Bath and North East Somerset shown within Somerset and England
Bath and North East Somerset (commonly referred to as BANES or B&NES) is a
unitary authority created on 1 April 1996, following the abolition of the
County of Avon, which had existed since 1974.[1] Part of the
ceremonial county of
Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset occupies an area of 220 square miles (570 km2), two-thirds of which is
green belt.[2] It stretches from the outskirts of
Bristol, south into the
Mendip Hills and east to the southern
Cotswold Hills and
Wiltshire border.[2] The city of
Bath is the principal settlement in the district, but BANES also covers
Keynsham,
Midsomer Norton,
Radstock and the
Chew Valley. The area has a population of 170,000, about half of whom live in Bath, making it 12 times more densely populated than the rest of the area.[2]
Bath and North East Somerset has 663 Grade I listed buildings, one of the highest concentrations in the country,[5] covered by about 120 Historic England listings. The oldest sites within Bath are the
Roman Baths, for which the foundation piles and an irregular stone chamber lined with lead were built during the
Roman occupation of Britain,[6][7] although the current building is from the 18th century.[8]Bath Abbey was a
Norman church built on earlier foundations, although the present building dates from the early 16th century and shows a
late Perpendicular style with
flying buttresses and
crocketedpinnacles decorating a
crenellated and pierced
parapet.[9][10][11] The
medieval era is represented by the remains of the city walls in
Upper Borough Walls.[12]
Most of Bath's Grade I listed buildings are made from the local golden-coloured
Bath Stone, and date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Their dominant architectural style is
Georgian,[13] which evolved from the
Palladian revival style that became popular during the early 18th century. This led to the entire city's designation as a
World Heritage Site.[14] Much of the development, and many of the buildings, were the vision of
John Wood, the Elder.
The Circus is seen as the pinnacle of Wood's work: it consists of three long, curved terraces that form a circular space or theatre intended for civic functions and games. The games give a clue to the design, the inspiration for which was the
Colosseum in Rome.[13] The best known of Bath's terraces is the
Royal Crescent, built between 1767 and 1774 and designed by Wood's son,
John Wood, the Younger.[15] Around 1770 the
neoclassical architect
Robert Adam designed
Pulteney Bridge, a three-arched bridge spanning the Avon. He used as his prototype an original, but unused, design by
Palladio for the
Rialto Bridge in
Venice.[16] The heart of the Georgian city was the
Pump Room, which together with its associated Lower Assembly Rooms was designed by
Thomas Baldwin, a local builder responsible for many other buildings in the city, including the terraces in
Argyle Street.[17]Great Pulteney Street, where Baldwin eventually lived, is another of his works: this wide
boulevard, constructed
c. 1789 and over 1,000 feet (305 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) wide, is lined on both sides by Georgian terraces.[18]
^The date given is the date used by Historic England as significant for the initial building or that of an important part in the structure's description.
^"Bath Abbey". Images of England. Archived from
the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2007.
^Luxford, Julian M (2000). "In Dreams: The sculptural iconography of the west front of Bath Abbey reassessed". Religion and the Arts. 4 (3): 314–336.
doi:
10.1163/156852901750359103.
^Scott, Shane (1995). The hidden places of Somerset. Aldermaston: Travel Publishing Ltd. pp. 16–17.
ISBN978-1-902007-01-4.
^"Newton Park, Bath, England". Parks & Gardens UK. Parks and Gardens Data Services Limited (PGDS).
Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
Bath and North East Somerset shown within Somerset and England
Bath and North East Somerset (commonly referred to as BANES or B&NES) is a
unitary authority created on 1 April 1996, following the abolition of the
County of Avon, which had existed since 1974.[1] Part of the
ceremonial county of
Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset occupies an area of 220 square miles (570 km2), two-thirds of which is
green belt.[2] It stretches from the outskirts of
Bristol, south into the
Mendip Hills and east to the southern
Cotswold Hills and
Wiltshire border.[2] The city of
Bath is the principal settlement in the district, but BANES also covers
Keynsham,
Midsomer Norton,
Radstock and the
Chew Valley. The area has a population of 170,000, about half of whom live in Bath, making it 12 times more densely populated than the rest of the area.[2]
Bath and North East Somerset has 663 Grade I listed buildings, one of the highest concentrations in the country,[5] covered by about 120 Historic England listings. The oldest sites within Bath are the
Roman Baths, for which the foundation piles and an irregular stone chamber lined with lead were built during the
Roman occupation of Britain,[6][7] although the current building is from the 18th century.[8]Bath Abbey was a
Norman church built on earlier foundations, although the present building dates from the early 16th century and shows a
late Perpendicular style with
flying buttresses and
crocketedpinnacles decorating a
crenellated and pierced
parapet.[9][10][11] The
medieval era is represented by the remains of the city walls in
Upper Borough Walls.[12]
Most of Bath's Grade I listed buildings are made from the local golden-coloured
Bath Stone, and date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Their dominant architectural style is
Georgian,[13] which evolved from the
Palladian revival style that became popular during the early 18th century. This led to the entire city's designation as a
World Heritage Site.[14] Much of the development, and many of the buildings, were the vision of
John Wood, the Elder.
The Circus is seen as the pinnacle of Wood's work: it consists of three long, curved terraces that form a circular space or theatre intended for civic functions and games. The games give a clue to the design, the inspiration for which was the
Colosseum in Rome.[13] The best known of Bath's terraces is the
Royal Crescent, built between 1767 and 1774 and designed by Wood's son,
John Wood, the Younger.[15] Around 1770 the
neoclassical architect
Robert Adam designed
Pulteney Bridge, a three-arched bridge spanning the Avon. He used as his prototype an original, but unused, design by
Palladio for the
Rialto Bridge in
Venice.[16] The heart of the Georgian city was the
Pump Room, which together with its associated Lower Assembly Rooms was designed by
Thomas Baldwin, a local builder responsible for many other buildings in the city, including the terraces in
Argyle Street.[17]Great Pulteney Street, where Baldwin eventually lived, is another of his works: this wide
boulevard, constructed
c. 1789 and over 1,000 feet (305 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) wide, is lined on both sides by Georgian terraces.[18]
^The date given is the date used by Historic England as significant for the initial building or that of an important part in the structure's description.
^"Bath Abbey". Images of England. Archived from
the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2007.
^Luxford, Julian M (2000). "In Dreams: The sculptural iconography of the west front of Bath Abbey reassessed". Religion and the Arts. 4 (3): 314–336.
doi:
10.1163/156852901750359103.
^Scott, Shane (1995). The hidden places of Somerset. Aldermaston: Travel Publishing Ltd. pp. 16–17.
ISBN978-1-902007-01-4.
^"Newton Park, Bath, England". Parks & Gardens UK. Parks and Gardens Data Services Limited (PGDS).
Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 9 June 2013.