North Parade 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 is a historic

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

built around 1741 by

John Wood, the Elder John Wood, the Elder (1704 – 23 May 1754) was an English architect, working mainly in Bath. In 1740 he surveyed Stonehenge and the Stanton Drew stone circles. He later wrote extensively about Bladud and Neo-Druidism. Because of some ...

. Several of the houses have been designated as Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

s. North Parade was part of a wider scheme to build a Royal Forum, including

South Parade South Parade is a shopping street or shopping parade, parade in Summertown, Oxford, Summertown, north Oxford, England. It runs between Woodstock Road (Oxford), Woodstock Road to the west and Banbury Road to the east, where there are also shops ...

, Pierrepont and Duke Streets, similar to Queen Square, which was never completed. Wood designed the facade, of

Bath stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate originally obtained from the Middle Jurassic aged Great Oolite Group of the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its h ...

, after which a variety of builders completed the work with different interiors and rear elevations. Many of the buildings are now hotels and shops whilst some remain as private residences. The three-storey house at Number 1 was the home of John Palmer, who owned the

Theatre Royal, Bath The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, was built in 1805. A Grade II* listed building, it has been described by the Theatres Trust as "One of the most important surviving examples of Georgian theatre architecture". It has a capacity for an audien ...

and instigator of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

system of

mail coach A mail coach is a stagecoach that is used to deliver mail. In Great Britain, Ireland, and Australia, they were built to a General Post Office-approved design operated by an independent contractor to carry long-distance mail for the Post Office. ...

es that was the beginning of the great British post office reforms with the introduction of an efficient mail coach delivery service in Great Britain during the late 18th century. He was Mayor of Bath on two occasions and Comptroller General of the Post Office, and later served as Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bath between 1801 and 1807. Numbers 2 to 6 were converted into a hotel, which included some alterations to the fabric of the building. Numbers 7 to 12 include a central projection and

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

s over the doors. Number 9 is connected with

Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication '' Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's ...

and number 11 was home to

Edmund Burke Edmund Burke (; 12 January ew Style, NS1729 – 9 July 1797) was an Anglo-Irish Politician, statesman, journalist, writer, literary critic, philosopher, and parliamentary orator who is regarded as the founder of the Social philosophy, soc ...

and

Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish poet, novelist, playwright, and hack writer. A prolific author of various literature, he is regarded among the most versatile writers of the Georgian e ...

, of the literary Club, in 1771. The final house, number 14, is faces the River Avon and adjoins the last house in Duke Street. It was known as Sheridan House, and later as the Gay Hotel. In the garden below the house is a little grotto dedicated to

Delia DeliaDella as a diminutive is a feminine given name either taken from an epithet of the Greek moon goddess Artemis, or else representing a short form of '' Adelia'', '' Bedelia'', '' Cordelia'' or '' Odelia''. Meanings and origins According to ...

. North Parade Bridge was built almost 100 years later in 1836 by William Tierney Clark. His original bridge was made of

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

on stone abutments, with lodges and staircases. This was rebuilt in 1936, being refaced in stone over a new reinforced concrete superstructure which replaced the two outside ribs of the original eight cast-iron arches. The entrance to the council-run Sports and Leisure Centre on the

Recreation Ground A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

is to the east of the bridge. Further east on North Parade Road is the Bath Cricket Club Ground, and the Bath Law Courts which holds the Bath Magistrates' Court and the Bath County Court and Family Court.

Gallery

File:Nos. 7-12 North Parade, Bath.JPG, 7-12 North Parade File:North Parade Bridge, pre-1936.jpg, North Parade Bridge before the 1936 rebuild, showing cast-iron arches File:Bath Law Courts, courtyard.jpg, Bath Law Courts

References

{{reflist, 30em Houses completed in 1741 Grade I listed buildings in Bath, Somerset Streets in Bath, Somerset Grade II listed buildings in Bath, Somerset

Gallery

See also

References