Two Watchman's Boxes at Holburne Museum

Two Watchman's Boxes at Holburne Museum

A pair of identical watchmen's boxes flanking the entrance to the Holburne Museum, dating from around 1840. They are constructed from limestone ashlar and are approximately 1.5 metres square, standing about 3 metres high.

Each box is set on a plinth with Tuscan pilasters positioned slightly back from each corner. These pilasters flank coped recesses on the three closed sides. The front of each box has a plain architrave, and the roofline is finished with a triglyph frieze and cornice supporting a slightly pyramidal stone slab roof. The interior contains a plain stone bench running across the rear wall.

The boxes were built around 1840 during a period of enhancement and alteration to Sydney Gardens, and they have remained unaltered since their construction.

Sydney Gardens themselves were laid out as commercial pleasure grounds between 1792 and 1794. The initial design was by architect Thomas Baldwin, who was replaced by Charles Harcourt Masters in 1794 following Baldwin's bankruptcy. The gardens opened on 11 May 1795 as Sydney Gardens Vauxhall and became a popular place of entertainment, hosting public breakfasts, promenades and galas. The main building was the Sydney Tavern (now the Holburne of Menstrie Museum) at the western end of the central walk, containing tea and card rooms, a ballroom, coffee room and public house. In 1799, a section of the Kennet and Avon Canal was cut through the gardens with decorative bridges and tunnels. From around 1839, the Great Western Railway was constructed through the gardens. During the early nineteenth century and afterwards, additional structures were introduced for ornamental effect. In 1891, when the original 99-year lease expired, the site was sold. The plan to replace the Tavern with a large hotel and remodel the grounds was abandoned. In 1908, Bath City Council purchased the site; the gardens opened to the public as a municipal park in 1913, and the Tavern was remodelled by Sir Reginald Blomfield into the Holburne of Menstrie Museum. The gardens remain in public use as a park today. Most ornamental structures introduced later in the nineteenth century were cleared away after World War Two. The watchmen's boxes demonstrate high-quality architectural style, materials and craftsmanship, represent a rare survival of their building type, and have strong group value with the Museum and other listed structures within Sydney Gardens and nearby streets.