Nelson Place West
Encyclopedia
Nelson Place West is Grade II listed Georgian
terrace of houses
in Bath, Somerset
, England. It was built as "Nelson Place" in the early 19th century, and the suffix "West" was added to avoid confusion with Nelson Place East on the other side of the city. The end houses (Nos. 1 and 9) have Ionic
pilaster
s and there is a wrought iron
balcony on the second floor of Nos. 2-8. These features match the adjacent Norfolk Crescent
, which was built as part of the same urban development.
On the western end of the Georgian terrace there is a 1970s block of flats called Nelson House and further down the street (to the west) there is a row of Victorian houses called Nelson Villas.
(named after the Battle of the Nile
, one of Nelson's victories) and Norfolk Crescent
(the centrepiece of the development, named after Nelson's home county). The architect who designed the matching facades of Nelson Place and Norfolk Crescent was probably John Palmer
.
Palmer's design for Nelson Place was a terrace of 23 houses, each 3 windows wide. The two end houses were to have ionic pilasters and the central houses were to have a pediment, identical to the facade of Norfolk Crescent. The terrace was to be completely level, but the ground slopes down towards the river (at the west end of the row) so the street would have been built up on vaults, as at the south end of Norfolk Crescent. Each house was five storeys high (basement, ground floor, piano nobile
, second floor and attic). Unlike many other Bath houses, the attic windows are in the main facade, not in the roof. This makes the building look taller and more impressive.
The first two houses (Nos. 1 and 2) were built in the early 19th century and completed c.1817 but a financial crisis (resulting from the Bath Bank crash in 1793) meant that Bath developers were struggling to raise money for new houses.
). Four houses (Nos. 3-6) were built in this style and completed in c.1827 and a further two houses (Nos. 7 and 8) were built slightly later and completed in c.1835. By this time the demand for town houses was dropping and no more houses were built in Nelson Place.
called Nelson Villas was built at the west end of the street. These houses, two storeys high with front gardens, are very different to the Georgian terrace with its tall imposing facade.
Today Nos. 1 and 2 have been combined into a single house, which contains flats. The door to No. 1, which faced onto Nile Street, has been replaced with a window and the staircase inside No. 1 has been removed, so the flats in both houses are accessed via the door and staircase of No. 2. Nos. 3 and 4 have also been combined for conversion into flats, the door and staircase of No. 3 having been removed. The outline of the old doorways to No. 1 and No. 3 can still be made out.
Vice-Admiral Henry Gordon (d.1856) lived at No. 1 Nelson Place from 1829 until his death in 1856. Gordon was present at the Glorious First of June
naval battle and (as a lieutenant) he was in command of HMS Wolverine
when she was captured by the French in 1804. Henry Gordon also served two terms as the Mayor of Bath.
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
terrace of houses
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
in Bath, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England. It was built as "Nelson Place" in the early 19th century, and the suffix "West" was added to avoid confusion with Nelson Place East on the other side of the city. The end houses (Nos. 1 and 9) have Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s and there is a wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
balcony on the second floor of Nos. 2-8. These features match the adjacent Norfolk Crescent
Norfolk Crescent, Bath
Norfolk Crescent in Bath, Somerset, England was built between c.1793 and c.1822 and has been designated as a Grade II* listed building. The original design was by John Palmer, but minor alterations were later made by John Pinch....
, which was built as part of the same urban development.
On the western end of the Georgian terrace there is a 1970s block of flats called Nelson House and further down the street (to the west) there is a row of Victorian houses called Nelson Villas.
Original Design (c.1792-c.1817)
Nelson Place, which was named after Admiral Nelson, was part of a larger development that also included Nile StreetNile Street, Bath
Nile Street in Bath, Somerset, England is a short street of Georgian houses linking Norfolk Crescent and Nelson Place West with the Upper Bristol Road....
(named after the Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
, one of Nelson's victories) and Norfolk Crescent
Norfolk Crescent, Bath
Norfolk Crescent in Bath, Somerset, England was built between c.1793 and c.1822 and has been designated as a Grade II* listed building. The original design was by John Palmer, but minor alterations were later made by John Pinch....
