Physical Influences
Geology
7.5.1 The larger and upper part of the area is under
laid by undivided lower and middle Oolitic Limestones over clays.
In places this has given rise to landslips, most notably at Camden
and Hedgemead. The open space below the Royal Crescent is on Lower
Lias Clays.
Landform and Drainage Pattern
7.5.2 The land rises by 80m between Queen’s Square
and Somerset Lane. The slope bends to form a gentle ridge line
about Lansdown Road. West of here the slope is south facing and
east the slope faces south east.
7.5.3 To the north east of the area cold springs
above Camden are located at Mount Beacon and Beacon Hill.
Land Use and Buildings
Land Use
7.5.4 The area is largely residential although there
are other significant uses such as educational, open space and
public car parking. Smaller uses include office, commercial as well
as retail. Shops tend to be small specialist independent
traders.
Building Form and Heights
7.5.5 This is the very heart of C18 Bath and so most
of the buildings are of this age. Building forms are in four
characteristic types: the terrace (including crescents), the square
(including the Circus), mews (originally servicing the greater
terraces), and individual houses.
7.5.6 It is here that we find the features of C18
Bath at their greatest, the best being John Wood father and son’s
great sequence of Queen’s Square, the Circus and the Royal
Crescent.
7.5.7 Crescents are a particular feature of the
area. Because of the topography they are able to take advantage of
the view while following the contour, thereby limiting the need to
re-contour the ground to accommodate deep buildings.
7.5.8 The heights of buildings vary but the majority
are three storeys with a basement and habitable attic.
Building Age
7.5.9 As with other aspects of the area there is
great consistency in the age of the buildings. They largely range
from early C18 to early C19. However there are exceptions from both
earlier and more commonly later periods.
Materials and Architectural Details
7.5.10 There is great consistency in building details. They
correspond to the classical style of C18 building with emphasis on
scale, harmony and proportion. Ornamentation is underplayed and
restricted to column, portico, plinth and pediment. Archways for
carriages are not uncommon. Mews developments tend to have similar
features though far less grand.
7.5.11 There is a restricted palette of materials dominated by
Bath stone and slate roofs with occasional painted stonework.
It is this small palette that gives the area its strong harmony and
character. Timber doors are painted while windows are commonly
white painted timber sashes, many with glazing bars.
7.5.12 Modern infill building tends to follow the scale and
massing of C18 styles and sometimes look identical. This preserves
the overall character by reinforcing a very specific building
style. Nearly always the same traditional materials have been used
in modern buildings.
Streets and Civic Spaces
Street Pattern
7.5.13 Most of the main roads run relatively level across the
slope and cross roads running up and down. Lansdown Road is an
exception to this rule as it runs along the north-south ridge
line.
7.5.14 Although highly designed, the road layout often appears
organic in nature but this illusion is from the tendency of the
buildings to follow contours or other strategic lines. This allowed
high density development without massive re-contouring of the
hillside. The great exception here is the Queen’s Square – Circus –
Royal Crescent composition which required considerable earth moving
to get them and their connecting roads level or at the required
alignment.
7.5.15
Smaller lanes and back alleys service the mews developments in a
purely functional way.
Density and Degree of Enclosure
7.5.16
Local areas are of high density due to the compact nature of the
terraces, the landform and relatively short gardens. However the
overall density is much reduced by the fronts to the crescents,
squares and open spaces.
7.5.17
Enclosure can be high inside the squares or between the higher
terraces, but there is nearly always either a glimpse or a fuller
view out towards surrounding hills and the city centre. The great
crescents use this to their advantage with the result that a wide
panoramic view is always seen from them.
Vitality and Tranquillity
7.5.18
This is a very active area due in part to its proximity to the city
centre and the fine buildings that attract many visitors. Many of
the roads are major through routes so traffic is also a significant
factor here. Further up the slope away from the main attractions
the area is more tranquil though traffic and car parking are still
dominating features.
Materials and Boundary Treatment
7.5.19
The boundaries are most often painted iron railings set to define
basement areas to the front of housing. Rear gardens are defined by
stone walls.
7.5.20
Raised pavements, some edged with railings, are common as are steps
linking the higher ones to the road or connecting separate
roads.
7.5.21
Together the railings, stone pavements, raised or not, and the
imposing buildings create a hard character that is also refined and
elegant. Lansdown Crescent is a particularly good example.
Influence of Vegetation and Open Space
Trees and Shrubs
7.5.22
Trees play a great role in the definition of the character of the
area. There are many great trees that were not part of the original
plan. Most are C19 introductions that have now matured. The great
plane trees, though not in the original design of the Circus, are
now valued by many for the contrast they provide to this very urban
set piece.
7.5.23
Trees are mostly in open spaces rather than general street
trees. Individual trees are often used to frame views.
Views to Trees and Open Space
7.5.24
The long vistas from the set pieces give fine views over the city
and to the hillsides beyond. You are never very far from a
good view. In addition the set piece buildings create composed
views in their own right.
Open Space
7.5.25
Open space plays a very important part in the composition of many
of the great set piece buildings.
7.5.26
The crescents typically have a large open space in front of them to
both facilitate views out and to allow appreciative views towards
them. They were originally open country fields that would have been
managed by grazing. In this way the town dweller obtained a share
of a classical landscape park in the manner of Brown or Repton even
down to features such as ha has. Today they often retain their open
character, though many now have mature trees as well.
7.5.27 All the squares have an open garden at their heart,
either private or publicly accessed. These are always defined with
railings. Originally set out in an open classical C18 garden manner
they have become more enclosed by later C19 tree and shrub
planting. The Circus originally had a water reservoir at its centre
that eventually became covered and finally ‘grassed and treed’.
Features, Landmarks and Views
7.5.28
In an area dominated by set piece architecture and grand urban
design there are many landmarks. Of particular note is the Royal
Crescent, one of the greatest icons of C18 Bath. Others are the
Assembly Rooms and St Stephen’s Church, widely seen puncturing the
skyline. More locally the various crescents form landmarks in their
own right.
7.5.29
Another defining feature of the area are the magnificent views that
are often to be had from the set piece buildings and the open
spaces around them. These views are frequently, and deliberately,
seen from under arches, between buildings and across open landscape
areas. Lansdown Crescent, high up on the hill, affords
stunning views across the city, and is distinctive in that sheep
graze on the grassy slopes in front of the crescent.
Cultural Influences
Historic Uses
7.5.30
Historically this area has always been a focus of high-class
residential use and this clearly remains. However in some parts
splitting the buildings into flats has changed the population
towards a more mixed group.
