Kingsmead Square, Bath

Kingsmead Square in Bath, Somerset, England was laid out by John Strahan in the 1730s. Many of the houses are listed buildings.

Kingsmead Square
LocationBath, Somerset, England
Coordinates51.38124°N 2.36315°W / 51.38124; -2.36315
Built1730s
ArchitectJohn Strahan
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameRosewell House (number 12 to 14)
Designated12 June 1950[1]
Reference no.442757
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameNumber 5 to 10
Designated12 June 1950[2]
Reference no.442756
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameNumber 18
Designated5 August 1975[3]
Reference no.446121
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameNumbers 16 and 17
Designated5 August 1975[4]
Reference no.446120
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameNumber 15
Designated5 August 1975[5]
Reference no.446119
Location of Kingsmead Square in Somerset

History

The origins of the square was as the junction of a number of routes entering the West Gate of the medieval city. In 1727 John Strahan started a large scale Georgian expansion in this area of pasture owned by St John's Hospital. The West Gate was demolished in the 1760s, enlarging the road junction. In 1902 the square became part of a Bath Tramways route. In 1925 a street widening scheme to tackle traffic congestion established the modern street lines of the square.[6]

During and after World War II the square became run down. In the mid 1970s the south terrace was restored, saving it from demolition, and starting a revival of the area. In the 1990s there was investment in street furniture and the square generally, further reviving the square and making it an attractive location for cafés.[6]

In September 2018 Bath and North East Somerset Council started an informal consultation on a proposal to partially pedestrianise the square.[7]

Buildings

Number 12, 13 and 14 is made up of Rosewell House, which forms one building with Numbers 1 and 2 Kingsmead Street. The house is named after T Rosewell, who commissioned it from Strahan and whose sign, a rose and a well, can be seen on the baroque facade[8] with the date 1736. It is a three-storey building with a mansard roof. The ground floor has been changed to include shop fronts, but a detached Ionic porch can still be seen. Dr Joseph Butler Bishop of Durham theologian, apologist, and philosopher died at Rosewell House 1752.[1] Originally Rosewell House was the end of a rank of houses, but neighbouring 11, 12 and 13 Kingsmead Square were demolished to make New Street on a diagonal alignment out of the square to provide better access to the new Bath Green Park railway station.[9]

At the centre of the square is a large London Plane tree, about 20 metres tall. The square has full public access, with a ground surface of concrete slabs and cobbles.[10]

See also

References

  1. "Rosewell House". Images of England. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  2. "Numbers 5 to 10". Images of England. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  3. "Number 18". Images of England. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  4. "Numbers 16 and 17". Images of England. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  5. "Number 15". Images of England. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  6. "The History of Kingsmead Square" (PDF). Bath and North East Somerset Council. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  7. "Kingsmead Square (informal consultation)". Bath and North East Somerset Council. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  8. Gadd, David (1971). "III The making of Georgian Bath". Georgian Summer. Bath: Adams and Dart. pp. 51–52. ISBN 978-0239000835.
  9. Root, Jane (July 2013). Rosewell House, Kingsmead Square, Bath - Historic Building Appraisal (PDF) (Report). Bath and North East Somerset Council. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  10. Wright, Chris (January 2017). Arboricultural Assessment of a London Plane tree growing within Kingsmead Square, Bath (PDF) (Report). Bath and North East Somerset Council. Retrieved 21 November 2017.


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