This was all a clear mark of favour from the monarch (ordained Queen in 1702) she drew in court circles, followed by the other higher society.
The sudden increase in popularity was welcomed by Innkeepers but it was also recognised that Bath was ill equipped. There was not sufficient housing; the streets were littered with vagrants and vermin; and the roads into Bath were unstable; there was a lack of entertainment. But despite this, the numbers kept increasing! Bath seemed to be too fashionable for its own good; there were numerous factors, one of which was the Spa Waters; its healing powers were, of course, known to the nation because of Queen Annes visits and favour towards them.
However, the inadequate housing, roads, etc still remained but these problems were folded to an extent by influential residents of the time. A man by the name of Richard ‘Beau’ Nash arrived in Bath in 1705 after hearing of the new citys popularity, and leisurely activities such as gambling. He was a successful gambler in Bath, and soon befriended the Master of Ceremonies, Captain Webmaster. When he died in a duel, he was the obvious choice of replacement. Soon enough, he became the main influence of the development of Bath.
He made drastic changes to the way Bath was run and the way it was upheld, such as…
- Roads were repaired, encouraging more people into the city and making transport easier; night watchmen were employed to make Bath a safer, more crime free place, thus reassuring visitors, making their stay and trips to leisurely activities such as balls in the evening, more pleasant and safe.
- Streets were to be kept clean, and vagrants banished, and swords and duelling forbidden.
- One of the very dramatic steps he took was his publication ‘code of behaviour’ which he expected everybody to follow. This was a huge attraction to the higher society- this influenced Bath in the fact that it was a pleasant place to be- everybody was polite and courteous to one another.
- He was also a great fundraiser; he arranged for many famous buildings to be built (amongst other things) including the mineral hospital.
Linked in with the previous point were the great building prospects in Bath. The architecture became beauteous, admirable and grand, and the resources for this, was readily and easily available.
One of the most influential citizens in this was John Wood. He was the son of a builder and had an acquired repuation for being one of the best neo-classical architects there were. When he came back to Bath in 1727, he recognised the potential, for this new fashionable city (he said he dreamt of the city being “the British Rome”) He quickly prepared plans as he saw the need for accommodation and lodging houses “in the season” in this popular city.
His style of architecture was inspired by Andrea Palladio (see bottom of page 3 and top of page 4 for more information on this) The buildings, themselves, were built using the Bath stone- a white, stunning new material- that was, indeed, the limestone from Ralph Allens quarries. He had invested in the quarries after making profit from changes he made in the postal service. Ralph Allen had to be described as one of Baths great Entrepreneurs; he asked John Wood to design and build Prior Park to show off the grandeur and durability of the stone. Although the project was abandoned by John Wood, it was still completed to Woods plans by Richard Jones.
As well as supplying the city with stone to build such places as lodging houses, to add to the cities popularity, he also funded building projects as he was a generous man, and was famous for hosting prestigious famous persons of the time. Such as Thomas Gainsbrough, actors like James Quinn, and novelists such as Samuel Richardson and Henry Fielding (The poet Alexander Pope even married his niece!) Thus, Ralph Allen was one for bringing in the famous ‘VIPs’ of the day; thus drawing more attention to the sheer fashion of Bath. One visitor, a writer, Jonathan Swift, said ‘Everyone is coming to Bath!’ which simply demonstrates the popularity between the rich and famous. This, links into our main question (‘Why was the Royal Crescent Built?’)
The Royal crescent was, of course, built to be a lodging house where people would stay in Bath during ‘the season’ It was built to be expensive, lavish and to impress, for all the famous visitors which stayed, which people like Ralph Allen, Queen Anne, and Beau Nash drew in! (as you can see by all these names; they are all tied into one another, in some form or another!)
However, the Crescent itself was built and designed by the famous John Wood the Younger- it was a truly unique idea, and had been decided to be built on a site within walking distance of the Circus (a full row of grand houses in a circle – see picture on right) This site was chosen for numerous factors; there was a large amount of common land in front of the site. This meant it could not be built on and the land would remain untouched- subsequently the view would remain beauteous. It was also up on a slight hill- giving flattering views. All these gave the illusion that the houses were in beauteous countryside, which was a popular aspect of a house at the time, but was also within walking distance of the busy city- which was of course the main reasons why people were coming to Bath.
Bath was also expanding in that direction, as such.
Please unfold Map shown below to see the highlighted areas of building expansion in 18th Century Bath.
