Claverton Buildings Nos 8 And 9 And Attached Railings

A pair of late 18th-century houses, with alterations in the mid-20th century, located at the north side of Claverton Street. The buildings are constructed of limestone ashlar, painted to the front elevation, with double Roman tile roofs. The plan consists of single-depth arrangements, with high mansard roofs; however, No. 9 has a lower roof pitch than No. 8, and both have wings to the rear.

Architecturally, the houses are two storeys, attic, and basement, with the basement exposed as a full storey to the rear. They feature sash windows, predominantly with glazing bars. No. 8 has a small paired sash dormer above paired twelve-pane sashes at ground and first floors, with a flat-roofed extension above the basement. A four-panel door is situated to the right, topped by a flat hood on brackets. Other external detailing consists of a platband, moulded cornice, a blocking course, and parapet. Both gables are coped, with a deep, narrow shared ashlar stack to the right and one to the left, which projects forward of the ridge. The return gable of No. 8 has a sash window at each level to the left, and a glazed door to the basement. A lower, three-storey gabled wing in ashlar, painted to the west front, has nine/twelve-pane sashes and a six-panel door to the right. A large square gable stack, formerly shared with an adjoining property, was removed in the 1960s due to road widening; the remains of the former fireplace are visible on the end gable. The inner face is plain. The rear of the main range has an ashlar stack to the eaves on the right, a small two-light dormer above a twelve-pane sash, and a plank door with a four-pane transom light. No. 9 has a small dormer above a twelve-pane sash, and features a 20th-century shopfront brought forward under a flat roof, incorporating a set-back door with a further part-glazed door under a deep transom light. Cornice and other detailing is consistent with No. 8. The rear of No. 9 has a plain sash dormer, five plain sashes, and a glazed door below.

An inspection of No. 8 by Bath Council in 1980 revealed a staircase with a Doric newel and colonnettes, although most original features were subsequently removed. An inspection of No. 9 by Bath Council in 1991 documented an early 19th-century fireplace with a later grate, a staircase with a Doric newel and colonnettes, a return-flight staircase with no well, and a pine handrail. The panelling, fine original features, an Early 19th-century fireplace, and panelling below the dado remain in the hall.

Subsidiary features include a simple spearhead railing in a dwarf ashlar wall, with a gate to the right, extending across the front and returning to the left gable of No. 8. These two properties were originally the left-hand end of a continuous terrace from numbers 8 to 15; No. 8 is slightly stepped forward. Subsequently, numbers 8 to 14 were modified, and No. 15, also stepped forward, is now a reminder of the initial terrace layout.