Nile Street, Bath
Encyclopedia
Nile Street in Bath, Somerset
, England is a short street of Georgian
houses linking Norfolk Crescent
and Nelson Place West
with the Upper Bristol Road.
On the east side there are five houses, including the corner blocks to Great Stanhope Street (south) and Monmouth Place (north). On the west side two houses were destroyed by bombing in the Second World War and in 2010 there was only one house (No. 1 Nelson Place) on this side of the street, but more were under construction.
. The streets of the development were named after Admiral Nelson (Nelson Place
), Nelson's home county (Norfolk Crescent
) and the Battle of the Nile
(Nile Street). The streets were given their names in c.1800, some years before the Battle of Trafalgar
(1805), so the Battle of the Nile was Nelson's most famous victory at that time. The street was marked as Howard Street and Norfolk Street on various earlier maps of Bath.
(and later John Pinch the elder), but there is no record of an architect for the houses on Nile Street. Only one of the building leases, the lease for No. 2 dating from 1808, has a specified facade
plan. The other houses had no specified design, but their uniform facade roughly matches the houses in Great Stanhope Street (at the south end of Nile Street). It was common for builders create their own simple designs without an architect being engaged, so the east side of Nile Street may have been the result of an informal agreement.
The lease for No. 2 states that the house is to be built with the "..front thence of against Nile Street in every respect agreeably to the Elevation, Plan and design of the said Richard Bowsher and which elevation is more particularly described in the plan drawn in the margin.." This house, which is at the centre of the street, has a taller facade with the attic storey brought forward, matching the style of Norfolk Crescent, but more plain. Interestingly, the house itself does not precisely match the design in the lease. The door, instead of being central with a window either side of it, is on the left hand side of the house. It was not uncommon for builders to ignore or alter the plans they were given, which is probably what happened in this case.
several incendiary bombs
fell in the area of Nile Street. No. 4 Nile Street and No. 1 St Georges Place were gutted, as were the houses on the north side of Great Stanhope Street, including No. 15, on the corner with Nile Street. The Great Stanhope Street houses were rebuilt as a block of flats (called Clarkson House) with a facade replicating the original houses in the 1980s. On the west side of Nile Street, the gutted houses were cleared and replaced by a filling station
in the 1960s, which was later occupied by a convenience store
. In 2010-11 the site was redeveloped as a house on the site of No. 4 Nile Street and a shop on the corner with St Georges Place. These new buildings were designed to have a very similar appearance to the pre-war houses.
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England is a short street of Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
houses linking Norfolk Crescent
Norfolk Crescent, Bath
Norfolk Crescent in Bath, Somerset, England was built between c.1793 and c.1822 and has been designated as a Grade II* listed building. The original design was by John Palmer, but minor alterations were later made by John Pinch....
and Nelson Place West
Nelson Place West
Nelson Place West is Grade II listed Georgian terrace of houses in Bath, Somerset, England. It was built as "Nelson Place" in the early 19th century, and the suffix "West" was added to avoid confusion with Nelson Place East on the other side of the city. The end houses have Ionic pilasters and...
with the Upper Bristol Road.
On the east side there are five houses, including the corner blocks to Great Stanhope Street (south) and Monmouth Place (north). On the west side two houses were destroyed by bombing in the Second World War and in 2010 there was only one house (No. 1 Nelson Place) on this side of the street, but more were under construction.
Conception c.1792
Nile Street is part of an urban development centred on Norfolk Crescent that was undertaken by a solicitor called Richard Bowsher in 1792. A short street was conceived to link the new buildings to the Upper Bristol Road, the main carriage route between Bath and BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. The streets of the development were named after Admiral Nelson (Nelson Place
Nelson Place West
Nelson Place West is Grade II listed Georgian terrace of houses in Bath, Somerset, England. It was built as "Nelson Place" in the early 19th century, and the suffix "West" was added to avoid confusion with Nelson Place East on the other side of the city. The end houses have Ionic pilasters and...
), Nelson's home county (Norfolk Crescent
Norfolk Crescent, Bath
Norfolk Crescent in Bath, Somerset, England was built between c.1793 and c.1822 and has been designated as a Grade II* listed building. The original design was by John Palmer, but minor alterations were later made by John Pinch....
) and the Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
(Nile Street). The streets were given their names in c.1800, some years before the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
(1805), so the Battle of the Nile was Nelson's most famous victory at that time. The street was marked as Howard Street and Norfolk Street on various earlier maps of Bath.
West side
The west side of Nile Street was made up of No. 1 Nelson Place on the south end and No. 1 St Georges Place on the north end, with No. 4 Nile Street between these two houses. There was a gap next to No. 1 Nelson Place due to the garden at the rear of this house. No. 4 Nile Street and No. 1 St Georges Place were not on Richard Bowsher's land and they were built in the early 19th century.East side
Building leases for the houses on the east side of Nile Street were taken out in 1807-1808 and these houses were finished c.1812-1814. The architect responsible for the design of the other houses on Bowsher's land was John PalmerJohn Palmer (Bath architect)
John Palmer was an English architect who worked on some of the notable buildings in the city of Bath in England...
(and later John Pinch the elder), but there is no record of an architect for the houses on Nile Street. Only one of the building leases, the lease for No. 2 dating from 1808, has a specified facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
plan. The other houses had no specified design, but their uniform facade roughly matches the houses in Great Stanhope Street (at the south end of Nile Street). It was common for builders create their own simple designs without an architect being engaged, so the east side of Nile Street may have been the result of an informal agreement.
The lease for No. 2 states that the house is to be built with the "..front thence of against Nile Street in every respect agreeably to the Elevation, Plan and design of the said Richard Bowsher and which elevation is more particularly described in the plan drawn in the margin.." This house, which is at the centre of the street, has a taller facade with the attic storey brought forward, matching the style of Norfolk Crescent, but more plain. Interestingly, the house itself does not precisely match the design in the lease. The door, instead of being central with a window either side of it, is on the left hand side of the house. It was not uncommon for builders to ignore or alter the plans they were given, which is probably what happened in this case.
Bombing and Post-War Development
In 1942 during the blitzBaedeker Blitz
The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of Vergeltungsangriffe by the German air force on English cities in response to the bombing of the erstwhile Hanseatic League city of Lübeck during the night from 28 to 29 March 1942 during World War II.-Background:Lübeck was bombed on the night...
several incendiary bombs
Incendiary device
Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices or incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus....
fell in the area of Nile Street. No. 4 Nile Street and No. 1 St Georges Place were gutted, as were the houses on the north side of Great Stanhope Street, including No. 15, on the corner with Nile Street. The Great Stanhope Street houses were rebuilt as a block of flats (called Clarkson House) with a facade replicating the original houses in the 1980s. On the west side of Nile Street, the gutted houses were cleared and replaced by a filling station
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
in the 1960s, which was later occupied by a convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
. In 2010-11 the site was redeveloped as a house on the site of No. 4 Nile Street and a shop on the corner with St Georges Place. These new buildings were designed to have a very similar appearance to the pre-war houses.