Royal Crescent
Encyclopedia
The Royal Crescent is a residential road of 30 houses laid out in a crescent
in the city of Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture
to be found in the United Kingdom
and is a grade I listed building.
The houses have been home to various notable people for over 200 years. Changes have been made to the interiors; however, the facade remains much as it was when it was built.
The Royal Crescent now includes a hotel and museum with some of the houses being converted into flats and offices. The buildings have been used as a location for several films and television programmes.
had lived at numbers 1 and 16.
Wood designed the great curved façade of what appears to be about 30 three storey houses with Ionic column
s on a rusticated
ground floor. The columns are 30 inches (76.2 cm) in diameter reaching 47 feet (14.3 m) and there are 114 in total, each with an entablature
5 feet (1.5 m) deep. The central house has two sets of coupled columns.
Each purchaser bought a certain length of the façade, and then employed their own architect to build a house to their own specifications behind it; hence what appears to be two houses is sometimes one. This system of town planning is betrayed at the rear of the crescent: while the front is completely uniform and symmetrical, the rear is a mixture of differing roof heights, juxtapositions
and fenestration
. This "Queen Anne fronts and Mary-Anne backs" architecture occurs repeatedly in Bath.
In front of the Royal Crescent is a Ha-ha, a trench on which the inner side of which is vertical and faced with stone, with the outer face sloped and turf
ed, making the trench, in effect, a sunken fence
or retaining wall
. The ha-ha is designed not to interrupt the view from Royal Victoria Park, and to be invisible until seen from close by. It is not known whether it was contemporary with the building of the Royal Crescent, however it is known that when it was first built it was deeper than it is at present.
The railings between the crescent and the lawn are included in the Buildings at Risk Register produced by English Heritage
.
, John Wood the Younger was interested in occult and masonic
symbolism; perhaps their creation of largest scale was their joint design of the Royal Crescent and the nearby Circus
(originally called "the King's Circus"), which from the air can be observed to be a giant circle and crescent, symbolising the soleil-lune, the sun and moon. The Circus, along with Gay Street
and Queen Square
, forms a key shape which is also a masonic symbol.
. After his death in 1785 the lease on number 1 was taken by Marie-Louise, princesse de Lamballe the lady in waiting to Queen Marie Antoinette
. A few years later in 1796 it became home to Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
. Christopher Anstey
a well-known writer of his time, was resident in number 4 from 1770 until 1805, although the plaque to him is placed on number 5. Jean Baptiste, Vicomte du Barre took over number 8 in 1778 and hosted parties and gambling. He died in a duel on Claverton Down
and is buried in the churchyard at the Church of St Nicholas in Bathampton
. From 1768 to 1774 number 9 was home to Philip Thicknesse
a soldier of fortune
. Number 11 was home to the family of Thomas Linley a singing-master and conductor of the concerts from 1771. His second daughter Elizabeth Ann Linley
, a singer in her own right, eloped with the playwright and poet Richard Brinsley Sheridan
. The centre house of the crescent was used as a residence and to host blue stocking
events by Elizabeth Montagu
.
.
The retired Admiral William Hargood
lived at number 9 from 1834 until 1839 and in 1866 the same house was home to Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
.
The jurist
and explorer
Thomas Falconer
briefly lived at number 18 before his death in 1882. A few years later the next door house at number 17 became home to Isaac Pitman
developed the most widely used system of shorthand
, known now as Pitman shorthand
.
During World War II
bomb damage occurred, with the most serious effect being the gutting of number 2 and number 17 by incendiary bombs.
During the century many of the houses which had been the residence of a single family with maids or other staff were divided into flats and occasionally offices. In the 1970s one resident Miss Wellesley-Colley painted her front door at number 22 yellow instead of the traditional white. The city council issued a notice insisting it should be repainted. A court case ensued which resulted in the Secretary of State for the Environment
declaring that the door could remain yellow. Other proposals for change and development including floodlighting and a swimming pool have been defeated.
The houses in the Crescent are a mixture of tenures — most are privately owned but a substantial minority of the property is owned by a housing association.
Number 1 Royal Crescent is a museum, maintained by the Bath Preservation Trust
, which illustrates how wealthy owners of the period might have furnished such a house. It was purchased in 1967 by Major Bernard Cayzer and donated to the trust with money to restore and furnish it.
Number 16 became a guest house in 1950. In 1971 it was combined with number 15 to become the Royal Crescent Hotel occupying the central properties of the Crescent. It was sold in 1978 to John Tham the chairman of the London Sloane Club and restored. It was later purchased by Von Essen Hotels. it is expected to be purchased by London and Regional Properties.
