The Circus Bath, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

CIRCUS

Nos.1-30 (Consecutive) (Formerly Listed as: CIRCUS Nos 1-30 (consec) including Circus House) 12/06/50

GV I

Includes: Circus House BENNETT STREET. Circular development of thirty three houses, three with side entrances in other streets. 1754-69 by John Wood the Elder, completed by John Wood the Younger. MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar, double pitched slate roofs with moulded stacks and dormers. PLAN: Individual houses with double depth plans of various widths with rear Extensions, arranged in three segments to form a circle with three entrances. Terraces are Nos 1-10 The Circus with No.1 Brock Street (qv) between Gay Street and Brock Street; Nos 11-19 The Circus with Nos 36 Brock Street (qv) between Brock Street and Bennett Street; Nos 20-30 The Circus with Circus House, Bennett Street between Bennett Street and Gay Street. The houses sport fronts of unequal widths to allow three terraces to be equal in length. EXTERIOR: OVERALL DESIGN: Three storeys with attics and basements, three, four and five-window range. Second floor windows are six/six-pane sashes, first floor windows have lowered sills to accommodate six/nine-pane sashes, ground floors and basements have six/six-pane sash windows. Some early C19 balconettes have been added and doors altered from eight raised and fielded panels to six panels with overlights. Continuous parapets have moulded coping, oval openings to each bay pierced later. Piers above columns crowned with large acorn finials. Three stories enriched with superimposed orders of Roman Doric, Ionic and Corinthian plain shafted paired engaged columns (108 to each terrace) that articulate facades and carry appropriate entablatures. Frieze to uppermost modillion cornice ornamented with masks, all different, flanked by richly carved festoons. Emblematic metope reliefs in frieze of the Doric entablature of first floor, 525 in all. Entrances are reached via bridges over exceptionally wide front areas, with extensive wrought ironwork in situ. EXTERIORS: INDIVIDUAL HOUSES: Nos 1-10 and No.1 Brock street (qv) form the southwest third of the Circus. This section was the first to be built and stood alone for several years. No.1, left terminal of south-western crescent, three-window range with stacks to rear, tall trellised balconettes with lead stars at angles, to centre and right of first floor, to left early C19 six-panel door, glazed to top with inverted corners to centre. Windows without horns. Left return in Gay Street is four-window range with three dormers. Parapet sweeps down to cornice, all of which are returned, that to ground floor without mutules, moulded architraves to windows, blind to second floor right-of-centre, ground floor right-of-centre and right, lead downpipe to right. No.2 has three-window range, all windows have horns. First floor windows have balconettes, former eight-panel door to right has been cut down to six panels with margin paned overlight. No.3 has four-window range, windows with horns and trellised balconettes to first floor. To right of centre raised and fielded seven-panel door glazed to top. Path to door late C19 black-and-white tesserae. No.4 has three-window range with horns to first and ground floor windows and semi-elliptical plan trellised balconettes to first floor. No. horns to second floor or plate glass basement windows. Seven-panel door to right glazed to top with lozenge motif central panels. No.5 has three-window range, all windows have horns, those to first floor have trellised balconettes. Seven-panel door to right glazed to top. No.6 has three-window range, all windows have horns, central seven-panel door glazed to top. Octagonal single storey extension at rear added 1997, Edward Nash architects. Nos 7 and 8 are one property, The Circus Nursing Home. No.7 has four-window range without horns to windows. Left centre door has eight raised and fielded panels. House built for William Pitt the Elder. No. 8 has three-window r