26 Rivers Street and attached railings

26 Rivers Street and attached railings

A terrace house built between 1770 and 1775, part of the Rivers Street development by John Wood the Younger. The building retains its original character despite twentieth-century alterations.

The house is constructed of limestone ashlar to the front elevation, with rubble to the plinth at basement level and ashlar and rubble to the rear. It features a double pile parapeted mansard roof with Welsh slate to front and rear, double Roman tiles to the inner slopes, and a coped party wall to the left with two ashlar stacks bearing some early clay pots.

The exterior displays three storeys, an attic storey, and a basement, arranged across a three-window front. The first floor contains three six-over-six sashes in ovolo moulded architraves with friezes and cornices, set on moulded stone sills supported by console brackets. The second floor has three six-over-six sashes in ovolo moulded architraves with stone sills. The ground floor features two six-over-six sashes in splayed reveals to the left, and to the right a six-panel door with flush reeded, fielded and glazed panels. The door is approached via two pennant steps and set within a pedimented Doric doorcase with an incised numeral '26', cut by Peter McLennan in 1990. A further three steps lead to a pennant paved crossover.

The basement contains two six-over-six sashes in plain reveals with stone sills, and an unmoulded six-panel door beneath the crossover. Limestone area steps with a wrought iron handrail provide access. A double dormer at attic level contains six-over-six sashes in cyma moulded architraves. A band course runs above the ground floor, and a modillion cornice with coped parapet continues across to No. 27 Rivers Street.

The rear elevation contains six-over-six sashes including those to the double dormer. A lead hopperhead and lead downpipe added in 1987 drain from the eaves. A single-storey extension rebuilt between 1987 and 1991 is constructed of ashlar with a pantile and pennant stone slate roof. A nine-pane back door opens onto Brock Street.

The interior has not been inspected.

Attached wrought iron railings with shaped heads are present to both the rear and front, with a matching gate set on limestone bases.

Rivers Street was developed by John Wood the Younger across three parcels of land acquired at different periods. Nos. 1–11 were constructed in conjunction with Catharine Place on ground conveyed on perpetual leasehold from Sir Benet Garrard to Wood and Brock as his trustee on 19 and 20 December 1766. Nos. 16–28 and 36–47 Rivers Street, together with areas behind Nos. 46 and 47, were conveyed from the Rivers Estate, owned by Sir Peter Rivers Gay, to Wood on 5 March 1768 for a 99-year term. 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 on 30 December 1768 on perpetual freehold rents. The strip of ground on which Nos. 12–15 and 48–50 Rivers Street stand was probably never acquired by Wood. The sites of 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.