Now’s Your Chance To Own A Townhouse On Bath’s Royal Crescent

Watch a period drama set in Britain and there’s a high chance that the Royal Crescent will make an appearance. The most famous road in Bath, and one of the best-known in the country, its copy-paste Georgian terraces and elegant green-fronted curve give all those who visit a sense of having stepped back in time to the bonnet-wearing days of Jane Austen. 

With a status so corseted in grandeur and prestige, it’s a rare thing for a property from the Royal Crescent to find its way onto the market – let alone an entire home. Of the 30 properties on the street, only 10 survive as full-size townhouses: 18 are divided into flats, No. 1 (where the 1986 Northanger Abbey film was set) is the Royal Crescent museum, while No. 15 and 16 at the centre of the semi-circle have been converted into The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa. And though an iconic postcode no matter the square-footage of your property, there’s something truly special about possessing a complete Royal Crescent home exactly as it would have stood 250 years ago. 

25 Royal Crescent Has Hit The Market

Even if you’ve never visited Bath or had the chance to promenade around town during the annual Jane Austen festival, it’s likely you’ve seen The Royal Crescent before, at least on the silver screen. Having featured in Bridgerton (where it served as home to the Featheringtons), Queen Charlotte, The Duchess, The Pursuit of Love, and Persuasion (both the 2007 and 2022 adaptations) to name just a few, it has become renowned worldwide for its quintessential Georgian townhouses.

Designed by John Wood the Younger, the famous road was built between 1767–1776. Spanning 500 ft and 114 ionic columns, the Palladian style properties were the first terraced houses to be built as an example of ‘rus in urbe’ (the country in the city) – their views across Royal Victoria Park providing that rural feel. Overlooking perfectly maintained lawns, one key feature of this UNESCO World Heritage landmark is the historic ha-ha, designed to keep the grazing animals which once roamed the park away from the formal gardens.

Originally known as just ‘The Crescent’, the street gained its right-royal status when Prince Frederick, son of King George III, stayed there near the close of the 18th century, first renting No. 1 and later buying No. 18. Brimming with blue plaques and monuments to its former residents, across the years many famous faces have called the street home, including: Irish MP Henry Sandford, leading slavery abolitionist William Wilberforce, writer Christopher Antsey, arts patron and writer Elizabeth Montagu (who often hosted blue stocking events from her home at No. 16), electoral reformer Francis Burdett, explorer Thomas Falconer, shorthand developer Isaac Pitman, and comedian, actor, writer, and Fawlty Towers star, John Cleese. 

Step Inside

This Grade I listed townhouse is a rare jewel indeed. Renovated to a high specification, 25 Royal Crescent is ripe with period details – from the elegant proportions and ornate cornicing to the reams of natural sunlight which shine through the sash windows, from which residents can enjoy views of Royal Victoria Park.

On the ground floor, the reception hall leads through the kitchen / breakfast room fitted out with bespoke units, plus Gaggenau and Sub Zero appliances, while the dining room and garden room sit to the rear. Heading up the grand central staircase via mahogany handrail, the drawing, and (very Austenian) withdrawing room, span the entire width of the first floor. The principal bedroom with en-suite, kitchenette and study take up the entirety of the second floor, while four double bedrooms, a bathroom and shower room are located on the floor above.

Where servants once would’ve scurried around preparing supper, the basement level now boasts a much more modern cinema, gym, steam and spa room, utility room, plus a wine cellar with vaults converted into a bar and tasting area. Similarly the adjoining coach house has been transformed into separate living accommodation with an open plan kitchen and reception room, ensuite bedroom, plus two further bedrooms with ensuite showers and a utility. Accessed through the aptly named garden room, the garden offers up beautifully landscaped lawns which run the full width of the house, terraced seating areas, colourful plantings, and a courtyard with a private garage and games room.

On the market for £6,250,000. Available via Knight Frank.