1-14, Widcombe Crescent Bath, England

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

WIDCOMBE CRESCENT 656-1/42/1897 (West side) Nos.1-14 (Consec) with area railings 12/06/50

GV I

Fourteen terrace houses, with basement areas and railings. c1805, almost certainly by Charles Harcourt Masters (Ison). MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar, slate mansard roofs, some pantile or concrete tile. PLAN: Generous crescent with carriage approach on concave east side, with five pairs to centre (not six, as Ison), and two singles at each end. Central pair, and one at each end are slightly stepped forward. All houses are very deep, with stair returning to front, and larger rooms to rear (west), because of steep fall in land;, rear has full extra basement storey, reading as basement to front, and some have further sub-basement. EXTERIOR: Three storeys, attic, basement and some sub-basements, windows almost all sashes, many with glazing bars, but with variations as detailed below, few windows have balconettes. Paired houses, Nos.3-12, have each one or two twelve pane sash dormers, plain to No.5, and wide dormer to No.4, then each pair has tripartite central sash flanked by singles at first and second floors, these generally twelve pane, but plain to ground floor of Nos.5, 6, and 7, and twelve pane to each basement area. Tripartite window normally in eight:twelve:eight panes, but eight:nine:eight at second floor to Nos.3/4, six:nine:nine pane to second floor Nos.9/10, and six:blind:six at first and second floors to Nos.11/12, in all cases central light is glazed, but blocked behind, corresponding with party divisions. No.10 has two light casement with margin panes at second floor. Centred to each pair under sunk elliptical headed panel with ribboned festoons of husks are original panelled doors with swagged fanlights, and separated by narrow panelled pilaster. High relief rosettes in spandrel over pilaster. At each end two houses differ slightly, and provide articulation to whole. No.1 has two light dormer above tripartite eight:twelve:eight at second floor, similar but without bars to first floor, and paired sashes with margin panes to four sides to left of arched doorway with door to large central roundel, and fanlight, and plain sash to basement. No.2 has small dormer above two twelve pane at first and second floors, and single to left of arched doorway with original panelled door and fanlight, with twelve pane to basement. No.13 similar, but with two small two light casement dormers, and all plain sash, in splayed surrounds (except basement), with door to left. No.14, with lower flat roofed extension to left, has two C20 dormers above plain tripartite at second floor, and at first floor, but with segmental heads to lights. Ground floor has plain paired sashes, and basement area glazed over. Addition to left presents two storey blank wall to front. Plain band above ground floor, continuous sill band to second floor, moulded cornice with blocking containing open balustrades above windows, and parapet, all this articulating detail stepped down between Nos.1/2 and 3/4, and again down between 10/11, 12/13, and 13/14. Above Nos.7/8 is inscribed on platband in fine Roman capitals: WIDCOMBE CRESCENT. Paired houses have plain pilaster at either end. Party divisions and end gables are coped, and eight deep ashlar stacks. Basement area to each house contained by simple spike railings on stone curb to rounded top, and railings return to fronts, with paved bridge. Small gates to basement stairs to Nos.3,8,9,10,11,12 and 13, some original stone steps remaining to Nos.10 and 11. No.1 has plain overthrow with replaced lantern. Return at east end, runs with Widcombe Hill splaying out from original end of crescent and increasing size of this house. High coping rises behind flat roof, and severely plain wall has twelve pane and eight pane sash plus two blind lights, above sash with diagonal bars, with two arched lights, one with margin panes, at ground floor level. All set to broad band above rubble wall, which continues down hill,