Post 15) Coming soon........

The beautiful Dutch House of 1676-1940, 27 feet square and 5 storeys, 45 feet high plus 4 foot wooden balustraded parapet and rooftop annex. It was the Castle Bank in the 1820s, exposed timber framing with limewash plaster panels, and casement windows. Bombed 1940 and pulled down as unsafe by sappers. There are plans to rebuild it, but the often mentioned derelict bank of england complex on the corner of high street is nowhere near the site of the dutch house, being some 130 feet away thanks to high street being widened to 4 times its original width in 1962/3.

Post 14) Italianate Beauty

George Townesend completed the rebuilding of All saints Church tower in Corn Street in 1717. The coursed Bath stone rubble and ashlar tower rises 88 feet, capped by an Italianate balustraded parapet, with octagonal lantern. 8 pairs of  corinthian shafts support arches which in turn support a great moulded cornice which is surmounted by Luke Henwoods great plain dome, ball finial and golden cross of 1807. 

As city surveyor, he replaced the original bell shaped dome of 1717. The upper lantern-dome stage is 50 feet high, making 138 feet in all to the cross. Work in progress.

Post 13) Christ Church

The medieval Christ Church in Broad Street, City, with its 140 foot spire at the east end of the Church was completely taken down and this new Church with 160 foot west spire was built between 1786 and 1790. This is Walter Ison's 1950 book endpapers digital trace coming together nicely. The tower was symmetrical. Further triangulating of elevation data comes from my telephoto zooms from the top of St Stephens and the university complex, along with site measurements and as always the trusty 1885 Ordnance Survey 1:500 city maps

Post 12) The High Cross roads from the roof of the Dutch House (Castle Bank)

This is the 1823 view, (work in progress) from the flat roof of the Dutch House, 45 feet above the High Street, Wine Street, Broad Street and Corn Street crossroads, showing the second Council house of 1704. It had a frontage of 55 feet along Corn Street and 30 feet on the Broad Street return and 47 feet high.

Behind is a “holding model” for St Ewens, with its 73 foot tower. The Council house was angled back from Corn Street, just like the present old (third) Council House of 1828, as it was parallel and butting onto the nave of St Ewens, which was perpendicular to Broad Street.

 Walter Ison's 1950 drawing is here shown, half traced then details are being projected onto the box and then fleshed out. Additional information comes from the 1742 All Saints Parish plan, the watercolours of Edward Cashin, Hugh O'Neill (2) and James Johnson along with the 1795 and 1823 building plans.

Wideangle.

Post 11) St Ewen's Church Tower

This is the work in progress of St Ewen’s church tower, 15 feet square and 73 feet high. The church was on the corner of Broad Street and Corn Street at the very summit and heart of the medieval city, behind the 1704 Council House.

It’s main aisle was around 66 x 20 feet with a great east window facing onto the street opposite the door to Christ Church. The tower, shown here full height was modified, along with the nave into a council repository when the church closed following dwindling parishioners, the upper stage of the tower being removed. The whole site and  1704 Council House, was cleared in 1824 to build the much larger present old council house (Registrar’s Office) finished in 1828.