A lovely November morning in Bath, I decided to visit the Royal Crescent. I first stopped at the Bath Bun at the Abbey Green to try out the famous Bath bun, which was created by Dr. Oliver for his patients in 1761.
After having my sugar fix for the day, I made my way over to the Royal Crescent. Admiring the row of terraced houses from the green, I turned to No 1 Royal Crescent, the first of the houses to be built on the row.
No 1 Royal Crescent has had various occupants starting with a wealthy landowner, Mr. Henry Sandford, who lived at the house from 1776 – 1796. At one point in its history, the house was a seminary for young ladies. The Bath Preservation Trust is currently responsible for conserving the house and it is now a house museum decorated and furnished as it would have been during Sandford’s residence at the house.
My tour of the house started in the morning parlour on the ground floor. The parlour had been laid out for breakfast. The residents of the house would have had their breakfast in this room, before having the table folded away to receive callers during the day.
The study was my favourite room in the house. Especially with that telescope, writing desk and large chair, among the many interesting objects in the room. However, if I had visited the house in the 18th century, I would not have been able to see this room because it was the Gentleman’s retreat and according to the museum website “a sanctuary where a cultured Georgian might indulge his interests in science, inventions and the natural world”.
The room on the other side of the ground floor was the formal dining room, which was usually opened when having guests over for dinner.
Climbing the stairs to the first floor, I came across another set of two rooms. I walked into the room above the dining room which was called the ‘Withdrawing room’ where the ladies withdrew after dinner to have tea and play some music on the harpsichord.
Across the floor was the lady’s bedroom, which was decorated in a soothing pastel and floral design.
On the second floor was the Gentleman’s bedroom which had furniture by George Hepplewhite, one of the leading furniture makers of that time.
The best feature of the Gentleman’s bedroom was the lovely view of the Crescent.
Using the stairs, I walked back down to the ground floor and further to the basement area. The kitchen passage lined with jars led to the kitchen and scullery.
It was interesting to see the kitchen equipment and utensils that had been in use. Meat and other perishable food was kept cool in the meat safe in the scullery, which was basically a cupboard away from the heat of the open range stove in the kitchen.
Two other rooms in the basement were the servants’ hall and the housekeeper’s room. Though sparsely furnished, the housekeeper had some privacy while she sorted out the bills and household requirements.
The visit to No 1 Royal Crescent provided a lovely insight to how a wealthy resident in Bath would have lived in the 18th century. The house museum is definitely a must see during one’s visit to Bath.
Disclaimer: The Bath Tourism Office kindly gave me a complimentary pass to Bath and regional attractions, for the purpose of this post. This pass allowed me free entry to No 1 Royal Crescent. All opinions are my own and I only recommend experiences I have enjoyed.
[I am linking this post to City Tripping #58 and Faraway Files #15]
Perspectives Quilt 
I’ve walked past it!:) loved Bath! I did the Roman baths of course, and the Jane Austen center:) ps.happy 2017! #citytripping
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I loved Bath. Felt like I needed to revisit it again. Wish you happy 2017 as well, Tanja!
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I love kinds these period houses and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t know about this one when I visited Bath a few years ago! Oh well, I guess I know for next time now. Your pictures are gorgeous though, so I almost feel like I’ve been. #citytripping
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Thank you, Kat! I am sure you would enjoy visiting the house during your next visit to Bath.
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I’ve had the chance to visit London a few times but we haven’t made it out to Bath. I’ve heard so many things about it and love your photos of the decor in the Royal Crescent. I’d so love to sit and have tea from that pretty service!! I’m sure the food would taste wonderful as it is just so pretty! The kids are chomping at the bit to get to England and hopefully we’ll be there soon. We love traveling with the kids and showing them the world!
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I am sure your kids and you would love visiting Bath, Natalie. There is a lot to see and do in and around Bath.
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Love reading your adventures 😊
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Thank you! 🙂
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Bath is so pretty- although I realised I’ve never had a Bath bun there! Lovely to see inside one of the crescent houses too, as elegant as you’d expect. Thanks for linking up with #citytripping
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The Royal Crescent was one of my favourites in Bath. After visiting the house at No 1, I had initially planned to visit the Dower House restaurant at the Royal Crescent hotel but opted not to, after visiting the Bath Bun tearooms.
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It looks so affluent, even now. I think it’s the very grand looking beds! I’ve only passed through Bath on the train so I think I need to change that this year.
