THE ROYAL CRESCENTThe grandest of Bath's many Georgian crescents, the Royal Crescent was built by John Wood the Younger between 1767 and 1774. |
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| It consists of thirty
elegant mansions of freestone, uniformly built. Columns of the Ionic order, rising from a
rustic basement, support the superior cornice, and the stately fronts of the houses at
each end, add greatly to the general effect. |
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| No 1 Royal Crescent, which you can
just see on the right in this eighteenth century oil above, has been authentically
restored, providing a perfect setting for a museum collection of Chippendale, Sheraton and
Hepplewhite furniture and for porcelain and 18th century glassware. |
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| The Royal Crescent also commands
impressive views over the Royal Victoria Park. The
Park includes many things of interest including Lawn Bowls and Tennis Courts, a children's
adventure playground, and the Botanical Gardens. Perhaps the best time to see the Crescent, indeed to see Bath, is during the official opening of the Bath Festival, during which each window of the crescent is illuminated by a single candle flame, providing a romantic backdrop to the enormous celebratory party held on the green below. |
