Somerset Place, Bath

Summary

Somerset Place is a Georgian Grade I listed crescent[1] in Bath, England. The facades were designed by the architect John Eveleigh, who went bankrupt during the creation of the building, which started in 1790 but was not completed until the 1820s.

Somerset Place
LocationBath, Somerset, England
Coordinates51°23′35″N 2°22′09″W / 51.39306°N 2.36917°W / 51.39306; -2.36917
Built1790-1820
ArchitectJohn Eveleigh
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameNos 5 to 20 (consec) Somerset Place
Designated12 June 1950[1]
Reference no.443615
Somerset Place, Bath is located in Somerset
Somerset Place, Bath
Location of Somerset Place in Somerset

In 1784 Thomas Paine purchased an area of pasture including Great Lydes to build houses overlooking Bath, although there is evidence of Iron Age and Roman settlement on the area. Twenty houses were originally planned, but numbers 1 to 4 were not built.[2]

Some of the crescent was destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt as student accommodation in the 1950s and 1960s for Bath College of Domestic Science. It used to form part of the campus of Bath College, but has since been sold.[3] It was used for student accommodation and the Bath Spa University English Language Programme.

In the 2010s a major redevelopment of the western end of the terrace took place, including the construction of No. 4.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Nos 5–20, Somerset Place, Bath". Images of England. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  2. ^ "Historical and archaeological building report on Somerset Place, Sion Hill Bath" (PDF). House Historians. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  3. ^ "Entire Bath crescent up for sale". BBC News. BBC. 17 September 2005. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
  4. ^ Ham and Doulting Stone