Use of Bath Stone as a building stone.
It was extensively
used in the Roman and Medieval periods on domestic, ecclesiastical and
civil engineering projects such as bridges.
Ralph Allen promoted
its use in Bath in the early 18th century, including his own mansion at
Prior Park, but it was used long before then. Examples include
religious, residential and industrial buildings. The Royal National
Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, which was founded in 1738 was designed
by John Wood the Elder was built with Bath stone donated by Ralph Allen.
It is a Grade II listed building. There is a fine pediment, in Bath
stone, on the building depicting the parable of the good Samaritan.
St Stephens church
situated on Lansdown Hill in Bath was constructed from a limestone
sourced from the Limpley Stoke mine which is situated in the Limpley
Stoke Valley. It has recently been restored.
The material has
also been used widely outside Bath itself. Claverton Pumping Station at
Claverton which was built of Bath Stone around 1810, pumps water from
the River Avon to the Kennet and Avon Canal using power from the flow of
the River Avon. The stone was also used for the Dundas Aqueduct, which
is 150 yards (137.2 m) long with three arches built of Bath Stone, with
Doric pilasters, and balustrades at each end.
Much of Bristol
Cathedral was built of Bath Stone and the Wills Tower, which is the
dominant feature of the Wills Memorial Building, is reinforced concrete
faced with Bath and Clipsham stone. Bristol's Cabot Tower was also faced
with Bath Stone. Arno's Court Triumphal Arch was built from Bath stone
around 1760 and later dismantled before being moved to its current
location and rebuilt.
Bath Stone was also
favoured by architect Hans Price who designed much of 19th century
Weston-super-Mare.
In London the
neo-classical Georgian mansion Lancaster House was built from Bath Stone
in 1825 for the Duke of York and Albany, the second son of King George
III. The brick of Apsley House was fronted with Bath Stone, and several
churches including Church of Christ the King, Bloomsbury were built from
the material. Apsley House, town house of the Dukes of Wellington, was
remodelled in Bath Stone by the 1st Duke; this is still visible today.
In Barnstable the 1855 construction of Butchers Row used Bath Stone.
In Reading the
original building Royal Berkshire Hospital of 1839, together with the
wings added in the 1860s, are now listed grade II* by English Heritage.
They are built of Bath Stone with slate roofs, and the main building
comprises 2 storeys and a basement. The frontage has 11 bays, with the
central 7 bays forming a projecting pedimented hexastyle portico with
Ionic columns.[7] In 1860 the nearby Reading railway station building,
in Bath Stone and incorporating a tower and clock, was constructed for
the Great Western Railway, who also used it for Chippenham railway
station.
Other mansions which have used Bath Stone
include: Gatcombe Park, Goldney Hall, Tyntesfield, South Hill Park,
Spetchley Park.
In 2002 the East End of Truro Cathedral was
completely renovated and restored with some of the ornate Bath stone
replaced with harder wearing Syerford stone. In 2005 the West Front was
restored similarly. Both projects were supervised by MRDA Architects of
London, the Cathedral architects.
Bath Stone Reclamation supply reclaimed
building materials in Bath. Bath Stone Reclamation buy Bath Stone for
cash and supply reclaimed and restored Bath Stone.