61-746: The Bath Assembly Rooms , designed by John Wood the Younger in 1769, are a set of assembly rooms located in the heart of the World Heritage City of Bath in England which are now open to the public as a visitor attraction. They are designated as a Grade I listed building . During the Georgian era Bath became fashionable, and the architects John Wood, the Elder , and his son laid out new areas of housing for residents and visitors. Assembly rooms had been built early in
122-421: A lottery . Each subscriber pays an agreed sum into the fund, and thereafter receives an annuity. As members die, their shares devolve to the other participants, and so the value of each annuity increases. On the death of the last member, the scheme is wound up. Construction started in 1769 and was completed in 1771, when a grand opening was held. The Assembly Rooms formed the hub of fashionable Georgian society in
183-509: A decision to keep the alterations which were made in the 19th century. In front of the houses are cast iron railings which are mirrored by those on the opposite side of the road at the top of Victoria Park. The road is surfaced with pennant stone laid when the crescent was constructed. In 1965, the black comedy The Wrong Box (1966) used the Crescent extensively as a location, standing in for London. The 1965 film Catch Us If You Can had
244-530: A female voice, whether in Bath or elsewhere. George Bridgetower , an Afro-Polish -born virtuoso violinist , made his debut at the Assembly Rooms in 1789. Another young violinist, Thomas Linley the younger , played a series of concerts between 1771 and 1776. Many of the concerts during the late 18th and early 19th centuries were organised by Venanzio Rauzzini . In the 20th century several changes took place, with
305-579: A length of the façade, and then employed their own architect to build a house behind the facade to their own specifications; hence what can appear to be two houses is occasionally just one. This system of town planning is betrayed at the rear and can be seen from the road behind the Crescent: while the front is uniform and symmetrical, the rear is a mixture of differing roof heights, juxtapositions and fenestration . This architecture, described as " Queen Anne fronts and Mary-Anne backs ", occurs repeatedly in Bath. It
366-467: A sequence filmed outside the Crescent, and in one of its houses. In 2007, a TV edition of Jane Austen 's Persuasion included many scenes shot at the Crescent, where the Elliot family was supposedly living while in Bath. The Crescent featured in the 2008 film The Duchess , starring Keira Knightley . The fictional heroine of 2008 BBC1 archaeology thriller Bonekickers was depicted as living in
427-604: Is a historic house museum , owned and maintained by the Bath Preservation Trust through its membership to illustrate how wealthy owners of the late 18th century might have furnished and occupied such a house. It was purchased in 1967 by Major Bernard Cayzer, a member of the family that made its fortune through the Clan shipping line. He donated it to the Trust with an amount of money for its restoration and furnishing. The restoration
488-522: Is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a Grade I listed building . Although some changes have been made to the various interiors over the years, the Georgian stone facade remains much as it was when first built. The 500-foot-long (150 m) crescent has 114 Ionic columns on the first floor with an entablature in a Palladian style above. It
549-582: Is close to Victoria Park and linked via Brock Street to The Circus which had been designed by John Wood, the Elder . The land on which the Royal Crescent stands was bought from Sir Benet Garrard of the Garrard baronets , who were the landlords, in December 1766. Between 1767 and 1775 John Wood designed the great curved facade with Ionic columns on a rusticated ground floor. Each original purchaser bought
610-508: Is designed so as 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 created it was deeper than it is at present. The railings between the crescent and the lawn were included in the Heritage at Risk Register produced by English Heritage but have been restored and removed from
671-419: Is his greatest achievement and was one of the first designs of its type. It was imitated in Bath and also in later English towns such as Buxton , Brighton , Bristol and London . Royal Crescent The Royal Crescent is a row of 30 terraced houses laid out in a sweeping crescent in the city of Bath , England. Designed by the architect John Wood, the Younger , and built between 1767 and 1774, it
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#1732855670922732-478: Is not always apparent today, but when it was built in 1775 the crescent was situated right on the edge of the city with no nearby buildings to block residents' views of the countryside. The Royal Crescent is among the greatest examples of Georgian architecture to be found in the United Kingdom and is a Grade I listed building. Outside Bath, his most notable works include Buckland House in Buckland, Oxfordshire , and
