Royal Crescent, Bath

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Designed by John Wood II (1767-75), the Royal Crescent is comprised of thirty houses, shaped like a half-Colosseum, which uses a gigantic series of Ionic columns on high bases.

The famous travel writer Jan Morris once wrote about The Royal Crescent, "It lies there in a shallow arc, its wide Lawns running away beyond the Ha-ha down the hill below, and all is suddenly space, and green, and leisure. The Crescent is architecture on a truly palatial scale and reminds many people of Versailles". (Introduction to Bath: An Architectural Guide, by Charles Robertson, 1975).

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One of the places I wanted to see was the Royal Crescent - a sweep of houses in a crescent shape. The buildings are all alike made of the honey coloured stone of the area, but the owners have shown their indivduality in the paintwork.
Another similar street is the Circus, a street around a central leafy circular area.
I could picture the young girls stepping out to visit the pump rooms dressed in their finery, and dreaming of meeting a rich , and maybe titled, Mr Right.

The Royal Crescent was built between 1767 and 1775 to the design of John Wood the Younger. It forms a semi-ellipse of thirty Grade I listed houses arranged around a great Lawn., which runs down the hill below. It provides space, and green where people can relax and take their leisure. The whole design was a new concept in architecture at the time.
Now many of these elegant homes have been turned into apartments, and some form the Royal Crescent Hotel. No.1 has become a Georgian House museum.

Probably the most famous group of buildings in Bath, the royal crescent is a truly magnificent group of houses with Georgian architecture. In front of the houses is a nice park / garden which is great for relaxing or playing a bit of football in in the summer.

The houses were designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and finished in 1774.

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The Royal Crescent is possibly the best known of Bath’s elegant Georgian Streets and its most striking. The harmonious parade of 30 houses was designed by the architect John Wood the Younger and built between 1767 and 1774.

Today most of the houses are privately owned, and many of them broken into flats, but the harmonious appearance is retained, and the views out across Royal Victoria Park must make this one of the most desirable addresses in the city. The central few houses are however a hotel, if you fancy a taste of this exclusivity (at a high price, I imagine, and Number 1 (the first house you come to if approaching from the city centre and Circus) is a museum, maintained by the Bath Preservation Trust, which illustrates how wealthy owners of the period might have furnished and lived in such a house. I didn’t go inside on this occasion, as my time was limited and I had been before, but I remember it as offering a great introduction to life in Georgian and Regency times.

When you buy your ticket there are different options: The Passport which gives access to all the attractions and costs £22. It can be used again if you did not complete all the activities on offer within the same year.
At the entrance there are picnic tables and toilets. As you are not allowed to get out of your car until completing the safari, take advantage of the toilet facilities now.
When driving around the park, beware of the monkeys. They jump on cars, can break the aerial of the car, or play with the wind screen wipers. It's fun watching the mayhem being done on someone else's car, but unbeknown to you, there may be a little mischief at work on your own! This happened to us.
Children like to feed the deer and some can even be tame enough to come up to the open window and take the food from your hand. Cups of dried pellets can be bought for £1. Remember to wipe your hands thoroughly as soon as possible. A packet of wet wipes would be useful.

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Royal Crescent was built between 1767 and 1775, numbering 30 houses built in the trademark honey stone of Bath with a facade of columns. In front of the crescent is a grass area which now extends into Victoria Park. The houses are still as fashionable today as they were then.

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We walked to the Royal Crescent at about 6:30 am to view and take pictures of it with no people around.

This is a set of 30 houses arranged in a crescent and is about 250 years old. Most of the residences are privately owned, but there is a museum at 1 Royal Crescent (that shows how wealthy owners of the period may have furnished their home). It is also listed as the best example of Georgian architecture in the United Kingdom. The Royal Crescent Hotel is in the very center of the Crescent, but since it was early, we skipped stepping inside for a quick peek.

Built between 1767 and 1775, there are 30 houses in the Royal Crescent - the properties are occupied, many seem to have been split into apartments, but No.1 is a museum (see website below). Wandering along the crescent it's easy to imagine what it must have been like to live here in the late 1700's when horse-drawn carriages would have taken residents into Bath centre.