11A AND 12-15, YORK STREET

YORK STREET 656-1/41/1934 (North side) Nos.11A AND 12-15 (Consec) 12/06/50

GV II

Terrace of shops with accommodation over, now offices and art galleries. c1819; possibly with front by William Wilkins. MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar, with Welsh slate roof. PLAN: Double depth plan. EXTERIOR: Greek Revival terrace of two storeys, eleven bays to whole arranged four:three:four, with a projecting pedimental centre-piece of three bays. Giant Doric pilasters running through two floors, carrying an entablature. Windows to ground floor are six:six casements flanked on either side with square colonnettes in jambs, except for twelve which has one six light window and one tripartite casement as centrepiece, six:six:six. First floor windows are all six/six sashes. Four panel doors with tripartite lights over. INTERIORS: Not inspected. It was converted to commercial use in 1975. HISTORY: Probably built at the same time as Wilkins's Masonic Hall across the street, which it closely echoes, stylistically; however, the centres of the two buildings are not aligned which compromises the harmony and precision of this unusual piece of Greek Revival town planning. No direct connection with Wilkins is known of. Nonetheless, a notable instance of highly fashionable and scholarly Grecian design as applied to fairly small-scale and non-institutional buildings. It is evident from the projecting masonry toothing on the second floor of No.16 to the east that this terrace was built after the previous intention to continue Nos.16-19 (qv) further west was abandoned. SOURCES: J. Orbach, Card Index of Bath Architects and Streets (1978); N. Jackson, Nineteenth Century Bath - Architects and Architecture (1991), 47; Bath Archaeological Trust/RCHM England, Georgian Bath Historical Map (1989); G. Field, Shopfront Record, Bath City Council (1992).

Listing NGR: ST7515764731