Pre-eminent example of Georgian architecture, Circus of Bath is historic street and iconic building, originally known as The King’s Circus, located at the Somerset, England. It forms a circle with three entrances. The Striking Master of The Circus of Bath was built in between 1754 to 1768 and Designed by the Architect John wood, who has a vision to recreate a classical Palladian architectural landscape for the city. John Wood design was inspired by Roman Colosseum whereas Circus was facing inward opposite to Colosseum which is
outwards. He designed the Circus to have the same diameter as Stonehenge, 318 feet. The foundation stone of the King’s Circus was laid with great fanfare on 7 February 1754. John Wood died after 3 months of starting of the project in 1754 and later it was completed by his son, John Wood Younger, who completed the project based on his father’s Design.
It is divided into three segments of same length, where each segment faces one of the three entrances. The initial leases for the south west segment were granted in 1755-1767, for the south east segment in 1762-1766, and for the north segment in 1764-1766. The length of the Circus of bath is 213 meters. In between the segments there is lawn in the centre, the
central area of the Circus originally contained a large reservoir. Wood used the three classical orders of columns–Doric, Composite lonic, and Corinthian–stacked one atop another on the facade. The name “Circus” of bath comes from the Latin word Circus which means circle or ring.
The Circus of the Bath was selected as five choices for the 2006 BBC television documentary series Britain’s Best Buildings by the Architectural historian Dan Cruickshank. The Circus of Bath has been home to many famous people over the years. Most recent one was Hollywood Actor Nicholas Cage, The artist Thomas Gainsborough lived at number 17, between 1759 and 1774, using the house as his portrait studio. It was also home to Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton and his family in the first half of the 19th century. William Pitt, an 18C Prime Minster of England, once lived at no. 11. From 1758 to 1774.
During the Second World War, Circus was badly damaged during the Bath Blitz in 1942, it has been brought back to its original style after reconstruction. Luke Brady, Director and Head of Savills in Bath said: “Bath is world famous for its beautiful Georgian architecture, and its many crescents are a key part of the charm.