The present building was erected in 1729 to the designs of the famous architect, John Wood, who gave his name to it. The adjoining street bears his Christian name - John. It is for this reason that it is grade 1 listed today. The area behind it was originally known as Barton Farm, with its farmhouse now forming part of the department store - Jolly`s. To the rear of 4 Wood Street can still be seen a Barn and outbuildings linked to the farm yard. In Bath`s Guildhall Archives can still be seen the twice-yearly Rate Books for the City Centre which have been invaluable in the listing shown below of occupants. The first owner was Earl Tylney from whom the property gets its name. Before the Northumberland Buildings was built in 1776 on the site of Dr. Harrington's Garden by James Baldwin, the Street would have had fine prospects to the hills above Bath. Wood Street was to remain virtually unchanged until 1871 when the River family who were descendants of the original owners, The Gay family. It was in that year that a major scheme was carried out extending shop fronts into the street as can be seen in the accompanying plans below.
Amongst the many illustrious occupiers of the property was James King in the years 1793-6. He was recorded in Directories and Rates Books as renting no. 4 Wood Street. He would be forever remembered thanks to Jane Austen in her novel, Northanger Abbey as Master of Ceremonies at the Assembly Rooms in Bath. There is also another link with Jane Austen in her choice of characters with the use of Tylney in naming Henry Tilney in the same novel. We have recorded below more information about both James King and Earl Tylney for those devotees of Jane Austen.
The ground floor had for two centuries been an Art Gallery, whose periodic exhibitions were advertised in the Bath Chronicle. William Smith was a Carver and Gilder of Frames from 1805-1819 and J.M. Hill carried on the same trade from 1841-1896. Then Smith Freeth and Chard as shown there from 1902 until 1925, when they also occupied the neighbouring no. 5 Wood Street as well. In the 1920s with its neighbour it was run as the Queens Restaurant. Then the Dando family ran a successful Antique Shop here for nearly half a century. The present occupiers of the ground floor are the upmarket Estate Agents, Knight Frank.

There is still a survival of the earlier history of the site to be seen today. For at the rear of ihe property is the entrance to a small barn, now behind the neighbouring Carter Jonas premises, which would have been an outbuilding for Barton Farm. The Barton Farm House had kept its own farmyard. until us late as 1752. Then during the third quarter of the l8th. century it was incorporated into a thoroughfare of adjoining houses called John Street. The Talbotype above shows how it looked in 1849 when it was already a building of considerable age and public interest. Barton Farm House (or Barton House as it was also known) remained in this state for only two more decades. In 1867 it was considerably altered and was incorporated into the premises of Messrs Jolly & Son. The photograph above shows how the same view appears today, which is opposite Hall Woodhouse Hostelry.
The Farm House originally was at the centre of an estate that covered Walcot and surrounding parishes.In 1547, Edward VI granted Sir William Herbert 'the grange and farm called Barton next Bath and all its demesne lands in the parishes of Lyncombe, Widcombe, Walcot and Barton ...all those closes adjacent to the said Grange and all the demesne,lands and works of customary tenants of Walcot and Barton and of other inhabitants within the hundred of Barton', which was formerly Bath Priory property. There follows a brief history of how the ownership of the Barton Farm Estate passed through a number of families. The final chapter of this story was as late as 1920 when descendants of the Rivers family sold off in 2 auctions the remainder of their Bath Properties which included parts of Wood Street, Gay Street and Queens Square
Sir William Herbert
Barton Grange was conveyed by Sir William Herbert (in exchange for other property) to Matthew Colthurst in 1548. The conveyance included courts-leet and view of frank pledge (i.e. the'lordship of Walcot'), advowson (of Walcot Church), fishing, etc. The property was held in chief of the Crown, by service of one-twentieth part of a knight's fee, paying yearly for the aforesaid grange and farm and other premises in Barton 29/ 4d.
Matthew & Edmund Colthurst
There had also been a Crown grant of 1543 to Matthew Colthurst of the site of the late Priory of Bath with closes 'Its Ham" and' Ambiyc Meade' in St .lames's parish and lands (named) in Lyncombe, Widcombe, Holloway and Walcot, and works of customary tenants , and the chief messuage of (Monkton) Combe ...all of which belonged to Bath Priory. Certain Priory' lands provided pasture for Barton stock and thus are named also in the Barton documents. Edmund Colthurst, son and heir of Matthew (died 8 July 1559), inherited all the Barton property, as detailed in the conveyance of 1548, as well us the site of the former Priory and its property (including his residence, Abbey House, adjoining the Abbey), granted in 1543.
Sir George & William Snigg
Edmund Colhurst sold Barton Grange (then in the occupation of William Sherston, son-in-law of Peter Bewshin, son of Henry, and the inheritor of the sub-tenure under the Colthursts) in 1591 to Sir George Snigg.
William Snigg, son and heir of Sir George (died 11 December 1617), inherited his father's Barton Grange property and Barton Rectory (this latter purchased by his father from the Crown lessees in 1612), and the Manor of Walcot (probably not acquired by his father until c.l611- see below). However, in 1635, being in serious financial difficulties, William unsigned Barton Grange, including Kingsmead (particularly mentioned), and an his other property in Walcot and Bath to Mary Jackson, his sister, for 5o years, on her undertaking to repay his debts. He then obtained Crown licences to sell to Thomas Haines, in 1638 and 1639, seven grounds of Barton Grange, and Haines became responsible for paying 12/4d of the annual Crown rent. The Haines family still held their Barton property in 1740.
