Bath time

The launch of two striking period houses bring further appeal to the Regency city

- Carla Passino

THE instructions were peremptory: the builder of York Place, a Georgian house in Bath’s Richmond Road, was to complete it by 1794 and spend ‘no less than £300’ on the works. Although today’s equivalent (about £42,000) wouldn’t cover a small bungalow, a quick trawl through the National Archives shows that, at the time, it would have paid for about 2,000 days of skilled tradesmen’s work. The reason for the owner’s lavish disposition, explains Alistair Heather of Savills, is that York Place, now for sale through Savills (01225 474500) and Knight Frank (01225 805228) at an asking price of £3.95 million, ‘was to be a real signature house’.

It remains so today, thanks not only to its elegant architecture, but also to the extraordinary setting—even the entry for its Grade II listing notes the commanding hilltop position on the city’s northern fringes. Incidentally, the listing dates the house as early 19th century, a few years after the 1794 deadline, suggesting schedule creep may have been as much an issue in Georgian times as it is today.

For both Mr Heather and Charlie Taylor of Knight Frank, the most striking feature of the 7,309sq ft property is the beautiful garden, which, at about an acre, is a rare find in any urban home and particularly so in Bath. The interior makes the most of the views, whether from the elegant entrance hall or the first-floor drawing-room, which has floor-to-ceiling windows. The house also has a sitting room and a formal dining room on the ground floor, featuring fine fireplaces and elegant cornicing, plus a bright kitchen/ breakfast room with Aga and a large orangery.