North Parade, Bath
Encyclopedia
North Parade in Bath, Somerset
, England is a historic terrace
built around 1741 by John Wood, the Elder
. Several of the houses have been designated as Grade I listed buildings.
North Parade was part of a wider scheme to build a Royal Forum, including South Parade
, Pierrepont and Duke Street
s, similar to Queen Square
, which was never completed. Wood designed the facade
, of Bath stone
, after which a variety of builders completed the work with different interiors and rear elevations. Many of the buildings are now hotels and shops whilst some remain as private residences.
The 3 storey house at Number 1 was the home of John Palmer
, who owned the Theatre Royal, Bath
and instigator of the British
system of mail coach
es that was the beginning of the great British post office reforms with the introduction of an efficient mail coach delivery service in Great Britain during the late 18th century. He was Mayor of Bath on two occasions and Comptroller General of the Post Office, and later served as Member of Parliament
for the constituency of Bath
between 1801 and 1807.
Numbers 2 to 6 were converted into a hotel, which included some alterations to the fabric of the building.
Numbers 7 to 12 include a central projection and pediment
s over the doors. Number 9 is connected with Wordsworth and number 11 was home to Edmund Burke
and Oliver Goldsmith
, of the literary Club, in 1771.
The final house, number 14, is faces the River Avon and adjoins the last house in Duke Street
. It was known as Sheridan House, and later as the Gay Hotel. In the garden below the house is a little grotto dedicated to Delia
.
North Parade Bridge was built almost 100 years later in 1836 by William Tierney Clark
. His original bridge was made of cast iron
on stone abutments, with lodges and staircases. This was rebuilt in 1936 completely in stone.
The entrance to the council-run Sports and Leisure Centre on the Recreation Ground
is to the east of the bridge.
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 is a historic terrace
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...
built around 1741 by John Wood, the Elder
John Wood, the Elder
John Wood, the Elder, , was an English architect. Born in Twerton England, a village near Bath, now a suburb, he went to school in Bath. He came back to Bath after working in Yorkshire, and it is believed, in London, in his early 20s...
. Several of the houses have been designated as Grade I listed buildings.
North Parade was part of a wider scheme to build a Royal Forum, including South Parade
South Parade, Bath
South Parade in Bath, Somerset, England is a historic terrace built around 1743 by John Wood, the Elder. All of the houses have been designated as Grade I listed buildings....
, Pierrepont and Duke Street
Duke Street, Bath
Duke Street in Bath, Somerset, England was built in 1748 by John Wood, the Elder. Several of the buildings have been designated as Grade I listed buildings...
s, similar to Queen Square
Queen Square (Bath)
Queen Square is a square of Georgian houses in the city of Bath, England.Queen Square was the first speculative development by the architect John Wood, the Elder. Wood lived in a house on the square. Numbers 21-27 make up the north side...
, which was never completed. Wood designed the facade
Facade
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"....
, of Bath stone
Bath Stone
Bath Stone is an Oolitic Limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate. Originally obtained from the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England, its warm, honey colouring gives the World Heritage City of Bath, England its distinctive appearance...
, after which a variety of builders completed the work with different interiors and rear elevations. Many of the buildings are now hotels and shops whilst some remain as private residences.
The 3 storey house at Number 1 was the home of John Palmer
John Palmer (postal innovator)
John Palmer of Bath was a theatre owner and instigator of the British system of mail coaches that was the beginning of the great British post office reforms with the introduction of an efficient mail coach delivery service in Great Britain during the late 18th century...
, who owned the Theatre Royal, Bath
Theatre Royal, Bath
The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, is over 200 years old. It is one of the more important theatres in the United Kingdom outside London, with capacity for an audience of around 900....
and instigator of the British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
system of mail coach
Mail coach
In Great Britain, the mail coach or post coach was a horse-drawn carriage that carried mail deliveries, from 1784. In Ireland, the first mail coach began service from Dublin in 1789. The coach was drawn by four horses and had seating for four passengers inside. Further passengers were later allowed...
es that was the beginning of the great British post office reforms with the introduction of an efficient mail coach delivery service in Great Britain during the late 18th century. He was Mayor of Bath on two occasions and Comptroller General of the Post Office, and later served as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the constituency of Bath
Bath (UK Parliament constituency)
Bath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, previously of the House of Commons of England. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century...
between 1801 and 1807.
Numbers 2 to 6 were converted into a hotel, which included some alterations to the fabric of the building.
Numbers 7 to 12 include a central projection and 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...
s over the doors. Number 9 is connected with Wordsworth and number 11 was home to Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
and Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith
Oliver Goldsmith was an Irish writer, poet and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield , his pastoral poem The Deserted Village , and his plays The Good-Natur'd Man and She Stoops to Conquer...
, of the literary Club, in 1771.
The final house, number 14, is faces the River Avon and adjoins the last house in Duke Street
Duke Street, Bath
Duke Street in Bath, Somerset, England was built in 1748 by John Wood, the Elder. Several of the buildings have been designated as Grade I listed buildings...
. It was known as Sheridan House, and later as the Gay Hotel. In the garden below the house is a little grotto dedicated to Delia
Delia (festival)
In classical antiquity, Delia were festivals and games celebrated at the great celebratory gathering, or panegyris in the island of Delos, the centre of an amphictyony to which the Cyclades and the neighboring Ionians on the coasts belonged...
.
North Parade Bridge was built almost 100 years later in 1836 by William Tierney Clark
William Tierney Clark
William Tierney Clark FRS was an English civil engineer particularly associated with the design and construction of bridges...
. His original bridge was made of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
on stone abutments, with lodges and staircases. This was rebuilt in 1936 completely in stone.
The entrance to the council-run Sports and Leisure Centre on the Recreation Ground
Recreation Ground (Bath)
The Recreation Ground is a large open space in the centre of Bath, England, next to the River Avon, used for recreational purposes by Bath residents and the public generally....
is to the east of the bridge.