14 Rivers Street and attached railings

656-1/30/1388

RIVERS STREET(North side) No.14 and attached railings

(Formerly Listed as: RIVERS STREET (North side) Nos.1-15 (Consecutive))

12/06/50

GV II Terrace house, now flats. 1775-1780. Part of the Rivers Street development by John Wood the Younger.

MATERIALS: limestone ashlar to front, Render to basement, ashlar and rubble to rear, double pile roof, Welsh slate parapeted mansard to front, double Romans built up to full third floor to rear, two ashlar stacks to left.

EXTERIOR: three storeys, attic and basement. First floor has three grouped plate glass horned sash windows, narrower to either side, in splayed reveals with continuous stone sill; second floor has three similar windows. Ground floor has eight/eight-sash in splayed reveal with stone sill with C20 balconette to right, to left six-panel door with flush, moulded and glazed panels in pedimented Doric doorcase, concrete paved crossover flush with pavement.

Basement has two plate glass horned sashes in splayed reveals, C20 glazed door with overlight in boarded screen under crossover, no area steps. Double dormer with plate glass horned sashes. Timber bressumer and stone band course over ground floor, modillion cornice and coped parapet.

INTERIOR: not inspected.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: attached wrought iron railings 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. Strip of ground on which Nos 12-15 and 48-50 Rivers Street constructed probably never acquired by Wood. Sites of Nos. 12-15 were conveyed from 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: ST7471365465