Norfolk Crescent, Bath
Encyclopedia
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 Georgian
terrace, which is known as Cumberland House, includes numbers 1 to 7 which have been converted into flats, and numbers 8 to 18 consecutively. Each has five storeys (basement, ground floor, piano nobile
, second floor and attic) and the central portion has 6 Ionic
pilaster
s.
There is a green area in front of the crescent that was originally a formal garden for the residents, surrounded by railings. A small circular building in the corner of the gardens is the old watchman's hut, and is also Grade II* listed.
for the buildings.
However in early 1793 a financial crisis, caused by the Bath Bank crash, brought disaster. Some of the builders went bankrupt and others were reluctant to take on new projects. None of Bowsher's houses were complete, but he had to continue paying rent for the land. Nevertheless, he survived the crash and in the 19th century the development was scaled down to a reduced plan with two main streets, Norfolk Crescent and Nelson Place
, and the short Nile Street
linking to the Upper Bristol Road to the north. These streets were named after Admiral Nelson, his home county (Norfolk) and his most famous victory to date (the Battle of the Nile
, since the name was chosen before the Battle of Trafalgar
was fought in 1805). The proposed streets in front of the crescent were abandoned and instead the area was made into a formal garden for the residents of Norfolk Crescent and Nelson Place, with each house paying £2.2 annual rent for their upkeep. At the corner of the railed gardens, where Norfolk Crescent, Nile Street, Great Stanhope Street and Nelson Place meet, a watchman's hut was built. The watchman's hut was built to a classical design inspired by the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates
. The renewed scheme also saw a new architect, John Pinch, making some minor alterations to the design.
Even after the reduction in scale the work progressed slowly. The houses in Norfolk Crescent were gradually completed and occupied, but the last house was not finished until 1822 - thirty years after it had been planned. The houses in Nile Street and in Bowsher's part of Great Stanhope Street were built between 1810 and 1820, but the houses in Nelson Place were not started until later. Nos. 1 and 2 were built as large houses (matching Norfolk Crescent) and the others were smaller, cheaper houses designed by Pinch but even using these houses it was not possible to complete the row. Thus, Bowsher's development was largely complete by the 1830s, albeit in a reduced form compared with the original plan.
above the attic windows. The two end houses were to have four Ionic pilasters on the main facade. The five central bays of the terrace were to have matching pilasters and a pediment
in place of the attic windows. Nelson Place was to have a matching facade, but with a slightly longer terrace containing twenty-three houses.
in the pediment, but this was never made, probably due to a lack of funds. Pinch also added balconies
with wrought iron
railings on the piano nobile (first floor) of all the houses. The iron lamp holders over the entrances to Nos. 7 and 14 are also likely to be Pinch's work.
From the 1830s porch
extensions were added on to the front of many Georgian houses in Bath, but this would have affected the visual balance of the crescent's facade, so it could not be done on Norfolk Crescent. However the owners of the two end houses (No. 16 Great Stanhope Street and No. 18 Norfolk Crescent), which had their entrances on the north and south ends of the crescent, did built full-height porch extensions on these houses without affecting the facade.
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 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
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...
, but minor alterations were later made by John Pinch.
The Georgian
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, which is known as Cumberland House, includes numbers 1 to 7 which have been converted into flats, and numbers 8 to 18 consecutively. Each has five storeys (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) and the central portion has 6 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.
There is a green area in front of the crescent that was originally a formal garden for the residents, surrounded by railings. A small circular building in the corner of the gardens is the old watchman's hut, and is also Grade II* listed.
Richard Bowsher's Development
In March 1792 a solicitor named Richard Bowsher took a lease on 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of land next to the river Avon at what was then the western edge of the city of Bath. The lease stipulated houses of similar style and quality to those being erected in the nearby New King Street should be built on the land. As with other Bath developers, Bowsher's sub-leased plots of ground to craftsmen, on the condition that they would build houses on them, which would subsequently be let out to wealthy families. Several streets were planned with over 100 houses, the centrepiece being a crescent called Norfolk Place (later changed to Norfolk Crescent). The architect John Palmer was engaged to designed a facadeFacade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
for the buildings.