793-509: Is the No. 1 Royal Crescent museum, and The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, at the centre of the crescent, is made up of No. 16 and No.15. The street that is known today as "the Royal Crescent" was originally named "The Crescent." It is claimed that the adjective "Royal" was added at the end of the 18th century after Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany had stayed there. He initially rented number one and later bought number 16. The Royal Crescent
854-430: Is very similar with only minor variations between them, for example, some have small balconettes on the first floor. Many of the windows have been restored to their original style with glazing bars rather than the horned plate glass sash windows which had been installed in the 19th or early 20th centuries. Some of the window sills had also been lowered. This has been reversed at Number 1 but policy has since changed with
915-585: The Colosseum in Rome. Finally the elder Wood also designed and developed Gay Street which links the two; the buildings on Gay Street are now largely Grade I listed buildings . The most spectacular of Bath's terraces is the Royal Crescent , designed by the younger John Wood, and built between 1767 and 1774. The heart of the Georgian city was Wood's Pump Room , which, together with its associated Lower Assembly Rooms,
976-618: The Rialto Bridge in Venice. Adam also submitted plans for the new Assembly Rooms but these were rejected as too costly. John Wood, the Younger raised funding for the construction of the Assembly Rooms by the use of a Tontine , an investment plan that is named after the Neapolitan banker Lorenzo de Tonti , who is credited with inventing it in France in 1653. It combines features of a group annuity and
1037-720: The lower than the upper lights'. Today the rooms are owned and operated by the National Trust . They are used currently used as a venue for partnership exhibitions and concerts, including ones that are part of the Bath International Music Festival . The basement of the building provided a home to the Fashion Museum , which was known before 2007 as the Museum of Costume, until its closure in October 2022. The collection
1098-570: The 1770s a new more severe neo-classical style was becoming fashionable. Wood pioneered this new style in buildings such as the Hot Bath (built using the Doric order), the Royal Crescent and the Bath Assembly Rooms . These buildings contrasted with the more decorated and embellished style preferred by his father. Whilst John Wood the Elder's Circus includes superimposed orders and a detailed frieze,
1159-399: The 18th century, but a new venue for balls , concerts and gambling was envisaged in the area between Queen Square , The Circus and the Royal Crescent . Robert Adam submitted a proposal that was rejected as too expensive. John Wood, the Younger raised funding through a tontine , and construction started in 1769. The new or upper assembly rooms opened with a grand ball in 1771 and became
1220-616: The 20th century they were used as a cinema and in 1931 were taken over by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and restored. They were bombed and burnt out during the Second World War , with restoration undertaken by Sir Albert Richardson before reopening in 1963. They are now owned and operated by the National Trust and were operated by Bath and North East Somerset Council for public functions until March 2023. The basement of
1281-633: The Ballroom becoming a cinema, until the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings became the owners in 1931. The building was restored by A Mowbray Green in 1938, with Oliver Messel as the interior designer. During the Bath Blitz of 25/26 April 1942, one of the retaliatory raids on England by the Baedeker Blitz following the RAF's raid on Lübeck , the Assembly Rooms were bombed and burnt out inside. After
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#17328556709221342-459: The City Council considered plans that would have seen the Crescent transformed into Council offices. These were unsuccessful. During the 20th century many of the houses which had formerly been the residences of single families with maids or other staff were divided into flats and offices. However, the tradition of distinguished gentlefolk retiring to the crescent continued. The whole crescent
1403-452: The Crescent and 'taking the waters' at the Roman Baths diminished somewhat. Amongst the residents of Royal Crescent during this time were the electoral reformer Francis Burdett who lived at number 16 from 1814 to 1822 and his daughter Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts . The retired Admiral William Hargood lived at number 9 from 1834 until 1839 and in 1866 the same house
1464-495: The Crescent are a mixture of tenures. After World War II when there was a shortage of housing and the city council bought up older properties, including some in Royal Crescent, as public housing to rent out. The Housing Act 1985 changed the succession of Council Houses and facilitated the transfer of council housing to not-for-profit housing associations . Several were subsequently sold into private ownership, however one remains in council ownership. No. 1 Royal Crescent
