EXTERIOR: Wall fronting gardens stands on gently sloping ground with almost full storey height at river end (14), each house has arched doorway as private entry into garden, and square headed window lighting vault, although some alterations and some are blocked. Balustrade in panels with piers between, capped alternately by vases or iron openwork lamp standards with lamps. HISTORY: Part of overall changes to walling of Parade Gardens, continuing scheme first begun by CE Davis in c1895 (qv Grand Parade) and completed following demolition of Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (once Harrison's Rooms, or the Lower Rooms) on Terrace Walk in 1932. In Wood's scheme balustrade were topped by obelisks, shown in Thomas Malton's engravings, while Davis's scheme had different lamp standards and vases as shown in contemporary photographs. SOURCES: Ison W: The Georgian Buildings of Bath: Bath: 1980-: 134-138; Lees-Milne J and Ford D: Images of Bath: London: 1982-; The Bath Chronicle: Images of Bath: Derby: 1994-; Mowl T and Earnshaw B: John Wood Architect of Obsession: Bath: 1988-: 145.

Listing NGR: ST7529564708