Conversion of “one of Europe’s first purpose-built office blocks” for sale; £3.5 million Grade II* listed Georgian house in Bath literally straddles a canal
Some people dream of living beside a lake or a river, but a Grade II* listed detached property recently placed on the market in Bath gives anyone with £3.5 million ($4.2 million, €4.5 million or درهم16.6 million) to spare the opportunity to literally live above a man-made waterway.
Cleveland House – originally known as Canal House – stands on top of a bridge and tunnel that straddles the Kennet & Avon Canal and in spite of being built as “one of Europe’s first purpose-built office blocks” has a look that is very much “Georgian domestic”. The limestone ashlar, three-storey building was constructed to the designs of one of Bath’s greatest architects, John Pinch the Elder (1769 – 1827), between 1817 and 1820 and served as the canal’s management headquarters until 1864.
Converted next to residential usage and then requisitioned for government use in 1939, the building again reverted to office usage. A property developer named Trevor Osborne then acquired it and commenced a transformation into what is described as “a truly exceptional Bath residence” in 2015.
Aside from 7,218 square foot of accommodation, including 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, what makes Cleveland House truly remarkable are its entertaining spaces. The 30-foot long former company boardroom, complete with a 20-foot high newly repainted domed ceiling, is now the house’s drawing room and in addition there is a formal dining room and a library. Whilst a fully prepared cinema room and wine cellars are housed in the basement, other points of note are a large, newly built family room, a first floor roof terrace and garaging for four cars.
Cleveland House is offered by Carter Jonas.
The colour scheme and wallpaper are terrifying but the overall restoration is plainly of a very high standard.
I wish we had houses of this calibre in Florida.
I would love to live in this home. It is truly special and unique.
Ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rising damp must perpetrate this house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has a pipe that they claimed used to send messages I read in a blog post but really, others say, it was just for sending rubbish and dirt into the water below!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would have knocked it down myself and built a modern beauty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bath is a great city and this house is certainly a remarkable part of its history. Whoever buys it will be very lucky as those walls could tell a story or two.
I am confused by the dizzy decoration used in this house but on a value basis at £485 psf this is seemingly cheap given it is in the Bath UNESCO World Heritage area. There is potential for uplift I see through conversion of further space on the lower ground floor but the only real pity is that there is not a bigger garden. You could also generate revenue renting out the garaging so that is a bonus.
The paintings in the drawing room are weird and like something The Marquess of Bath would throw out and the carpet is curry house like!
I could see dodgy deviant MP Keith Vaz living there, Xander.
Loved and agreed with all the comments (well, except You Know Whose). Alan’s, the first comment, summed it all up in a sentence. To where do the three stairs lead, one wonders uselessly, in the reception room? A good find, Matthew.
No more grey