Royal Victoria Park near the Crescent is a location for the launch of hot air balloons. Launches take place in summer, typically early morning and late evening.
For many years residents had to put up with tour buses passing their houses every few minutes during the summer. However, the road has now been closed to coaches and buses.
In 1965 the black comedy The Wrong Box
(1966) used the Royal Crescent extensively as a location. The 1965 film Catch Us If You Can
also had a sequence filmed outside the crescent and in one of its houses. It was thought by some that Oliver!
(1968) used the Crescent for the 'Who Will Buy' sequence — this was, however, filmed on a massive set at Shepperton Studios
.
In 2003, Time Team
(S10EP7) dug the Royal Crescent in search of a Roman cemetery and the Fosse Way
. The remains of a Roman wall were found behind the crescent and evidence of possible Iron and Bronze Age settlement on the lawn in front.
In 2007 TV edition of Persuasion
, there were considerable scenes at the Royal Crescent, where the Elliot family supposedly were living while they were in Bath.
The Royal Crescent was also featured in the 2008 film, The Duchess
.
The heroine of BBC1 archaeology thriller Bonekickers
lived in the Crescent.
Crescent (architecture)
A crescent is an architectural structure where a number of houses, normally terraced houses, are laid out in an arc to form of a crescent shape. A famous historic crescent is the Royal Crescent in Bath, England.-See also:* Lansdown Crescent, Bath...
in the city of Bath, England. Designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774, it is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture
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...
to be found in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and is a grade I listed building.
The houses have been home to various notable people for over 200 years. Changes have been made to the interiors; however, the facade remains much as it was when it was built.
The Royal Crescent now includes a hotel and museum with some of the houses being converted into flats and offices. The buildings have been used as a location for several films and television programmes.
Design and construction
It was originally called just The Crescent and the adjective Royal was added at the end of the 18th century after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and AlbanyPrince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany was a member of the Hanoverian and British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III...
had lived at numbers 1 and 16.
Wood designed the great curved façade of what appears to be about 30 three storey houses with Ionic column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s on a rusticated
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
ground floor. The columns are 30 inches (76.2 cm) in diameter reaching 47 feet (14.3 m) and there are 114 in total, each with an entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
5 feet (1.5 m) deep. The central house has two sets of coupled columns.
Each purchaser bought a certain length of the façade, and then employed their own architect to build a house to their own specifications behind it; hence what appears to be two houses is sometimes one. This system of town planning is betrayed at the rear of the crescent: while the front is completely uniform and symmetrical, the rear is a mixture of differing roof heights, juxtapositions
Random juxtaposition
Random juxtaposition refers to the stimulation of creativity in problem solving, design or other creative pursuit by confronting two unrelated concepts or objects, usually the goal or problem to be solved on the one hand and a randomly selected object or concept on the other. Similar to an oxymoron....
and fenestration
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
. This "Queen Anne fronts and Mary-Anne backs" architecture occurs repeatedly in Bath.
In front of the Royal Crescent is a Ha-ha, a trench on which the inner side of which is vertical and faced with stone, with the outer face sloped and turf
Sod
Sod or turf is grass and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots, or a piece of thin material.The term sod may be used to mean turf grown and cut specifically for the establishment of lawns...
ed, making the trench, in effect, a sunken fence
Fence
A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary. It is generally distinguished from a wall by the lightness of its construction: a wall is usually restricted to such barriers made from solid brick or concrete, blocking vision as well as passage .Fences...
or retaining wall
Retaining wall
Retaining walls are built in order to hold back earth which would otherwise move downwards. Their purpose is to stabilize slopes and provide useful areas at different elevations, e.g...
. The ha-ha is designed not to interrupt the view from Royal Victoria Park, and to be invisible until seen from close by. It is not known whether it was contemporary with the building of the Royal Crescent, however it is known that when it was first built it was deeper than it is at present.
The railings between the crescent and the lawn are included in the Buildings at Risk Register produced by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
Masonic links
Together with his father John Wood, the ElderJohn 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...
, John Wood the Younger was interested in occult and masonic
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
symbolism; perhaps their creation of largest scale was their joint design of the Royal Crescent and the nearby Circus
The Circus (Bath)
The Circus is an example of Georgian architecture in the city of Bath, Somerset, England, begun in 1754 and completed in 1768. The name comes from the Latin 'circus', which means a ring, oval or circle. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building....