1525-515: The Crescent as a source of inspiration to design the central business district of Connaught Place, New Delhi , India. During the Bath Blitz of World War II , known as the Baedecker Raids or Baedeker Blitz , some bomb damage occurred, the most serious being the gutting of numbers 2 and 17 by incendiaries. After World War II, during a period of redevelopment which is described as the Sack of Bath ,
1586-467: The Elder died, Queen Square and the Circus were isolated showpieces in Bath. His son connected these buildings and went on to create and inspire a new city quarter filled with elegant Palladian and neo-classical structures. Wood's clean, neo-classical style inspired other Georgian and Regency era architects in Bath such as John Pinch the elder , John Pinch the younger and Thomas Baldwin . The Royal Crescent
1647-651: The General Infirmary in Salisbury . Knill's Monument in St Ives, Cornwall , constructed in 1782 for John Knill , was designed by Wood. In 1781, Wood published A Series of Plans for Cottages or Habitations of the Labourer , the earliest British pattern book for labourers' cottages. John Wood the Younger is a key figure, not only in the history of Bath, but also in the history of British 18th-century architecture. When John Wood
1708-521: The Georgian period. The BBC have used it as a location for the filming of an adaptation of Northanger Abbey in 1986 and in 1995 Persuasion . The Assembly Rooms were also used as a location for several scenes in Bridgerton . John Wood, the Younger John Wood, the Younger (25 February 1728 – 18 June 1782) was an English architect, working principally in the city of Bath, Somerset . He
1769-495: The Royal Crescent—designed by his son—has a single order and plain decoration throughout. The site Wood chose for the Royal Crescent also shows that he was interested in creating a proto-romantic dialogue between his buildings and the surrounding countryside. Previous buildings and set-pieces in Bath were all intensely urban and inward looking whereas the Royal Crescent was fully open and looked out on to open fields. This
1830-639: The architecture of the New or Upper Rooms but thought that 'in spite of all these Advantages, we much doubt, whether it be true that the Upper Rooms shew Female Beauty so advantageously as the Lower.... We have examined too, with a Degree of particular Attention, some of the most Admired Beauties of the last and present season, at both the Rooms, and, as far as we could determine, they were either best pleased, or most beautiful, under
1891-439: The ball-room, the long card-room, the octagonal card-room, the staircases, and the passages, the hum of many voices, and the sound of many feet, were perfectly bewildering. Dresses rustled, feathers waved, lights shone, and jewels sparkled. There was the music—not of the quadrille band, for it had not yet commenced; but the music of soft tiny footsteps, with now and then a clear merry laugh—low and gentle, but very pleasant to hear in
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1952-478: The building provided a home to the Fashion Museum but this closed in October 2022 after a break clause in the lease was enacted. The exhibits have been placed into storage as the Museum seeks funding for a permanent new home within the city. Several areas of Bath had undergone development during the Stuart period; development increased during Georgian times, however, in response to the increasing number of visitors to
2013-568: The card-room, and left them to enjoy a mob by themselves. Sir Walter, his two daughters, and Mrs Clay, were the earliest of all their party at the rooms in the evening; and as Lady Dalrymple must be waited for, they took their station by one of the fires in the Octagon Room. Charles Dickens also visited Bath on several occasions. He gave public readings in the Assembly Rooms and mentions them in The Pickwick Papers (published in 1837): In
2074-486: The cessation of hostilities in Europe, they were restored by Sir Albert Richardson , with work being completed in 1963. The ballroom ceiling had to be repaired after it collapsed in 1989. The limestone building has a slate hipped roof . It is rectangular with a projecting doric portico entrance and an extension to the rear. The interior is laid out in a U shape, with the larger Ball Room and Tea Room along either side with
2135-519: The city, the venue being described as "the most noble and elegant of any in the kingdom". They were originally known as the Upper Rooms as there was also a lower assembly room in the city, which closed soon after the Upper Rooms opened. They served the newly built fashionable area which included the Circus, Queen Square and the Royal Crescent. People would gather in the rooms in the evening for balls and other public functions, or simply to play cards. Mothers and chaperones bringing their daughters to Bath for
2196-422: The crescent, after many years of complaints by residents that the tours given to tourists were disruptive, particularly because of the amplified commentary given by tour guides on open top buses. The crescent is 500 feet (150 m) long and each building is almost 50 feet (15 m) high, including small rooms with dormer windows in the attic. The ground floor is plain emphasising the columns and windows of
