Milsom Street in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, England, was built in 1762 by Thomas Lightholder. The buildings were originally grand townhouses, but most are now used as shops, offices and banks. Most have three storeys with

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

s and Corinthian columns. Numbers 2 to 22 are Grade II listed. The bank at number 24 was built by Wilson and Willcox and includes baroque detail not seen on the other buildings. Numbers 25 to 36 continue the architectural theme from numbers 2 to 22. Numbers 37 to 42, which are known as Somersetshire Buildings, have been designated as Grade II* listed buildings. The Octagon Chapel was a place of worship, then a furniture shop by Mallett Antiques. It opened briefly as a restaurant, which has subsequently closed. It is accessed beside number 46. As a fashionable Georgian thoroughfare, Milsom Street is quoted in several of the works of

Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

, including ''

Northanger Abbey ''Northanger Abbey'' ( ) is a coming-of-age novel and a satire of Gothic fiction, Gothic novels written by the English author Jane Austen. Although the title page is dated 1818 and the novel was published posthumously in 1817 with ''Persuasio ...

'' and ''Persuasion''. In the 2010, Google Street View's Best Streets Awards, Milsom Street was voted "Britain's Best Fashion Street" by the 11,000 participants.

References

{{Reflist Houses completed in 1762 Grade I listed buildings in Bath, Somerset Streets in Bath, Somerset Grade II listed buildings in Bath, Somerset

See also

References