Nos. 2-5 (Consec) With Railings

Nos. 2-5 Beauford Square is a former terrace of four houses, built around 1730 by John Strahan, which has been incorporated into late 20th-century commercial premises fronting Barton Street. Nos. 2-4 were rebuilt in 1963-1964 by EM Tew. The buildings are constructed of limestone ashlar with slate roofs and feature two storeys, an attic, and a basement, totaling nine windows, all of which are sash windows. The high mansard roof includes eight 20th-century raking dormers, while the lower floors have eighteen-pane windows with thick bars and square panes set in a moulded and eared architrave. The ground floor windows are topped with a cornice hood on a pulvinated frieze, and the basements have twelve-pane sash windows. Bays one, four, and seven have six-panel fielded doors beneath three-pane transom lights, framed by architraves and segmental pediments on fluted pilasters with consoles. A full entablature with a triglyph frieze runs along the top. The left return, which leads to No. 2, has two bays that match the front detailing. There are no chimney stacks. The interiors were not inspected. The basement areas are enclosed by cast iron railings on a stone curb, which return at the doorways to a stone landing that bridges the areas. These elegant townhouses, showcasing careful early 18th-century detail, were part of Strahan's development laid out in 1727 as Beauford Square. They represent a significant effort to create an architecturally cohesive square, distinct from the style of John Wood, and are an important part of Bath's growth, holding great group value with the Theatre Royal. The rebuilding in facsimile has restored the integrity of the square.