27 Rivers Street and attached railings

656-1/30/1400

RIVERS STREET (North side) No.27 and attached railings

(Formerly Listed as: RIVERS STREET (North side) No.16. Nos 17-31 (consec))

12/06/50

GV II Terrace house. 1770-1775 with C20 alterations. Part of the Rivers Street development by John Wood the Younger.

MATERIALS: limestone ashlar to front, rubble to rear, double pile parapeted mansard roof, Welsh Slate to front and rear, coped party wall to left with single large ashlar and Render stack. House at angle in street in wedge shaped narrowing to rear and of shallower plan than adjoining houses, staircase to front.

EXTERIOR: three storey, attic and basement, two-window range. First floor has two plate glass sashes narrower to right to staircase with fixed panes of plate glass below in ovolo moulded architraves with friezes and cornices, lowered moulded stone sills on cut down console brackets, to left with cast iron front for window box. Second floor has two similar plate glass sashes in ovolo moulded architraves with stone sills. Ground floor has to left plate glass sash in plain reveal with stone sill with cast iron front for window box, to right six-panel door with flush, fielded and single glazed panel with two pennant steps in pedimental Doric doorcase with wrought iron foot-scraper attached, three steps to pennant paved crossover.

Basement has to left six/six-sash in plain reveal with stone sill, C20 half-glazed door and two windows infilling under crossover, C20 area steps. Single dormer with plate glass sash. Band course over ground floor and modillion cornice and coped parapet continuous with No.26 Rivers Street (qv).

INTERIOR: not inspected.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: attached wrought iron railings and gate with shaped heads on limestone bases.

HISTORY: Rivers Street was developed by John Wood the Younger on three parcels of land: Nos. 1-11 constructed in conjunction with Catharine Place on ground conveyed on perpetual leasehold from Sir Benet Garrard to Wood and Brock as his trustee 19/20 December 1766. Nos. 16-28 and 36-47 Rivers Street with areas behind Nos. 46 and 47 on ground conveyed from Rivers Estate (owned by Sir Peter Rivers Gay) to Wood 5 March 1768 for 99 years. 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 30 December 1768 on perpetual freehold rents. The strip of ground on which Nos 12-15 and 48-50 Rivers Street were constructed 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, re Ison.

SOURCES: Building leases and rate books; Walter Ison, The Georgian Buildings of Bath (2nd ed. 1980), 233.

Listing NGR: ST7480665447