Queen Square is a square of Georgian houses in the city of Bath, England.
Queen Square was the first speculative development by the architect John Wood, the Elder. Wood lived in a house on the square.[1] Numbers 21-27 make up the north side.[2] Which was described by Nikolaus Pevsner as "one of the finest Palladian compositions in England before 1730".[3]
The west side (numbers 14 - 18 and 18A, 19 & 20) was designed by John Pinch in 1830 and differs from Wood's original design as the central block is in Neo-Grecian style.[4] 16-18 is now occupied by the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution (BRLSI). The south side (numbers 5-13) which was originally left open is now occupied by a hotel.[5] All of the buildings have been designated by English Heritage as grade I listed buildings. The obelisk in the centre of the square was erected by Beau Nash in 1738.[6]
During World War II, between the evening of 25 April and the early morning of 27 April 1942, Bath suffered three air raids in reprisal for RAF raids on the German cities of Lübeck and Rostock, part of the Luftwaffe campaign popularly known as the Baedeker Blitz. Over 400 people were killed, and more than 19,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed.[7] Houses on the south side of Queen Square were damaged but have subsequently been restored.[8]
The square hosts a lot of attractions all year, such as a French market, Italian market, and Boules weekend.
On 30 October 2011, the square was occupied as part of the global Occupy movement, with protesters, under the banner of Occupy Bath, pitching tents and creating other temporary structures.[9] The protestors held a variety of debates, talks and musical events related to financial inequality and were runners up in the 2011 Bath Chronicle Campaign of the Year [10]. The camp dismantled on 10 December 2011, with the protestors vowing to continue via other means.[11]
References
- ^ "Queen Square". UK attractions. http://www.ukattraction.com/west-country/queens-square.htm. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ "QUEEN SQUARE (north side)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=443387. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ "Queen Square". Bath Net. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20070928181708/http://www.thebath.net/old/environment/queensquare/index.html. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ "QUEEN SQUARE (west side)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=443386. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ "QUEEN SQUARE (south side)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=443385. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ "QUEEN SQUARE obelisk". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=443388. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ "History - Bath at War". Royal Crescent Society, Bath. http://www.royalcrescentbath.com/HistoryBathatWar.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ "Royal Crescent History: The Day Bombs fell on Bath". Royal Crescent Society, Bath. http://www.royalcrescentbath.com/HistoryRoyalCrescent%202.htm#The_Day_Bombs_fell_on_Bath. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ "Occupy Bath group hope for numbers boost as council issues warning". This Is Bath. http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Update-Occupy-Bath-group-hope-numbers-boost/story-13711969-detail/story.html. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
- ^ Bath Chronicle, 29 December 2011
- ^ "Occupy Bath protesters leave Queen Square". http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Occupy-Bath-protesters-leave-Queen-Square/story-14093223-detail/story.html. Retrieved 2012-12-02.