2257-519: The first floor. The 114 columns are 30 inches (76 cm) in diameter reaching 47 feet (14.3 m), each with an entablature 5 feet (1.5 m) deep in a Palladian style. The central house (now the Royal Crescent Hotel) boasts two sets of coupled columns with a single window between them which is the middle of the crescent. They are built of Bath stone. They have slate roofs but were originally stone tiled. The appearance of each house
2318-457: The hub of fashionable society, being frequented by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens , along with the nobility of the time. The building, made of Bath stone , is arranged in a U shape. There are four main function rooms in the complex: the 100-foot-long (30 m) ballroom—the largest Georgian interior in Bath; the tea room ; the card room; and the octagon. The rooms have Whitefriars crystal chandeliers and are decorated with fine art. In
2379-510: The novels of Jane Austen , who lived in Bath with her parents and sister from 1801 to 1805. Her two novels set in Bath, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion , were published in 1818 and both mention the Assembly Rooms: Mrs Allen was so long in dressing, that they did not enter the ball-room till late. The season was full, the room crowded, and the two ladies squeezed in as well as they could. As for Mr Allen, he repaired directly to
2440-476: The octagonal Card Room at the end. The rooms have Whitefriars crystal chandeliers and are decorated with pictures by Thomas Gainsborough , Allan Ramsay (artist) , Edwin Long and William Hoare . The Ballroom has five chandeliers and capacity for up to 500 people. It is over 100 feet (30 m) long and nearly 45 feet (14 m) wide. The ceiling is 42 feet (13 m) high. The Tea Room holds up to 250 people. It
2501-448: The old city centre. The elder John Wood designed Queen Square , the Circus , and Gay Street in 1735, which would be completed by the younger John Wood. Queen Square was the first speculative development by the elder John Wood, who lived in one of the houses. The Circus consists of three long, curved terraces that form a circular theatre intended for civic functions and games and inspired by
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2562-484: The register. In 2003, the archaeological television programme Time Team 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 the late 19th century five cast iron lamp columns with decorative scrollwork were added. In 1921, architect Robert Tor Russell used
2623-514: The social season, hoping to marry them off to a suitable husband, would take their charge to such events where, very quickly, one might meet all the eligible men currently in the City. At one concert in 1779, attended by around 800 ladies and gentlemen, 60 members of the nobility were present. During the season, which ran from October to June, at least two balls a week were held, in addition to a range of concerts and other events. Scenes such as this feature in
2684-555: The spa and resort town who required accommodation. The architects John Wood the Elder and his son John Wood the Younger laid out the new quarters in streets and squares, the identical façades of which gave an impression of palatial scale and classical decorum. Much of the creamy honey-coloured Bath stone used for construction throughout the city was obtained from the limestone Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines owned by Ralph Allen (1694–1764). The development at this time largely consisted of new residential areas located away from
2745-512: The 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
2806-533: The traditional white. Bath 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 alteration and development including floodlighting and a swimming pool have been defeated. The first resident of Number 1 was Thomas Brock, Town Clerk of Chester , for whom Brock Street
2867-411: Was buried beside his father in the chancel at St Mary's Church , Swainswick . He was deeply in debt, partly due to financial conditions relating to his father's earlier building speculations. Wood began his independent career by developing and extending his father's work in Bath. His first major project consisted of completing the Circus (his father died less than three months after the first stone
2928-539: Was constructed, lasting until demolition around 1820 for the building of York Street. Harrison's Lower Assembly Rooms were devastated by a fire in December 1820 and rebuilt, lasting until demolition in 1933 for road improvements on the site now known as "Bog Island". In around 1770 the neoclassical architect Robert Adam designed Pulteney Bridge , a three-arched bridge spanning the River Avon. He used as his prototype an original, but unused, design by Andrea Palladio for
2989-563: Was designated as a Grade I listed building in 1950. 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, which were renovated and additional rooms in pavilions and coach houses within the gardens included in the accommodation. It was sold in 1978 to John Tham, the chairman of the London Sloane Club , and restored. It
