1-10, Portland Place

Ten symmetrical terrace houses built in 1786 by architect John Eveleigh, facing north on Portland Place. They form a Grade II* listed palace-fronted terrace approximately 300 feet in length, raised imposingly on a low podium.

The houses are constructed in limestone ashlar with double pitched slated mansard roofs featuring dormers and moulded stacks set to party walls. Each of the ten houses is three storeys with attics and basements. Most are arranged as a four-window range across their façade, with the exception of No.5, which has five windows. The original design featured oval openings in a continuous coped parapet, a modillion cornice with lintel frieze, continuous sill bands to upper floors, a platband and plinth, six-over-six-pane sash windows, and eight-panel doors with cobweb fanlights. The end houses and the central house step slightly forward, with the centre block pedimented.

Individual variations include: No.1 has horns to windows. No.2 has horns to windows, painted splayed reveals to first and ground floors, and a plain fanlight. No.3 has painted reveals to horned plate glass sash windows, balconettes to the first floor, and a good scrolled overthrow and lampholder to railings. No.4 has splayed reveals, two-over-two-pane sash windows with horizontal glazing bars to the second floor, horns to plate glass sash windows to the remainder, and a plain fanlight. Hermitage House School occupied this house until 1994, when it was converted to flats.

No.5, the central house, steps forward across three ranges with rusticated quoins and a pediment. Its central door has a semicircular Gibbs surround and cobweb fanlight. The first floor features lowered sills to 19th-century three-pane French windows with overlights and four horizontal bars replacing balconettes. The flanking ranges have quoins rusticated up to the platband. This house was fitted by C.E. Davis in 1875 as Bath High School and later became part of Hermitage House School before conversion to flats in 1994.

Nos 6-8 have an added attic storey. No.6 has painted splayed reveals and horns to six-over-six-pane windows, a fine Regency cast iron balcony to the first floor with swept canopy and semicircular arches between piers, and a plain fanlight. No.7 has horizontal glazing bars to two-over-two-pane sashes at attic level, six-over-six-pane sashes to the second floor, horned plate glass sashes to first and ground floors, and a cobweb fanlight. No.8 has painted splayed reveals to horned plate glass windows, trellised balconettes to the first floor, and a cobweb fanlight. No.9 is painted to ground floor with painted reveals to horned plate glass windows, balconettes to the first floor, and a scrolled overthrow similar to No.3. No.10, the right terminal, has six-over-six-pane sashes without horns, lowered sills, and six-over-six-pane sashes to the first floor with four horizontal bars replacing balconettes, and a cobweb fanlight.

The terrace was developed in conjunction with Burlington Street by John Hensley. Leasehold land was demised to Hensley on 30 March 1782 for three lives by legatees of Morford's Estate, with building leases granted on 25 March, 24 June, and 31 October 1785. Freehold land belonging to Hensley in conjunction with William Phillips was conveyed by the Duperee family on 1 and 2 January 1772, and then transferred by lease and release on 23 and 24 June 1783 from Hensley, Phillips, and their trustee to Daniel Tanner as trustee for Hensley alone. The large central house was built for P.C. Crespigny, whilst other houses were built for Cross, a banker of Bath.

This terrace is a Neoclassical version of the north front of Queen Square, executed in Eveleigh's characteristically refined manner. It takes full advantage of the sloping site, and its monumentality is accentuated by the triangular opening to Burlington Street in front. Many of the original parapets have been altered over time.