John Wood » Bath.co.uk

Royal Crescent

Attractions, Featured, Sightseeing No Responses »

Nov 262010

Designed by John Wood the Younger as lodging-houses for the gentry on their visits to Bath, this crescent was completed in 1767. It was in the middle of farmland then and had wonderful sweeping views of the hills and Avon valley. Those views now offer additional interest for fans of gasholder design and housing estate layout, but the Crescent itself remains a splendid sight, with Victoria Park calmly green below. Note the ha-ha, or sunken fence, which kept the sheep, cows and peasants from their front lawns, but didn’t interrupt the view from the apartments. Continue reading »

Circus

Attractions, Featured, Sightseeing No Responses »

Jul 232010

Two minutes’ walk from the Royal Crescent is The Circus, another jewel in Bath’s crown. It consists of 30 houses in groups of 8, 12 and 10, and is now a prestige collection of town houses and flats.

Designed by John Wood the Elder and completed by his son in 1754, the Circus has three (not four) streets in, so that when approaching you see the houses, not a street out. The friezes along the houses have 528 different carvings representing the Arts and Sciences.

The open-top bus tours which come round here are a good way to get an eye-level view of the carvings and icons on the first floor of the flats. Continue reading »