No. 1 Royal Crescent

No. 1 Royal Crescent is part of the Royal Crescent in Bath, United Kingdom.

Recent restoration project

During the twentieth century the lease on No. 1 was split and the building was separated into two properties, with the original service wing to the east being sold separately as 1A Royal Crescent. In 2006, 1A Royal Crescent was purchased by the Brownsword Charitable Foundation with the intention that it should be reunited with No. 1, thereby allowing Bath Preservation Trust to return the house as far as possible to its original architectural state and to extend its operation as an historic house museum. In addition, educational and visitor facilities would be improved and additional dedicated exhibition space introduced.

With further substantial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund as well as other generous private donations and grants, the major works began in January 2012. The Venetian windows on the eastern Upper Church Street facade were restored to how they were when Jane Austen and her contemporaries strolled by in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. When the museum reopened to the public in June 2013 the number of Georgian dressed rooms had increased from five to ten (50:50 'upstairs downstairs'), a learning centre for school groups, lectures and hands-on activities had been introduced, and disabled access provided in the form of a lift and related facilities.

During the project the Commonplace Books (journals/scrapbooks) of the house's first long term resident (retired Irish MP Mr Henry Sandford) were discovered and using these the house has been reinterpreted to show his story and interests, giving visitors a truly immersive experience of life at that time.

Bath Preservation Trust headquarters

The Bath Preservation Trust has offices at No. 1 Royal Crescent, which was built by John D Wood. No. 1 stands as the cornerstone of one of the most significant urban architectural achievements of the 18th century and is one of the UK's most important buildings, representing the highest point of Palladian architecture in Bath. Most of the rooms in No. 1 operate as a museum, furnished to represent life in one of the great houses of 18th century Bath. The Trust's offices are on the upper two floors of No. 1.