No.5 And Attached Railings And Vaults

OXFORD ROW 656-1/30/1165 No.5 and attached railings and vaults (Formerly Listed as: LANSDOWN ROAD (West side) Nos 1-12 (consec) Oxford Row) 12/06/50

GV II

House, now hotel. c1775 with C20 alterations. Probably designed by Thomas Warr Atwood, who certainly developed them, see below. MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar to front, painted to basement, not visible to rear, double pile parapeted mansard roof, Welsh slate to front, not visible to rear, has two stacks with some early clay pots, ashlar to front, not visible to rear, rising from coped party wall to left, stack to front to right rebuilt in reconstituted stone shared with No.6 Oxford Row (qv). Staircase to rear. EXTERIOR: Three storeys, attic and basement, five window front. First floor has five nine/nine horned sashes in splayed ovolo moulded architraves rising from lowered stone sills and with friezes and cornices, second floor has five six/six horned sashes in ovolo moulded architraves rising from stone sills. Ground floor has four six/six horned sashes in splayed reveals with stone sills flanking six panel door with flush beaded, fielded and glazed panels with cast iron knocker with one step in stone doorcase with cyma moulded architrave on flat surround with moulded brackets to cornice, wrought iron footscraper attached to plinth block to right, one step to crossover with new pennant paving. Basement area infilled to left with two probable former six/six sashes in plain reveals with splayed lintels partially visible, area to right has two six/six sashes in plain reveals with splayed lintels and stone sills, door under crossover, two doorways to vaults, C20 area steps arriving on large pennant slab. One double and one single dormer with six/six horned sashes. Band course over ground floor, modillion eaves cornice and coped parapet. Moulded lead hopperhead and downpipe attached to left shared with 4 Oxford Row (qv). Rear elevation not visible. INTERIOR: Not inspected. SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Attached wrought iron railings and gate with shaped heads on limestone bases. HISTORY: These houses were developed on Council land by Thomas Warr Atwood, who obtained the ground in 1773 (Council Minutes 02.03.1773). They are standard Palladian designs for the 1770's, and could be the work of Atwood, of John Wood the Younger, or of Thomas Jelly; but the evidence suggests that Atwood is the most likely. 'Atwood was a competent though conservative architect whose elevations are excellent examples of the English Palladian tradition as applied to street architecture.' (Colvin). (Ison W: The Georgian Buildings of Bath: London: 1948-: 35 AND 159; Colvin H: A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1660-1840: London: 1978-: 77; ).

Listing NGR: ST7493865330