Bath is one of the country’s most well recognised cities for historic and memorable architecture. The city attracts a huge number of tourists year on year. Due to such architectural history, Bath was made a World Heritage Site in 1987. It is the only city in the country to receive World Heritage Status boosting its popularity as a tourist destination.
There are many locations throughout the city that feature many different eras of architecture, from Roman and Celtic, to the dominant Georgian and Regency House styles. The city features many reputable and famous buildings such as the Roman Baths, Bath Abbey, Theatre Royal and No. 1 Royal Crescent.
The centre of the city features a deep Palladian revival style, which was most popular during the early 18th century. Many notable buildings in Bath featuring this style involve architecture designed by John Wood the Elder and John Wood the Younger; an example of their work is one of Bath’s most recognised sites the Circus, consisting of three long, curved terraces.
Many of the buildings built during this time used the local golden-coloured Bath stone, sourced from the limestone quarries Combe Down and Bathampton Down. Both of these quarries were owned by Ralph Allen (entrepreneur and philanthropist 1693-1764), who then commissioned John Wood the Elder to design his country house at Priory Park, enabling him to show the aesthetics and properties of the Bath stone.
With these architectural styles during both early and late Georgian periods, as well as Regency House styles, came many variations of sash and casement windows. While sash windows in particular were very popular, amendments to fire regulations at the time led to changes in their design and improvements in craftsmanship. Early examples were usually flush and exposed against the brick. However, once new regulations had been implemented in 1709, these required the outer sash boxes to be set back 4 inches. This was then changed once more in 1774, requiring the outer boxes to be recessed behind the brickwork, all in an effort to stop the spread of fire across the front of the building. For the same reason these regulations also identified wooden decorative work, which was banned completely.
Other design changes that involve period windows can include the thickness of the glazing bars. As the years progressed during the 18th Century, these bars became thinner and thinner, and often had to be supported with metal rods. It’s these design features and subtle changes throughout the period that the local specialists at JoineryWorkshop.com aim to identify and repair sympathetically. Should you live in or around Bath and require our speciality services please feel free to enquire about how JoineryWorkshop.com can help maintain the traditional look and feel of your property.