3050-626: Was designed by Thomas Baldwin , a local builder responsible for many other buildings in the city, including the terraces in Argyle Street and the Guildhall , The Lower Assembly Rooms consisted of two buildings. The first built in 1708 for Thomas Harrison overlooking Parade Gardens between North Parade and Bath Abbey . A large ballroom was added in 1720, with further enlargement in 1749 and 1810 when it became known as The Kingston Assembly Rooms. In 1728 another building, known as Lindsey's Assembly Rooms,
3111-415: Was home to Edward Bulwer-Lytton . The jurist and explorer Thomas Falconer briefly lived at number 18 before his death in 1882. A few years later the house next door at number 17 became home to Isaac Pitman who developed the most widely used system of shorthand , now known as Pitman shorthand . English professor George Saintsbury took up residence at number 1A in 1916. The houses and flats in
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#17328556709223172-406: Was home to the family of Thomas Linley , a singing-master and conductor of the concerts from 1771. His eldest 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 (#16) was used as a residence and to host blue stocking events by Elizabeth Montagu . In the nineteenth century the popularity of
3233-464: Was laid). His next achievement was the design and build of Gay Street to connect Queen Square and the Circus, his father's greatest triumphs. Wood spent the next decades designing new buildings, terraces and architectural set-pieces for the city of Bath. It appears that he did not share his father's interest in druidism and freemasonry, but his designs show certain inspirations and themes which reflect 18th century fashions and philosophies. During
3294-625: Was later purchased by Von Essen Hotels , which became insolvent in 2011. In September 2011 it was expected that London & Regional Properties would purchase the hotel, but negotiations ended in January 2012 without a deal. On 2 April 2012, investment company the Topland Group announced that it had purchased the Royal Crescent Hotel. In the 1970s the resident of No 22, Miss Amabel Wellesley-Colley, painted her front door yellow instead of
3355-401: Was led by Philip Jebb . The Bath Preservation Trust was working during 2012–13 to re-unite Number One with its original servants' wing at Number 1A Royal Crescent, which has been in use as a separate dwelling for many years. No. 1 serves as the Trust's headquarters. Number 15 and 16 are still used as a hotel. Bath and North East Somerset council made an order banning coaches and buses from
3416-410: Was named. His sister Elizabeth had married the architect of the Crescent, John Wood, the Younger . Brock's first tenant at No. 1 was Henry Sandford , a retired Irish MP who rented the house from 1776 until his death in Bath in 1796. Sandford was described as a 'gentleman of the most benevolent disposition'. William Wilberforce stayed at Number 2 in 1798. Christopher Anstey , a well-known writer of
3477-414: Was started by Doris Langley Moore , who gave her collection to the city of Bath in 1963. It focuses on fashionable dress for men, women and children from the late 16th century to the present day and has more than 30,000 objects. The earliest pieces are embroidered shirts and gloves from about 1600. The grandeur of the building make it a popular location for feature films and television series set in
3538-405: Was the first crescent of terraced houses to be built and an example of " rus in urbe " (the country in the city) with its views over the parkland opposite. In front of the Royal Crescent is a ha-ha , a ditch on which the inner side is vertical and faced with stone, with the outer face sloped and turfed , making an effective but invisible partition between the lower and upper lawns. The ha-ha
3599-470: Was the first crescent of terraced houses to be built and an example of " rus in urbe " (the country in the city) with its views over the parkland opposite. Many notable people have either lived or stayed in the Royal Crescent since it was built over 240 years ago, and some are commemorated on special plaques attached to the relevant buildings. Of the crescent's 30 townhouses, 10 are still full-size townhouses; 18 have been split into flats of various sizes; One
3660-591: Was the location for a banquet attended by The Prince of Wales for the BBC television series the Great British Menu . It is 60 feet (18 m) long and 42 feet (13 m) wide. The Octagon is named for the shape of the room and has four fireplaces. It is 42 feet (13 m) across. It originally held an organ in the musicians gallery. In 1777 the Card Room was added. Philip Thicknesse in his 1778 'New Bath Guide' admired
3721-763: Was the son of the architect John Wood, the Elder . His designs were highly influential during the 18th century and the Royal Crescent is considered to be one of the best examples of Georgian Neo-Classical architecture in Britain. John Wood was born in 1728, the year his father moved to Bath, and was baptised in Bath Abbey. He was trained by his father and as a young man worked on several of his father's projects such as Liverpool Town Hall . In either 1752 or early 1753 he married Elizabeth Brock. They had two sons together and at least eight daughters. Wood died at Eagle House , Batheaston (his home in later years) on 16 June 1781 and
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