40 Front Doors of Bath

I have always been fascinated with front doors. It is a concept that has been around for hundreds of thousands of years, with each period in history reflecting its own individual style. From early antiquity to Greek and Roman, to Saxon and Gothic to Georgian, Victorian and modern; each has left their own individual mark on the evolution of the doorway. As well as communicating a great deal about the history of architecture, they can often reveal stories of the individuals or families living inside. Through elaborate forms, complex patterns and intricate mouldings, they were an outlet for showing off good taste, wealth and individuality.

Back in the summer of 2016, I embarked on a mammoth task of documenting over a thousand front doors in Bath in an attempt to capture the vast number of different styles throughout the city. The 1000+ doors were whittled down to 100 and then reduced further to just 40. The final chosen few were then individually hand drawn and collated into a single composition. The whole process took well over a year and it was incredibly rewarding to finally see '40 Front Doors of Bath’ complete.

The piece combines a mixture of elegant Georgian Townhouses, such as no.17 Gay Street, no.23 Royal Crescent & no. 20 The Circus. It celebrates the monumental architectural craft of Bath Abbey, Victoria Art Gallery and the Guildhall. It was also important to highlight some hidden gems in the city, like ‘Good Hope Prior Park Cottages’ and ‘Holy Trinity, Church Road’.

40 Front Doors of Bath

The key and map below itemises each of the chosen doors and illustrates their location within the city.

40 Front Doors of Bath Location Key

40 Front Doors of Bath Location Map

If you would like to buy a 40 Front Doors of Bath Limited Edition Print, just check out the shop section above or click here.

40 FRONT DOORS OF BATH WALKING MAP

Back in October 2017, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios together with the Bath Preservation Trust revised and reprinted a series of ‘journeys’ through the city of Bath. The brochure was titled ‘Walks within the Walls’ and was originally written by the inspirational architect Peter Smithson back in the late 1960’s. Through photographs and detailed descriptions the reader is taken on a mesmerising journey through the city where we are encouraged to slow down, think and look, and appreciate architecture in a different way.

Inspired by the series of walks, 40 Front Doors of Bath has now been reformatted into a walking map of the city. Just like Smithson in 1966, wanderers are encouraged to slow down, look, ponder and hopefully appreciate the intricate detailing of each beautifully crafted front door. The map can be downloaded by using the link here.