(originally called "the King's Circus"), which from the air can be observed to be a giant circle and crescent, symbolising the soleil-lune, the sun and moon. The Circus, along with Gay Street
Gay Street, Bath
Gay Street in Bath, Somerset, England, links Queen Square to The Circus. It was designed by John Wood, the Elder in 1735 and completed by his son John Wood, the Younger. Much of the road has been designated as Grade I listed buildings....
and 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...
, forms a key shape which is also a masonic symbol.
Notable residents
Eighteenth century
The first resident of number 1 was Thomas Brock, who was the brother in law of John Wood the Younger. and town clerk of ChesterChester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
. After his death in 1785 the lease on number 1 was taken by Marie-Louise, princesse de Lamballe the lady in waiting to Queen Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
. A few years later in 1796 it became home to Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany
The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany was a member of the Hanoverian and British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III...
. Christopher Anstey
Christopher Anstey
Christopher Anstey was an English writer and poet.Anstey was the son of Dr. Anstey, a wealthy clergyman, the rector of Brinkley where he was born. He was educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge, where he distinguished himself for his Latin verses. He became a fellow of his college...
a well-known writer of his time, was resident in number 4 from 1770 until 1805, although the plaque to him is placed on number 5. Jean Baptiste, Vicomte du Barre took over number 8 in 1778 and hosted parties and gambling. He died in a duel on Claverton Down
Claverton Down
Claverton Down is a suburb on the south-east hilltop edge of Bath, Somerset, England. It is linked to the Bathwick area of the city by Bathwick Hill....
and is buried in the churchyard at the Church of St Nicholas in Bathampton
Bathampton
Bathampton is a village and civil parish east of Bath, England on the south bank of the River Avon. The parish has a population of 1,504.The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the village and a toll bridge links Bathampton to Batheaston on the north bank of the canal.-History:Bathampton Camp is...
. From 1768 to 1774 number 9 was home to Philip Thicknesse
Philip Thicknesse
Captain Philip Thicknesse was a British author, eccentric and friend of the artist Thomas Gainsborough.Philip Thicknesse was born in Staffordshire, England, son of John Thicknesse, the Rector of Farthinghoe, Northamptonshire and Joyce Thicknesse and brought up in Farthinghoe. In later life he...
a soldier of fortune
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
. Number 11 was home to the family of Thomas Linley a singing-master and conductor of the concerts from 1771. His second daughter Elizabeth Ann Linley
Elizabeth Ann Linley
Elizabeth Ann Sheridan was the second daughter of the composer Thomas Linley and his wife Mary Johnson, and was herself the wife of the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan.-Life:Of the 7 Linley children destined for musical careers, it is said that Elizabeth had the greatest talent and beauty...
, a singer in her own right, eloped with the playwright and poet Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan was an Irish-born playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For thirty-two years he was also a Whig Member of the British House of Commons for Stafford , Westminster and Ilchester...
. The centre house of the crescent was used as a residence and to host blue stocking
Blue Stockings Society (England)
The Blue Stockings Society was an informal women's social and educational movement in England in the mid-18th century. The society emphasized education and mutual co-operation rather than the individualism which marked the French version....
events by Elizabeth Montagu
Elizabeth Montagu
Elizabeth Montagu was a British social reformer, patron of the arts, salonist, literary critic, and writer who helped organize and lead the bluestocking society...
.
Nineteenth century
In the nineteenth century the popularity of the Crescent and Bath in general diminished until 'taking the waters' at the Roman Baths once again became popular. Amongst the residents of Royal Crescent were the electoral reformer Francis Burdett who lived at number 16 from 1814 to 1822 and his daughter Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-CouttsAngela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts
Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts , born Angela Georgina Burdett, was a nineteenth-century philanthropist, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and the former Sophia Coutts, daughter of banker Thomas Coutts...
.
The retired Admiral William Hargood
William Hargood
Admiral Sir William Hargood KCB GCH RN was a British naval officer who served with distinction through the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars, during which he gained an unfortunate reputation for bad luck, which seemed to reverse following his...
lived at number 9 from 1834 until 1839 and in 1866 the same house was home to Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton PC , was an English politician, poet, playwright, and novelist. He was immensely popular with the reading public and wrote a stream of bestselling dime-novels which earned him a considerable fortune...
.
The jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and explorer
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
Thomas Falconer
Thomas Falconer
Thomas Falconer was an English jurist and explorer.Born in Bath, England on 25 June 1805, Falconer was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1823, and to the bar in 1830...
briefly lived at number 18 before his death in 1882. A few years later the next door house at number 17 became home to Isaac Pitman
Isaac Pitman
Sir Isaac Pitman , knighted in 1894, developed the most widely used system of shorthand, known now as Pitman shorthand. He first proposed this in Stenographic Soundhand in 1837. Pitman was a qualified teacher and taught at a private school he founded in Wotton-under-Edge...
developed the most widely used system of shorthand
Shorthand
Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed or brevity of writing as compared to a normal method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek stenos and graphē or graphie...
, known now as Pitman shorthand
Pitman Shorthand
Pitman shorthand is a system of shorthand for the English language developed by Englishman Sir Isaac Pitman , who first presented it in 1837. Like most systems of shorthand, it is a phonetic system; the symbols do not represent letters, but rather sounds, and words are, for the most part, written...
.
Twentieth century
The tradition of distinguished gentlemen retiring to the crescent continued into the 20th century when the English professor George Saintsbury took up residence at number 1A in 1916.During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
bomb damage occurred, with the most serious effect being the gutting of number 2 and number 17 by incendiary bombs.
During the century many of the houses which had been the residence of a single family with maids or other staff were divided into flats and occasionally offices. In the 1970s one resident Miss Wellesley-Colley painted her front door at number 22 yellow instead of the traditional white. The city council issued a notice insisting it should be repainted. A court case ensued which resulted in the Secretary of State for the Environment
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
declaring that the door could remain yellow. Other proposals for change and development including floodlighting and a swimming pool have been defeated.
Current use
Number 1 Royal Crescent is a museum, maintained by the Bath Preservation Trust
Bath Preservation Trust
The Bath Preservation Trust is an independent charity based in Bath, Somerset, England which exists to safeguard the historic character of the city of Bath, the only complete city in the UK that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and to champion its sustainable future. The Trust is funded entirely...
, which illustrates how wealthy owners of the period might have furnished such a house. It was purchased in 1967 by Major Bernard Cayzer and donated to the trust with money to restore and furnish it.
Number 16 became a guest house in 1950. In 1971 it was combined with number 15 to become the Royal Crescent Hotel occupying the central properties of the Crescent. It was sold in 1978 to John Tham the chairman of the London Sloane Club and restored. It was later purchased by Von Essen Hotels. it is expected to be purchased by London and Regional Properties.
Royal Victoria Park near the Crescent is a location for the launch of hot air balloons. Launches take place in summer, typically early morning and late evening.
For many years residents had to put up with tour buses passing their houses every few minutes during the summer. However, the road has now been closed to coaches and buses.
Film and television
The Wrong Box
The Wrong Box is a British comedy film made by Salamander Film Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was produced and directed by Bryan Forbes from a screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove, based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne.The cast includes a...
(1966) used the Royal Crescent extensively as a location. The 1965 film Catch Us If You Can
Catch Us If You Can (film)
Catch Us If You Can was the feature-film debut of director John Boorman...
also had a sequence filmed outside the crescent and in one of its houses. It was thought by some that Oliver!
Oliver! (film)
Oliver! is a 1968 British musical film directed by Carol Reed. The film is based on the stage musical Oliver!, with book, music and lyrics written by Lionel Bart. The screenplay was written by Vernon Harris....
(1968) used the Crescent for the 'Who Will Buy' sequence — this was, however, filmed on a massive set at Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
.
In 2003, Time Team
Time Team
Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...
(S10EP7) dug the Royal Crescent in search of a Roman cemetery and the Fosse Way
Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester , Bath , Cirencester and Leicester .It joined Akeman Street and Ermin Way at Cirencester, crossed Watling Street at Venonis south...
. The remains of a Roman wall were found behind the crescent and evidence of possible Iron and Bronze Age settlement on the lawn in front.
In 2007 TV edition of Persuasion
Persuasion (2007 TV drama)
Persuasion is an adaptation of the classic Jane Austen novel of the same name published in 1818. The TV-film premiered on 1 April 2007 on the UK channel ITV at 9pm, as part of their Jane Austen Season...
, there were considerable scenes at the Royal Crescent, where the Elliot family supposedly were living while they were in Bath.
The Royal Crescent was also featured in the 2008 film, The Duchess
The Duchess (film)
The Duchess is a 2008 British drama film based on Amanda Foreman's biography of the 18th-century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. It was released in September 2008 in the UK...
.
The heroine of BBC1 archaeology thriller Bonekickers
Bonekickers
Bonekickers was a BBC drama about a team of archaeologists, set at the fictional Wessex University. It debuted on 8 July 2008 and ran for one series....
lived in the Crescent.