Details
656-1/38/1998
05/08/75
PRIOR PARK, Combe Down
The Gymnasium to north of North Road
II*
Open air ball-court or gymnasium and fives court. c1840, associated with foundation of Prior Park College by Bishop Baines, with Rev. James Baines, Bishop's nephew, as patron, and HE Goodridge as architect .
PLAN: Built into a quarry, with the main level below that of adjacent terrace tennis courts.
EXTERIOR: Long narrow two storey range faces into large courtyard with high boundary walls, and higher fives wall on east side. Single storey elevation to west has central Palladian opening, flanked by severe rectangular opening wide spaced each side, and a small door extreme right, to staircase giving to roof terrace. Slight plinth, bold platband cornice, blocking course and parapet, these continued to all fronts. In short north return blocked opening. Interior face has row of thirteen arches with impost band, two and twelve being blind, above colonnade of twelve bold Tuscan columns with end responds. Between levels full width recessed panel, and arch impost band continues as coping to long side walls, plain ashlar block to bold coping, on south side wall badly broken along much of length, and on north side has been cut down to higher earth level, with drop of approx 2.5m to courtyard level. East wall rises to approx 5.75m with heavy square coping, side walls being swept up on either side, and lower centred dividing wall, stopped to square pier, also swept up to rear wall. Outer face of east wall has random series of putlog holes.
INTERIOR: Lower floor of pavilion has barrel vault, remaining only in part and screens of two columns at each end, and upper floor had three rooms, finely cut barrel vaults remaining, under terrace roof, with iron stair balustrade at south end. Building in poor state and unused at time of survey.
HISTORY: A highly unusual structure, of dramatic scale and massiveness, which displays the scope of Bishop Baines's vision for the new Catholic college. Among the most grandiose, if unfinished- of rackets courts, it was abandoned and used in later C19 as poultry yard. Its imposingly austere masonry is readily sensed: it is a stylistic fusion of Wood's Palladianism and French-inspired neoclassicism.
SOURCES: Clarke G: Prior Park: A Compleat Landscape: Bath: 1987-: 68, 75.
Listing NGR: ST7641462866
