BRITAIN'S BEST BUILDINGS - THE CIRCUS
Monday 18 April 2005 7pm-8pm; 1.10am-2.10am
The Circus is a ring of 33 terraced houses built in Bath in the 1750s and 60s by the architect John Wood the Elder. Dan Cruickshank goes in search of the meaning of the mysterious symbols on the facades of the houses and attempts to trace the various influences upon John Wood.
Circus Facts
John Wood the Elder designed the Circus, Queen Square and the North and South Parades while his son designed the Assembly Rooms and the Royal Crescent
John Wood the Elder died 5 days after he laid the foundation stone for the Circus on 18 May 1754
The artist Thomas Gainsborough lived at No 17 of the Circus, from 1765 - 1774
That Wood was influenced by classical architecture was clear from his use of Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns on each of the tiers of the houses - just as in the Colosseum
