Kingsmead Square is a

public square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, England. It was laid out by

John Strahan John Strahan was an architect working in Bristol and Bath, England, in the early 18th century. He died around 1740. List of works * Shakespeare Public House, Bristol (1725) * Combe Hay Manor Combe Hay 1728 to 1730 * Frampton Court, Frampton-on- ...

in the 1730s; many of the buildings are now

listed structure In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

History

The square was originally the junction of a number of routes entering the West Gate of the medieval city. In 1727,

started a large-scale Georgian expansion in this area of pasture owned by St John's Hospital. The West Gate was demolished in the 1760s, enlarging the road junction. In 1902, the square became part of a Bath Tramways route. In 1925, a street-widening scheme to tackle traffic congestion established the modern street lines of the square. During and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the square became run down. In the mid-1970s, the south terrace was restored, saving it from demolition and starting a revival of the area. In the 1990s, investment in street furniture and on the square, further revived it, making the square an attractive location for cafés. In September 2018,

Bath and North East Somerset Council Bath and North East Somerset Council is the local authority for Bath and North East Somerset, a local government district in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also pe ...

initiated an informal consultation on a proposal to partially pedestrianise the square.

Buildings

Rosewell House Rosewell House is a historic building in Bath, Somerset, England. Standing on the northwestern edge of Kingsmead Square, the building was completed in 1763. It is now Grade I listed. Today, the building is occupied by number 12, 13 and 14 Kings ...

comprises 12, 13 and 14 Kingsmead Square and 1 and 2 Kingsmead Street. Originally, Rosewell House was situated at the end of a rank of houses, but the neighbouring 11, 12 and 13 Kingsmead Square were demolished to construct New Street on a diagonal alignment out of the square to provide better access to the new

Bath Green Park railway station Green Park railway station is a former railway station in Bath, Somerset, England. For most of its life, it was known as Bath Queen Square. Architecture and opening Green Park station was opened in 1870 as the terminus of Midland Railway, Mid ...

. At the centre of the square is a large

London Plane The London plane, or sometimes hybrid plane, ''Platanus'' × ''hispanica'', is a tree in the genus ''Platanus''. It is often known by the Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Platanus'' × ''acerifolia'', a later name. It is a Hybrid (biology ...

tree, about tall. The square has full public access, with a ground surface of concrete slabs and cobbles.

References

Grade I listed buildings in Bath, Somerset Streets in Bath, Somerset Grade II listed buildings in Bath, Somerset {{UK-listed-building-stub Squares in England

History

Buildings

See also

References