The crescent, itself took from 1767 – 1774 to build. It was built in Baths ‘signature style’ of John Wood, which was inspired by Andrea Palladio. This style was described as neo-classical – same as the classicism used in Rome. He used theorem of symmetry and proportion and used grandeur seen in the Italian Renaissance. This made the house look grand in comparison to the dark, ‘make-do’ architecture of the Middle Ages. It was also built using Bath Stone (from Ralph Allens quarries. A direct link to local factors) and this added to the grand appearance of the house, as the whiteness created a “radiant” affect in the autumnal light (which was caught incredible well as it was pacifically built South facing, thus catching the Sun all day long!)
However, the actual shape of the crescent could have been for numerous factors; one of the rumoured factors was John Wood the elders fascination of druid beliefs. It has been speculated that his beliefs may have been passed down to his son, and that the druid ‘Temple of the Moon’ (which was once situated near Stone Henge) was reconstructed in the building of the Crescent and the Circus (see diagram to your left) in the shape of a moon (crescent) and sun (circus) However, a more logical reason might have been the financial aspect, as the circus has been unable to continue originally due to debt, and he wanted to create something equally as stunning, and grand, but less expensive.
The crescent would have been expensive lodgings. The interiors would have been equally as grand as the exterior; there were distinct furnishings, which were fashionable at the time, and the royal crescent would have been fitted to these briefs without hesitation. There were expensive furnishings; John Wood himself tells us that oak tables, chair and chests of drawers were exchanged for ones made of mahogany or walnut tree. So many people wanted new furniture for their drawing rooms and dining rooms and sometimes the best bedrooms as well, that many cabinet-makers were very busy. There were more than 150 in London alone! There may have also been other exotic furnishings from other countries; this was because of the increase in recent increase Trade (a national factor) Adventurous travellers from the time brought to England esquisite chine, wallpapers, and new ideas from the orient- Before long, wealthy households had at least one or two pieces of ‘Chinese’ furniture, which may have been made by local craftsmen and elaborately carved with bells, temples or delicate lattice work, imitating the curious angular look of genuine imported pieces, or of course, imported pieces themselves. The crescent has proof of the use of the new imported goods as the walls had silk wallpaper!
Other places such as Beaufort Square, and Queens Square were also built during this era to not only accomodate those who stayed in the season, but those who lived in Bath, which was evermore increasing because of 3 main points. One of which was the national rise of population (as stated on page 1), and of course Baths new found popularity in itself, but perhaps one of the crucial factors was the new employers, which were once farm workers, who came to Bath to work. This was because of the recent national changes in agriculture from the industrial revolution. (‘The Industrial Revolution’ was the beginning of all the changes which created modern society; this involved changes in agriculture, industry, transport, population, society and leisure) As agriculture became more commercialised because of improvement in tools etc, farm workers who had lived off the land, which no longer needed to be used, were thrown off and forced to go elsewhere to find work, and they often went to towns and cities, such as Bath!
The Industrial Revolution was a highly influential part of Baths popularity. For instance; Bath was near Bristol, a popular trading port. Fashionable new goods were brought in easily (as stated on page 4) Two other national factors also linked in with this. The recent growth of transport and trade had risen hugely! Bath was so accessible through the River Avon (which was also used for the exportation of Bath Stone) the newly built roads by Beau Nash, and the railway, the revolutions in transport were a good asset for Bath as it brought even more people, and new fashionable things into the town! There was also of course the other national factures such as the increase mechanisation of industry, which enabled the production of items to be faster and more reliable than ever before, thus Society greatly benefited from this. People who weren’t landowners could now make money, and the wealth amongst society rocketed. And as this increased, the demand for leisure and luxuries were increased, and the increase of industry could help with this. Leisure became more of a part of every day life also; as labour for food (agriculture) and the production of products (industry) and the trade and transport of it was becoming increasingly easier, this meant there was more time to relax- Bath being the perfect place for this!
It was very complexed, as you have read; all the factors, some more important than others, contributed to one another and came together to make Bath the fashionable place it was in the 18th century, which resulted in the building of the Royal Crescent. I think that the first visits from Queen Anne were fairly important in starting the popularity of Bath, as she was the first strictly royal ‘VIP’ of the time who came to Bath, and then brought higher society with her. I also believe that another great factor that affected Bath, was its location. For this was close to Bristol, a trading port, which brought in new fashions, and was an en-route holiday destination! However, I must finally state the answer to my question…
‘Why was the Royal Crescent Built?’
It was built for lodging houses in the 18th century, when Bath blossomed into being a fashionable holiday city where the rich and famous would come for leisure during ‘the season’ (Early September – Late November). Baths popularity are a mixture of factors of National and Local reasonings which I have explained in this essay.
