68 And 70, Walcot Street

WALCOT STREET 656-1/31/1797 (East side) Nos.68 AND 70 05/08/75

GV II

Pair of houses, now with two shopfronts to street. Early/mid C18 with C20 alterations. MATERIALS: Painted coursed limestone rubble with freestone dressings, steeply-pitched slate roof with moulded stacks to gable ends. PLAN: Double depth plan. EXTERIOR: Two storeys with attics, each has two-window range. Two C20 dormers, restored six/six-pane sash windows with thick glazing bars, surrounds to No.70 to left are splayed. Early C19 shopfronts have recessed panels to narrow pilasters and fluted consoles flanking fascias, C20 shop windows have turned colonnettes to corners and set back half-glazed doors with overlights to right of each, that to No.70 early C20 with leaded glazing. No.68 wider, possibly with former open fire to right. INTERIORS: Not inspected. The rough finish to the masonry front embodies the aspects of house building that John Wood railed against in his 'Description of Bath' (1742-43); the Victorian shopfronts notwithstanding, an interesting survival of the less polished sort of mid C18 townhouse. The fact that the masonry window surrounds are not raised up from the wall surface indicates that it was not intended to be rendered.

Listing NGR: ST7507765237