place

Gay Street, Bath

Grade I listed buildings in Bath, SomersetStreets in Bath, SomersetUse British English from January 2017
Gay Street Bath
Gay Street Bath

Gay Street in Bath, Somerset, England, links Queen Square to The Circus. It was designed by John Wood, the Elder in 1735 and completed by his son John Wood, the Younger. The land was leased to the elder Wood by Robert Gay, MP for Bath, and the street is named after him. Much of the road has been designated as Grade I listed buildings. The houses are of 3 storeys with Mansard roofs, with many also having Ionic columns. There are slight variations in window design but they work together to provide a consistent streetscape. Many of the houses are now used as offices. Numbers 2 to 17 are on the west side. Hester Thrale, who was also known as Mrs Piozzi, lived at number 8, with its 4 Corinthian pilasters on the ground and 1st floors in 1781. Number 18 to 30 are on the east side of the road. It was built before the west side.Number 41 is on the corner between Gay Street and Queen Square. It was the home of John Wood, the Younger.Numbers 31 to 40 have been designated as Grade II. The Jane Austen Centre is at number 40, although Jane Austen actually lived at number 25.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Gay Street, Bath (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Gay Street, Bath
Gravel Walk, Bath Kingsmead

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Gay Street, BathContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.384722222222 ° E -2.3641666666667 °
placeShow on map

Address

Georgian Garden

Gravel Walk
BA1 2EW Bath, Kingsmead
England, United Kingdom
mapOpen on Google Maps

Gay Street Bath
Gay Street Bath
Share experience

Nearby Places

Bath Assembly Rooms
Bath Assembly Rooms

The Bath Assembly Rooms, designed by John Wood the Younger in 1769, are a set of assembly rooms located in the heart of the World Heritage City of Bath in England which are now open to the public as a visitor attraction. They are designated as a Grade I listed building.During the Georgian era Bath became fashionable, and the architects John Wood, the Elder, and his son laid out new areas of housing for residents and visitors. Assembly rooms had been built early in the 18th century, but a new venue for balls, concerts and gambling was envisaged in the area between Queen Square, The Circus and the Royal Crescent. Robert Adam submitted a proposal that was rejected as too expensive. John Wood, the Younger raised funding through a tontine, and construction started in 1769. The new or upper assembly rooms opened with a grand ball in 1771 and became the hub of fashionable society, being frequented by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, along with the nobility of the time. The building, made of Bath stone, is arranged in a U shape. There are four main function rooms in the complex: the 100-foot-long (30 m) ballroom—the largest Georgian interior in Bath; the tea room; the card room; and the octagon. The rooms have Whitefriars crystal chandeliers and are decorated with fine art. In the 20th century they were used as a cinema and in 1931 were taken over by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and restored. They were bombed and burnt out during the Second World War, with restoration undertaken by Sir Albert Richardson before reopening in 1963. They are now owned by the National Trust and operated by Bath and North East Somerset Council for public functions. The basement of the building provides a home to the Fashion Museum.

Theatre Royal, Bath
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 audience of around 900. The Theatre Royal was built to replace the Old Orchard Street Theatre, funded by a Tontine and elaborately decorated. The architect was George Dance the Younger, with John Palmer carrying out much of the work. It opened with a performance of Shakespeare's Richard III and hosted performances by many leading actors of the time including Dorothea Jordan, William Macready and Edmund Kean. A major fire in 1862 destroyed the interior of the building and was quickly followed by a rebuilding programme by Charles J. Phipps, which included the construction of the current entrance. Further redecoration was undertaken in 1892; more extensive building work, including a new staircase and the installation of electric lighting, followed in 1902. Despite performances by casts including Sarah Bernhardt, the ballerina Anna Pavlova and Mrs. Patrick Campbell, the theatre was rarely very profitable. During World War II Donald Wolfit, Irene Vanbrugh, John Gielgud and Sybil Thorndike appeared, with shows including Noël Coward's Private Lives and Blithe Spirit, a performance by Ballet Rambert and light entertainment such as Charley's Aunt, but audiences declined. In 1979 the theatre was bought by a trust and, following public donations, it underwent refurbishment, with the rebuilding of the stage and the installation of a new taller fly tower for scenery and lighting. In 1997 a new 120-seat theatre, known as the Ustinov Studio, was opened. Further restoration work to the main auditorium was needed in 2010. In 2005 a children's theatre known as The Egg was opened. The complex also includes bars and restaurants.