However in early 1793 a financial crisis, caused by the Bath Bank crash, brought disaster. Some of the builders went bankrupt and others were reluctant to take on new projects. None of Bowsher's houses were complete, but he had to continue paying rent for the land. Nevertheless, he survived the crash and in the 19th century the development was scaled down to a reduced plan with two main streets, Norfolk Crescent and Nelson Place
Nelson Place West
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 have Ionic pilasters and...
, and the short Nile Street
Nile 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....
linking to the Upper Bristol Road to the north. These streets were named after Admiral Nelson, his home county (Norfolk) and his most famous victory to date (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...
, since the name was chosen before the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
was fought in 1805). The proposed streets in front of the crescent were abandoned and instead the area was made into a formal garden for the residents of Norfolk Crescent and Nelson Place, with each house paying £2.2 annual rent for their upkeep. At the corner of the railed gardens, where Norfolk Crescent, Nile Street, Great Stanhope Street and Nelson Place meet, a watchman's hut was built. The watchman's hut was built to a classical design inspired by the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates
Choragic Monument of Lysicrates
The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates near the Acropolis of Athens was erected by the choregos Lysicrates, a wealthy patron of musical performances in the Theater of Dionysus to commemorate the award of first prize in 335/334 BCE, to one of the performances he had sponsored...
. The renewed scheme also saw a new architect, John Pinch, making some minor alterations to the design.
Even after the reduction in scale the work progressed slowly. The houses in Norfolk Crescent were gradually completed and occupied, but the last house was not finished until 1822 - thirty years after it had been planned. The houses in Nile Street and in Bowsher's part of Great Stanhope Street were built between 1810 and 1820, but the houses in Nelson Place were not started until later. Nos. 1 and 2 were built as large houses (matching Norfolk Crescent) and the others were smaller, cheaper houses designed by Pinch but even using these houses it was not possible to complete the row. Thus, Bowsher's development was largely complete by the 1830s, albeit in a reduced form compared with the original plan.
Palmer's Design
John Palmer's plan for Norfolk Crescent had nineteen three bay houses (No. 16 Great Stanhope Street and Nos. 1-18 Norfolk Crescent) in an arc with a radius of 420 ft. As was common with late 18th century Bath houses, the mansard roof with dormer windows was dispensed with, the facade instead stretching all the way up to the top of the houses, with a parapetParapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
above the attic windows. The two end houses were to have four Ionic pilasters on the main facade. The five central bays of the terrace were to have matching pilasters and a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
in place of the attic windows. Nelson Place was to have a matching facade, but with a slightly longer terrace containing twenty-three houses.
Pinch's Alterations
At some point in the 19th century the design was altered, probably by John Pinch. The pediment was moved to be above the attic storey, so that the attics of the central houses were not deprived of light. Palmer's plan had a carved tympanumTympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
in the pediment, but this was never made, probably due to a lack of funds. Pinch also added balconies
Balcony
Balcony , a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade.-Types:The traditional Maltese balcony is a wooden closed balcony projecting from a...
with 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...
railings on the piano nobile (first floor) of all the houses. The iron lamp holders over the entrances to Nos. 7 and 14 are also likely to be Pinch's work.
Construction
Construction work on the houses in Norfolk Crescent (at the time still known as Norfolk Place) began in 1792 when builders first took leases on the various plots. However the building work soon stopped due to the financial crisis. When construction work started again in the 19th century the market was much slower and the houses were completed gradually, when there was money available. For instance in 1817 Nos. 1-9, No. 14 and Nos. 16-18 were complete, but the intermediate houses were still not finished. No. 11, the last house to be completed, was finished in 1822.From the 1830s porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
extensions were added on to the front of many Georgian houses in Bath, but this would have affected the visual balance of the crescent's facade, so it could not be done on Norfolk Crescent. However the owners of the two end houses (No. 16 Great Stanhope Street and No. 18 Norfolk Crescent), which had their entrances on the north and south ends of the crescent, did built full-height porch extensions on these houses without affecting the facade.