5 minute read

Windows and things

from The Bath Magazine May 2023

from The Bath Magazine May 2023, page 70

Heaven scent

This month’s walk by Kirsten Elliott is focused on the architecture of the city centre –specifically on windows and some of the other endlessly varied external details of Bath’s buildings. It’s a short but intense wander that might make you look differently at windows, panes and glazing bars.

This short but informationpacked walk introduces you to little details in Bath’s buildings which are often overlooked. Windows, coal-holes, drainpipes and the width of glazing bars have their own history. After you finish this route, you will be ready to identify similar examples elsewhere in the city. The walk begins by the obelisk in Queen Square.

Windows were originally simple holes to let smells and smoke out and fresh air in. After a time they became integral to architectural design, especially in grand houses. As glass-making became more sophisticated, allowing larger sheets of glass to be made, the proportions and size of the panes influenced the proportions of the windows and the buildings. Fashions in windows changed, especially the glazing bars – the pieces of wood which hold the panes in place. They became slimmer and more elegant. In addition, windows became larger.

Head over towards the gateway on the east side of Queen Square. Opposite is No 3. Its windows and even the whole house look narrower than its neighbours – but they are exactly the same width. This optical illusion is due to the lengthened windows and the removal of glazing bars, which has destroyed the proportions of the whole building. In the years following 1836, when the invention of patent plate glass meant it was easy to make large panes of glass, it became the fashion to remove Georgian glazing bars, and cut down through the sill band, the narrow course of stone which jutted out below each window to form the sill.

Turn left along the path and head up to the north side – the square’s grandest façade. These windows have also been lengthened. The first-floor windows once had stone balustrades beneath them which have been lost.

Turn left again to look at the west side. The central block is a hundred years later than the two end buildings so its long windows are original. But look at the buildings at each end. Again, windows have been lengthened, and this time they have cut through into the rustication – the stone carved to look like blocks on the ground floor. Notice how, when the windows were lengthened, an extra piece had to be added to the bottom of the internal shutters. Over the windows, the blocks set on edge like wedges are called voussoirs, the central ones being called the keystones. This construction creates a flat arch which is much stronger than a plain lintel. However over the central windows and doorways the rustication was used as a relieving arch – so called because it relieves stress. This gave the architect, John Wood, the chance to experiment with large flat stones placed in the arch. Unfortunately, the experiment failed –nearly all have cracked.

Leave the square via the exit on the south side and cross to Princes Street. At the top of the street, you will see that there are blind windows. These are nothing to do with window tax. The Georgians were obsessed with symmetry and good taste. Left as a blank wall, this would not have looked right. The false windows hide fireplaces and staircases. However, at a later date, a long window was inserted into the house on the east side.

On your right you will see a building with a large ghost sign for Shepherds Hall. Just to the left of the sign, you can see the original drainpipe. Made of lead, with large flanges holding it to the wall, it appears very different from the later iron ones. At the bottom of the street is a shop window which sticks out from the building. This is called a flying bay. At the top there is a deep groove into which shutters were slotted at night to protect the windows. They rested on the wide sill at the base.

Turn left into Beaufort Square. The houses on your left have a variety of windows. Some have nine panes in each half of the sash (known as nine over nine) with thick glazing bars, showing that they are early and have the decorative architraves framing them. However, they have been cut away to allow more light. At others, the windows have been moved close together. A change in regulations in 1747 stated that windows less than 12 inches apart counted as one window, so these were altered to be less than 12 inches, thus avoiding tax. Some kept the old frames –others inserted new sashes with six over six frames. Several have a little hinged gadget. The counterweight in the frame should perfectly balance the window, but sometimes it didn’t. These little hinges would hold the top sash in place when closed and, if folded down, allowed the sash to be opened safely as far as the hinge. Head straight on, across Barton Street, to the far end of Trim Street. Here the road is paved with stone setts. In amongst them you will see square metal covers over the old coal holes, which allowed coal to be tipped straight into the cellars below. One still has the original stone cover. Retrace your footsteps and turn right into Queen Street. Ignore the first shop window on your left which is a good 20th-century fake. It even has a shutter slot. However, a photograph from around 1904 shows it did not then exist. The other shop windows further up the street are some of the earliest in Bath. They have no fascia boards with shop names so must have had hanging signs. As such signs were banned in Bath in 1767, we know these shops are earlier.

Turn right at Quiet Street, cross Milsom Street and go into Green Street. When this street was built in the early 18th century, many builders did not understand about the newly fashionable Palladian architecture. They were still building houses with gables – you can see these on the right-hand side. The builders had, however, acquired pictures of Palladian details. At No. 14, the builder filled the narrow frontage with windows decorated with architraves, pediments, and keystones. Sadly, he did not understand the importance of proportion so the façade is rather muddled.

Head left up Broad Street, cross at the lights, turn left and walk along the high pavement as far as Miles’s Buildings. Make a short detour here to notice how many triple – or Venetian – windows there are. The mullions are less than 12 inches wide so they counted as one window for tax. Retrace your steps, turn right and head to the end. As you reach Gay Street, you will see a house with its glazing bars restored. Notice how much slimmer they are than the early ones in Beaufort Square. Cross Gay Street, turn left and then right into Queen’s Parade Place. Look through the first gateway to the left and see how the backs of the houses were not constructed of ashlar blocks but built of cheaper rubble stone. However, this was often hidden by lime render – you can see the space left for it between the corner stones and the rubble wall on the leftmost end of the building. If you continue on to the little shelters – sedan chairmen’s rests – you can see that these too were once rendered. At the end turn left again and head back down to your starting point in Queen Square.

There are many more intriguing details to look out for as you walk round Bath – too many to include in this walk. But the purpose of this trail is to encourage you to look at the city with new eyes.