18 Rivers Street and attached railings

18 Rivers Street and attached railings

Terrace house, now converted to flats, built 1770-1775 as part of the Rivers Street development by John Wood the Younger. The building underwent alterations and extensions in the early 19th century and further changes in the 20th century.

The house is constructed in limestone ashlar to both front and rear elevations, with a double pile parapeted roof and mansard roof to the front, covered in Welsh slate. The rear extension has a flat roof concealed behind the parapet. The party wall to the left is coped with two ashlar stacks.

The front elevation has three storeys, an attic storey, and basement, with three windows across. The first floor contains three plate glass horned sashes with splayed ovolo moulded architraves, friezes and cornices, set above lowered moulded stone sills on cut down console brackets with wrought iron balconettes. The second floor has three six-over-six sashes in ovolo moulded architraves with stone sills. The ground floor features, to the left, two plate glass horned sashes in splayed reveals with stone sills and wrought iron balconettes. To the right is a six-panel door with flush beaded and fielded panels and applied bead, set in an early 19th-century timber surround with side lights, the right light retaining some coloured glass. The doorcase has carved console brackets to narrow pilasters, a reeded frieze, and a decorative fanlight above. It stands in a round-headed splayed reveal with reeded surround, rosettes at the springing of the arch, and a carved relief keystone. One pennant step leads to a pennant paved crossover with a pair of cast iron foot-scrapers, one broken. The basement contains one six-over-six sash in a splayed reveal with stone sill, ashlar infilling beneath the crossover with two-light windows, and a small extension in the area to the left with an unmoulded six-panel door now serving as the basement entrance. A band course runs over the ground floor, with a modillion cornice and coped parapet above. Double dormers with plate glass sashes light the attic storey. The rear elevation, partially visible, displays six-over-six sashes to the second floor and left side, with a further extension to a second half-landing off the staircase. A lead hopperhead sits at the eaves to the centre.

The interior, not inspected in detail, is noted as having panelled shutters with applied bed and voided corners, and an early 19th-century ceiling rose to the first floor front.

Attached wrought iron railings and gate with shaped heads sit on limestone bases.

Rivers Street was developed by John Wood the Younger on three separate parcels of land, acquired at different times and under different terms. Nos. 1-11 were constructed in conjunction with Catharine Place on ground conveyed by perpetual leasehold from Sir Benet Garrard to Wood and Brock (as his trustee) on 19-20 December 1766. Nos. 16-28 and 36-47, along with areas behind Nos. 46-47, were conveyed from the Rivers Estate, owned by Sir Peter Rivers Gay, to Wood on 5 March 1768 for 99 years. Nos. 28-35 were constructed in conjunction with Russell Street on ground purchased by John Wood and Andrew Sproule (as his trustee) from Thomas and Daniel Omer on 30 December 1768 on perpetual freehold rents. The sites of Nos. 12-15 and 48-50 were probably never acquired by Wood. Nos. 12-15 were conveyed from the 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.