42-52, Great Pulteney Street

Eight terrace houses on the south side of Great Pulteney Street, dating to around 1790. They were designed by Thomas Baldwin, John Eveleigh and other architects as part of the major late 18th-century development of the Bathwick estate east of the River Avon.

The buildings are constructed in limestone ashlar with double pitched slate mansard roofs featuring attics and stacks set against coped party walls. They rise three storeys with attics and basements, following double depth plans. The terrace is unified by a continuous modillion cornice, frieze and fascia, with sill bands to the second and first floors, a ground floor platband and plinth returned to the right. The ground floor has chamfered rustication and eight-panel doors with large overlights. The terrace is irregularly articulated by a giant order of fluted Corinthian pilasters.

Number 42 has a six-window range with its door positioned left-of-centre, featuring diagonal glazing bars to the fanlight and a boot scraper. The second-floor sill heights have been lowered, with six/nine-pane sash windows except over the door and to the right. Number 41A, stepped forward to the left, sits in the angle with a quarter pilaster paired with a full one, with paired pilasters to the right party wall. Number 44 has a six-window range with lowered sills and six/nine-pane sashes to two second floor left-of-centre windows. The left-of-centre door features timber glazing bars to the fanlight within the overlight and a footscraper. Number 46 matches this pattern with a six-window range and lowered sills. Number 48 has its door positioned to the right with a similar overlight to Number 42. Number 49 has a three-window range with the door to the right and fanlight set into the overlight. Number 50 is similar to Number 49 with paired pilasters to the right party wall. Number 51 has a six-window range with door left-of-centre and one and a quarter pilasters to the right. Number 52 is stepped forward and resembles the other terminal houses. The roof is hipped to the right with dormers on both sides. A first floor window at the centre is semicircular arched with narrow pilasters and consoles supporting a cornice and frieze with double festoon flanked by paterae.

The right return to Edward Street has a five-window range with moulded coping to the parapet, stopped cornice level with the fascia at the front, blind windows to the right hand range, plate glass sashes to the remainder, and a plain opening and overlight to the door.

Interior details are limited as the interiors were not fully inspected. Numbers 44-46 were united during a residential conversion scheme in 1988 forming fifteen units, with further alterations in 1998. Number 48 was sub-divided in 1973. Number 44 was partially inspected by Bath Council in 1986 and retained an original staircase with Victorian newel. Number 48 contains a stone staircase with square wooden balusters and newel, original marble fireplaces and double connecting doors on the first floor. Number 49 was formerly Bathwick Ladies School in 1906.

Great Pulteney Street itself forms the principal element of the late 18th-century development of the Bathwick estate, laid out on an unusually generous scale of 100 feet wide, making it one of the most imposing urban set-pieces of its day in Britain. Robert Adam prepared designs in 1782, but Thomas Baldwin was responsible for the eventual design. Leases were granted from 1788 onwards, though progress was delayed by the building crash of the mid-1790s.