Pulteney Cruisers - Boat Trip from Bath - The Empire and Bath Markets on the Grand Parade

An afternoon in Bath in Somerset.

The Pulteney Cruisers boat trip on board Scenic II The trip takes you up the River Avon towards Bathampton and back.

The Empire and Bath Markets on the Grand Parade.

Grade II Listed Building

Newmarket Row

Description

GRAND PARADE

Newmarket Row Nos 2-6 (consec)
(Formerly Listed as: GRAND PARADE
Nos 2 & 3, Market, Nos 4 & 5
(Grove Hotel))
12/06/50

GV II

Shops and public house with accommodation over, including entrance to Public Market. c1775 by Thomas Baldwin, rebuilt behind in 1861-63 by Hickes & Isaac with later C20 alterations.
MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar, No. 5 painted, with Welsh slate roofs.
PLAN: Single depth plan terrace backing onto the Market (qv) with the Market entry in centre. No. 5 also has side elevation to Boat Stall Lane.
EXTERIOR: Two storeys, attics and cellars. Balanced terrace design of eleven-bays, 2:3:1:3:2. Central slight projection with long and short rusticated quoins. Central entrance to Market with panelled double doors, semicircular head with radiating fanlight, crowning cornice and pediment with swagged City arms. Ground floor shopfronts. No. 2 has late C19 with plate glass window and decorative light over right hand door. Nos. 3 and 4 have matched double fronted shops, in a C20 `Victorian¿ style. No. 5 `The Rummer¿ matches No. 2 but has modern eight/four-pane window, and arched doorway to right. Three windows each side, with projections either end with two windows and similar quoins. Windows to Nos. 2 and 3 are late C19 plate glass sashes, plain. Those to Nos. 4 and 5 are late C18 type sashes six/six-panes, central one to No. 4 is blind. Sill band. Crowning cornice and parapet, mansard roof with 1:3:1:3:1 flat topped dormers, all six/six sashes except that of No. 5. Four ashlar stacks with pots. Elevation of No. 5 to Boat Stall Lane has three bays. Tripartite windows with blind outer lights flank arched door on ground floor and single sash above. Ground floor has plain sashes; first floor has eight/eight and six/six-pane sashes. Platband at first floor level. Two flat topped plain dormers.
INTERIORS: Not inspected except ground floor of No. 5 very altered and has damaged C18 staircase.
HISTORY: This originally formed the river frontage to Baldwin¿s design for the Guildhall complex. The market stalls were designed by Hickes & Isaac after a competition (drawings in City Archives). No. 5 has been a public house since at least 1799 when a lease was granted to Richard Clarke for the Grove Tavern (30th September 1799). It has held that name or the present one ever since. Newmarket Row is shown in its present appearance in the Thomas Malton drawing of Pulteney Bridge in 1788.
SOURCE: (Lees-Milne J and Ford D: Images of Bath: London: 1982).

Listing NGR: ST7518164892

Empire Hotel

Description

ORANGE GROVE
656-1/41/2424 (North side)
Empire Hotel
17/07/89

GV II

Hotel, now apartments. 1900-1901 by Major CE Davis for hotelier Alfred Holland, restored and converted 1996.
MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar cladding to an internal steel work, roofs of Bridgwater tiles and lead.
PLAN: Large L-shaped block with octagonal corner tower
EXTERIOR: A large building in the city centre, clad in a Free Renaissance exterior. Six main storeys with attics and double depth basement corner tower has seven storeys. Eight bays to Orange Grove, nine bays to east (river) front with further bay canted on corner. Tall ground floor with mullion and transom windows and decorative cast iron canopy to main entrance, with 'EMPIRE HOTEL'. Five bay conservatory now added to left of entrance (1996). First floor has three light mullion and transom windows and four bay loggia across centre with balustraded balconies. Second floor has pedimented windows. Third and fourth floors have plain windows, all three light mullion and transom. Heavy cornices divide each floor and strip pilasters between each window. Sixth floor has very varied roofline. Paired gables to left with decorative plasterwork. Central bays have large shaped gable with six single light windows separated by pilasters, and two more in attic floor above, this gable was originally crowned by ball finial. Each face of corner tower has two light mullion and transom window, upper floor with Baroque columns supporting only block entablatures. Parapet to tower, Jacobean filigree spikes have been removed. East front has another large shaped gable, and plain but double sized gable, again with decorative plasterwork. Single storey kitchen range in angle of L. City's medieval Eastgate (qv) attached on north side.
INTERIOR: Basement contains much structural steelwork by Glengarnock Company. Rolled steel joists on cast iron columns spanning many difficult corners of site. Extent of steelwork not known. Boiler room with two original heating boilers dated 1901. Public rooms on ground floor very little altered except decoratively. Dining Room, in subdued Greek manner, has two marbled Ionic columns, Greek architraves and fire surrounds with over-mantels. Entrance Hall has two Corinthian columns, coffered ceiling and French Renaissance type fireplace. Original reception desk and revolving doors in store in basement. Jacobean style staircase with fine joinery and Rococo plasterwork on walls. Joinery and plasterwork largely complete in Drawing Room and Bars. Staircase rises full height of building. First floor has grand suites and these retain joinery and fireplaces, original bathroom fittings are in store in basement. Bedroom floors above are much plainer but again almost unaltered. Whole building shows remarkable survival of original design and planning of grand turn-of-the-century hotel in which purpose of almost every room is still recognisable. Interior has only been inspected on ground floor on this occasion, full inspection made at time of listing.
HISTORY: A huge hotel development, altering the scale and appearance of the city centre, employing new construction techniques. The hotel was requisitioned by the Navy in 1939, and only returned to its owners, Bath City Council in 1989. It was converted into retirement flats above commercial premises on the ground floor. The basement underwent considerable alteration and the old kitchen has been demolished. The building is now an integral part of the city centre and possesses very strong group value with the surrounding listed buildings, a number of which are also by Major Davis, the Bath City Architect.
SOURCES: N. Jackson, Nineteenth Century Bath - Architects and Architecture (1991), 225-228.

Listing NGR: ST7519364855

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Taken in: UK / England / Bath (show map)

Taken on: June 28, 2022

Tags:

Bath

Somerset

United Kingdom

Great Britain

UNESCO World Heritage Site

tree

trees

River Avon

RNBbristolAvon

Pulteney Cruisers

River cruise

boat ride

Scenic II

boat

Bath Markets

Bath Guildhall Market

Grand Parade

Grade II Listed Building

Grade II Listed

Newmarket Row

Shops and public house with accommodation over, including entrance to Public Market

Thomas Baldwin

Hickes & Isaac

Limestone ashlar

Welsh slate roofs

Pulteney Weir

The Empire

Orange Grove

National Express

coach

Empire Hotel

Major CE Davis

Alfred Holland

Limestone ashlar cladding to an internal steel work, roofs of Bridgwater tiles and lead « less

Sets appears in: • Pulteney Cruisers, Bath • Bath, Somerset

Groups appears in: • Rivers • UNESCO World Heritage Sites more » • Hotels • Rivers and Streams • Hotels & Resorts - Around the world • Edwardian Architecture • Weirs • (A) WORLD HERITAGE TRAIL « less

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