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I agree. I think the museum authorities have done a great job furnishing the house with authentic furniture from the late 18th century and maintaining it very well.
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Looks like we missed something great! I wish we had had more time there than just a few hours to explore! Love touring old historic houses! Happy New Year! #CityTripping
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Thank you, Lorelei. You will surely love No 1 Royal Crescent!
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Fascinating to see inside one of these majestic houses and step back in time. Bath is such a pretty city. I’m a big fan. #citytripping
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Bath is indeed a pretty city and every street filled with lots of great places to experience. I enjoyed my visit very much.
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I had a very quick visit to Bath for lunch last year but other than that, it’s many years since I saw the city properly – it really is quite beautiful.
I love the sign dissuading people from peering in the window!
#citytripping
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Yes, that sign drew me as well 🙂 Bath does have lots of lovely cafes and restaurants, doesn’t it? I had made a list of places I might want to try out and managed to try some of them and the ones I tried met my expectations.
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I used to work in Bath, but never went inside any of the Royal Crescent houses. I’m impressed at how well preserved no. 1 is inside. It really is a beautiful place – I’d have loved to live there! #citytripping
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I do agree No 1 house has been very well preserved and it is one of my favourite museums in Bath.
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Of course, the men get all the fancy science equipment while the women are encouraged to drink tea. *sigh* At least the men had to climb one floor higher to sleep! 😉
This house looks lovely and like it was a lot of fun to explore. I’d love to see it at some point in the future!
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Don’t forget the music that women were encouraged to play, while enjoying their tea 🙂 The house was indeed lovely and well preserved.
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Bath is one of those places which I’ve always wanted to visit but never got around to (and I live in West London!!) Your photos are wonderful, what amazing weather you had! Reading this post has made me resolve to visit in 2017!! #citytripping
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Thank you, Heidi! I was lucky to have wonderful weather with blue skies on two of the days I was in Bath.
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How genteel! I’d love to snuggle up in that bed. It looks so cosy. I have discovered lots of things to do in Bath thanks to you Ahila. Thanks for joining us on #farawayfiles
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Delighted to hear that my Bath experiences series has brought up some experiences that you would like to try out during your visit later this year. The lady’s room does look very cosy and comfortable, doesn’t it?
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Yes indeed! Just as a lady’s room should be 🙂
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I love Bath architecture, though I’ve only seen those beautiful houses from the outside. We took the free walking tour of Bath when we visited and the history behind them is fascinating!
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Do you mean the Mayor’s walking tours? I had wanted to go for one as I had read so many great things about it from other bloggers, but didn’t quite find the time.
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Yes, they are excellent! Reasonably sized groups and the tour guides are very entertaining. Best of all they’re free!
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How lovely. I love Bath and the Royal Cresent was one of my favorite stops. I did not know you could tour one of the building – definitely adding that to my list for future visits. This post just took me back to the city. #citytripping #farawayfiles
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Glad to hear that the post brought back lovely memories of your visit to Bath. And, do certainly visit No 1 Royal Crescent next time, as it is a special experience.
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I loved visiting inside Number One Royal Crescent on our last trip to Bath, Ahila. It was fascinating seeing the life both upstairs and downstairs of an 18th-century household. I loved his study too – all those fascinating instruments and books! My kids loved dressing up in all the clothes in the dressing up box in the kitchen. Thanks for sharing this on #FarawayFiles
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I can imagine it being fun for your kids to dress up in clothes from the period. Some parts of the downstairs was closed during my visit, so missed out on some of the rooms below.
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How interesting! I have been to Bath a few times but never visited this museum! I am definitely planning to visit the next time I am there as I love this sort of thing! #farawayfiles
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I am sure you will love a visit to No 1 Royal Crescent, Tracy. It is a beautifully preserved house.
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Love this! I’ve never actually heard about anything in Bath besides the Roman baths and a bit about Jane Austen, but this looks like a great place to spend some time! I’ll definitely have to add it to my list for when I visit Bath 🙂 #farawayfiles
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The area around Royal Crescent is beautiful and this house is a definite must-visit, if you are in the neighbourhood.
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A lovely sneak peak into 18th century English life. Thank you for sharing with #FarawayFiles this week Ahila! Cheers from Copenhagen, Erin
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You are welcome, Erin. Glad you enjoyed the sneak peek into an old English home.
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