061012 Bathwick, William Street Gate to Recreation Grounds

This is the William Street Gate to the Recreation Grounds, off of Great Pulteney Street. The Bathwick section of Bath is on the east bank of the River Avon, and although it is conncted to Claverton Down through Bathwick Hill Road, it primarily consists of one long street: Great Pulteney. The land was owned by the Pulteney Family, who built the Pulteney Bridge, Pulteney Street, and Great Pulteney Street and set an architectural scheme for the new Georgian neighborhood. Unfortunately, it was constructed in the late 1780s and 1790s, right before the Napoleonic Wars began and therefore the economy could not support more than one grand avenue. The roads, crescents, and circuses planned to lead off of Great Pulteney Street were never built and the land left undeveloped. Today the north of Great Pulteney Street is Henrietta Park and the south is the Recreation Grounds.

I took this photo early in the morning when I wasn't sure if it would storm or not.

Photo: 060924.02.