(the centrepiece of the development, named after Nelson's home county). The architect who designed the matching facades of Nelson Place and Norfolk Crescent was probably John Palmer
John Palmer (Bath architect)
John Palmer was an English architect who worked on some of the notable buildings in the city of Bath in England...
.
Palmer's design for Nelson Place was a terrace of 23 houses, each 3 windows wide. The two end houses were to have ionic pilasters and the central houses were to have a pediment, identical to the facade of Norfolk Crescent. The terrace was to be completely level, but the ground slopes down towards the river (at the west end of the row) so the street would have been built up on vaults, as at the south end of Norfolk Crescent. Each house was five storeys high (basement, ground floor, piano nobile
Piano nobile
The piano nobile is the principal floor of a large house, usually built in one of the styles of classical renaissance architecture...
, second floor and attic). Unlike many other Bath houses, the attic windows are in the main facade, not in the roof. This makes the building look taller and more impressive.
The first two houses (Nos. 1 and 2) were built in the early 19th century and completed c.1817 but a financial crisis (resulting from the Bath Bank crash in 1793) meant that Bath developers were struggling to raise money for new houses.
Reduced Design (c.1820-c.1835)
Nos. 1 and 2 Nelson Place were first leased in c.1817, but it was no easy task to raise funds for the other planned 21 houses in the terrace. As a result it was decided that the terrace could be continued with smaller houses. The new design, probably the work of John Pinch the elder, had houses that were 2 windows wide, to attract middle class rather than upper class occupants. The ground floor window (which is larger than the others) and the door are offset from the upper windows. Pinch designed very similar terraces elswhere in Bath, such as Raby Place (Bathwick HillBathwick Hill, Bath
Bathwick Hill in Bath, Somerset, England is a street lined with historic houses, many of which are designated as listed buildings. It climbs south east from the A36 towards the University of Bath on Claverton Down, providing views over the city....
). Four houses (Nos. 3-6) were built in this style and completed in c.1827 and a further two houses (Nos. 7 and 8) were built slightly later and completed in c.1835. By this time the demand for town houses was dropping and no more houses were built in Nelson Place.
Nelson Villas (19th c)
The Georgian terrace was left uncompleted and in the second half of the 19th century a row of Victorian terraced housesVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
called Nelson Villas was built at the west end of the street. These houses, two storeys high with front gardens, are very different to the Georgian terrace with its tall imposing facade.
Nelson House and No. 9 (c.1973)
In the 1970s a modern block of flats (Nelson House) was built in the gap between the Georgian and Victorian terraces. As part of this block of flats a single house (No. 9) was added to the end of Nelson Place, with a facade matching No. 1. This pilastered end house lends the Georgian terrace visual symmetry and gives the false impression that the truncated Georgian terrace was the intended final form of the street.Today Nos. 1 and 2 have been combined into a single house, which contains flats. The door to No. 1, which faced onto Nile Street, has been replaced with a window and the staircase inside No. 1 has been removed, so the flats in both houses are accessed via the door and staircase of No. 2. Nos. 3 and 4 have also been combined for conversion into flats, the door and staircase of No. 3 having been removed. The outline of the old doorways to No. 1 and No. 3 can still be made out.
Notable residents
In 1839 Sir Isaac Pitman, the inventor of shorthand, moved into No. 5 Nelson Place West. He set up a printing press there and used the house for his phonetic institute. In 1851 he moved to a larger house elsewhere in Bath. In 1859, he moved his printing press to a factory on Lower Bristol Road, not far from Nelson Place. The company he set up, called LIBERfabrica is still located on these premises.Vice-Admiral Henry Gordon (d.1856) lived at No. 1 Nelson Place from 1829 until his death in 1856. Gordon was present at the Glorious First of June
Glorious First of June
The Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
naval battle and (as a lieutenant) he was in command of HMS Wolverine
HMS Wolverine (1798)
HMS Wolverine , was a Royal Navy 14-gun brig-sloop, formerly the civilian collier Rattler, which was purchased in 1798 and converted into a brig sloop, but armed experimentally. She served during the French Revolutionary Wars and participated in one action that won for her crew a clasp to the Naval...
when she was captured by the French in 1804. Henry Gordon also served two terms as the Mayor of Bath.