Introduction
The Orange Grove was a communal garden created in the early-18th century as a social walking area, with linear tree-planting and a gravel surface. The road was first macadamized in 1820 and the trees were removed in 1830. The area is now a floral roundabout.
Orange Grove is now a circular garden area with traffic on all sides, somewhat in the style of a large floral roundabout. Since the archaeological excavations of the 1970s, the site has been planted with a succession of bedding annuals. The site is tidily maintained by Bath City Council.
- Visitor Access, Directions & Contacts
Access contact details
The garden is now a roundabout.
Owners
Bath & North East Somerset Council
The Guildhall, High Street, Bath, BA1 5AW
- History
18th Century
On the Guidet map (1717), the area immediately south of the Abbey is shown as Gravel Walk. The area to the east of this is marked as Mitre Green. The earliest Bath Assembly Rooms were built in this area in 1708. The Prince of Orange visited Bath in 1734 and an obelisk was erected by Beau Nash. However, an unsigned letter in Bath Reference Library states that it was not Beau Nash but ‘Mr. W. Berlase' (?) to commemorate his ‘recovery'. The inscription is said to have been written by Pope.
A print of 1737 (shown in Images of Bath: see references) shows Orange Grove as a quadrilateral area with young trees planted in lines, in use as a social walking area. The obelisk is surrounded by a little square of wrought iron railings.
19th Century
Views around 1805 and 1830 show its continued use as a fashionable gathering place.
However, the planting is less formal. There are fewer trees, irregularly placed and much larger. The road was macadamized in 1820. Meehan (see references, p. 148) says that ‘about 1830 the trees in the Grove were removed and a roadway made round a circular enclosed plot of ground in the centre'. Further road developments have been undertaken since then.
20th Century
An archaeological excavation in the late-1970s completely removed the surface of the area. It is now called the Alkmaar Garden, and a plaque commemorates ‘the bond of friendship between the two ancient cities'.
- Features & Designations
Designations
Conservation Area
- Reference: Bath
The National Heritage List for England: Listed Building
- Reference: obelisk
- Grade: II
Features
- Obelisk
- Description: The obelisk was erected by Beau Nash in 1734.
- Earliest Date:
- Latest Date:
- Key Information
Type
Designed Urban Space
Purpose
Ornamental
Principal Building
Transport
Survival
Lost
Hectares
0.1
Open to the public
Yes
- References
References
- Meehan, John Francis {Famous Houses of Bath and District} (Bath: B. & J. F. Meehan, 1901) Famous Houses of Bath and District
- List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, City of Bath
- Lees-Milne, James {Images of Bath} (Richmond-upon-Thames: Saint Helena, 1982) Images of Bath
Contributors
Mary Stacey
Avon Gardens Trust