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…two walls, perhaps thirty feet asunder…   Written by Rae (10/20/2008 3:41 a.m.)
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JA’s choice of Camden-place (now known as Camden Crescent) for Sir Walter and Elizabeth is not neutral. There is an interesting story attached to the crescent, which was started in the 1780s:

On this site, with its magnificent airy prospect, the promoters intended to build a great crescent with wings, forming Upper Camden Place, having before it a large garden sloping towards a terrace of houses, and Lower Camden Place, forming a tangent to the crescent. The site was cleared and leveled at considerable expense and rapid progress had been made with the building of the upper crescent, when a series of alarming landslips brought the work to a standstill. That part of the building which was sited on solid rock was completed but no further progress was made with the remaining houses, which were eventually demolished.
Ison, W (1980)The Georgian Buildings of Bath, 162-163

Here is view of Bath from Beechen Cliff, showing the commanding position Camden-place had, but also showing where it collapsed at one end because of inadequate foundations.

Here is a close up on what would have been the centre of the crescent – is one of these undoubtedly the best in Camden-place? For the architectural purists among us note the solecism of placing a pillar where there should be a space, centrally in the pediment! This is to accommodate two houses rather than one;-)

So, it is very handsome, looks down on most of the rest of the town, but is built on shaky foundations and has an erroneous application of formal rules at its heart. Remind us of anyone?

And if anyone has a spare £1.35m for two walls, perhaps thirty feet asunder, you could always buy this house on Camden Crescent ;-)


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