The Circus.
The Circus is on Map 2c. The Circus is named on the map. In the 1940 street directory, the City Engineer's report, and engraved on the buildings, the name is shown as just "Circus". The Circus consists of three curved terraces connecting Gay Street, Brock Street and Bennett Street, and in total they make a complete circle. No.1 The Circus is to the west of the Gay Street junction and the numbers run clockwise.
The numbering of The Circus is a little unusual. The first 10 premises, running clockwise from Gay Street are numbered 1 to 10, and the 11th premises has its door in Brock Street, and its address is No. 1 Brock Street. On the opposite corner, the premises immediately before No.11 Circus, again with its door in Brock Street, is Circus Mansions. Then numbers 11 to 19 run from Circus Mansions to Bennett Street, and number 19 has its entrance in Bennett Street. On the opposite corner, the premises immediately before no. 20 is named Circus House, which has its door in Bennett Street. Then numbers 20 to 30 complete the circle back to Gay Street. It is possible that this was a contrived arrangement by the architect John Wood, so that Royal Crescent and Circus (both his designs) had the same address range of 1 to 30. There is no hope of proving or disproving this speculation though.
It is claimed that the diameter of The Circus is exactly the same as the diameter of the ring of stones at Stonehenge, and also the length of each side of the square of Queen Square. I have not checked this.
| Number | Name | Type | Damage Level | Surveyor's Comments |
| 1 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 2 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 3 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | Although the City Engineer lists this building as a dwelling house, other city records show that this building became the headquarters of D Division of the National Fire Service on 17th November 1941, with the Fire Control Room in the same building. | |
| 4 | Dwelling House | Serious repairable damage, habitable | ||
| 5 | Dwelling House | Serious repairable damage, habitable | ||
| 6 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 7 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 8 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 9 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 10 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 11 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 12 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 13 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 14 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 15 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 16 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 17 | Dwelling House | Serious repairable damage, habitable | ||
| 18 | Dwelling House | Serious repairable damage, habitable | ||
| 19 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 20 | Dwelling House | Serious repairable damage, unusable | ||
| 21 | Dwelling House | Serious repairable damage, habitable | ||
| 22 | Dwelling House | Serious repairable damage, habitable | ||
| 23 | Dwelling House | Serious repairable damage, habitable | ||
| 24 | Dwelling House | Serious repairable damage, habitable | ||
| 25 | Dwelling House | Serious repairable damage, habitable | ||
| 26 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 27 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 28 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 29 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| 30 | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | ||
| Circus House | Dwelling House | Serious repairable damage, unusable | This building is on the corner of The Circus and Bennett Street. A separate Historic Buildings survey that the Bath Archivist (in the Guildhall) gave me sight of, describes Circus House as "Burnt out, except for the front rooms on ground and 1st floor". | |
| Circus Mansions | Dwelling House | Minor general damage | This building is on the corner of The Circus and Brock Street. It was not listed in the City Engineer's report, but it is inconceivable that this one building in The Circus escaped damage completely when every other building suffered some damage. The estimate of the damage is my own, based on the damage to the buildings all around it. In the 1940 directory, Circus Mansions was divided into 5 flats. |
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