Thomas & William Sounders
By 1656, Thomas Saunders the elder, of Beechwood, Herts, was the Lord of the Manor of Walcot. A lease of 1660 states that he possessed the land in Walcot in the right of his wife Mary, for about 55 years yet to come. She may, therefore, have been the daughter and heiress of Mary Jackson (the sister of William Snigg, to whom the latter had assigned his property in 1635 for 80 years). Thomas Saunders was perhaps of the family who had held the 'virgate' and other Walcot holdings during several generations. In 1681, William Hooper, the purchaser of certain Walcot lands, was' to do suit at the court of William Saunders [possibly the son of Thomas Holden for the manor of Walcot. A deed of common recovery, dated 10 October 1687, shows that a William Saunders (perhaps of the next generation} then acquired the inheritable freehold of the lordship of Walcot and rectory of Walcot, the latter being the Barton tithes. When he acquired Snigg's unsold parts of Barton Grange is clear, as the inheritance included the annual rent payable by Bath Corporation for 'Bath Common' (formerly Barton land -as above).
Robert Gay
On 16 June 1699, William Saunders sold the Manor and Rectory of Walcot, with appurtenances, courts, etc., 'except Barton Farm' (which he had already conveyed to two gentlemen, in trust 'to certain uses') and except a number of Walcot tenant holdings (sold in five separate lots, the largest share to his bailiff, William Hooper, in 1681-as above), to Robert Gay, an eminent surgeon in Hatton Garden, London and was an M.P. for Bath (who married Mary, daughter of William Saunders). In the early eighteenth century, Robert Gay had apparently also came into possession of Barton Farm, probably by virtue of his wife's inheritance, arranged by her father, when he had conveyed the farm in trust 'to certain uses'.
Thomas & Sir Benet Garrard
When Robert Gay died in 1737, he left the Bath property to his daughter Margaret, by his second wife who married THOMAS GARRARD on March 6th 1738/39. She died without issue in 1765 and left the estate to her brother-in-law, Sir Benet Garrard who in 1767, bequeathed all his Bath estate to Sir Peter Rivers, who look the name of Gay. The ground rents were sold after the death of Sir Henry Chandos Rivers in 1870.The GARRARDS were long the Lords of the Manor of Wheathamptonstead, Herts. They were there at least as early as the first quarter of the 17th century. The earliest Garrard tomb in the Church is a fine one with two reclining effigies to Sir JOHN GARRARD 1637 and Lady GARRARD 1632. There is a classical monument to a Sir John Garrard who died in 1700.The relevant monuments are—a Baroque cartouche to Sir SAMUEL GARRARD Bt., Lord Mayor of London, who died in 1724. He married his second wife, Jane Bennet of Salthorpe, Wilts, who erected the monument. Three sons survived Jane Bennet, all their monuments are at Wheathamptonstead Church'. Sir Samuel Garrard, Bt., died in 1761. A fine Mural Monument in baroque taste by Ford of Bath -the Inscription records his being at Eton and Queen's, Oxford. Also that lie was in the Army under Marlborough as a Lieutenant Colonel in his own regiment of Guards. He died without issue and apparently unmarried. Dr. THOMAS GARRARD, a lawyer and husband of Mrs Margaret Garrard (nee` Gay) whom he married on March 6th, 1738/39. He died in 1758 and is specifically stated to have had no issue. Sir BENET GARRARD died in 1767 -unmarried and without issue, bequeathed all his Bath estate to Sir Peter Rivers, who took the name of Gay. Mrs Margaret Garrard, (nee Gay) died in 1765.
Sir Peter & Henry Rivers,
There is a Mural Monument to the family in Winchester Cathedral. The Inscription states that Sir THOMAS RIVERS was the second, son of Sir John Rivers, Bt., of Chafford, Kent. He married Mary Holbrooke of the Isle of Wight,and had John, Anne, Peter and James. JOHN, on the death of his uncle in 1734, inherited the ancient title (i.e. the Baronetcy) -he was succeeded by his brother, PETER, who in 1767, by direction of Mrs Margaret Garrard took the family name and arms of GA Y—Sir Benet Garrard having, at her request and appointment, bequeathed to him on that condition, the MANOR of WALCOT near Bath and other estates in Somerset. PETER married Martha, daughter of William Coxe, M.D., by whom he had nine children -Thomas, James, William (died 1oth April 1794 aged 21), Henry, Mary (died 9th May 1781 aged 12}, Emilia Henrietta, Anne, Margaret (died 22nd February 1784 aged 7), and Maria Louise. (Five children were still alive when the memorial was erected), MARY, (lying in Bulb, is buried in the church at Waleot.Anne, Margaret and William are buried in Winchester Cathedral. Sir HENRY RIVERS resided at 18 Rivers Street which had one of the original Adam's fireplaces. He was Rector of Walcot from 1816-1818 and died in 1823, It is understood that Rivers Street was named after Sir Peter Rivers Gay, Bt., though he resided at Scotland Yard, Whitehall, ground rents were sold after the death of Sir Henry Chandos Rivers, in 1870.
The mansion that prevented John Wood from completing the west side of Queen Square could have been the Manor House as an Abstact of the Title of the building shows that from 10th June 1619 to the 15th December 1780, it was occupied in turn by William Snigge, William Saunders, Thomas and Margaret Garrard, Sir Benct Garrard, and the Rev. Sir Peter Rivers Gay, who were all Lords of the Manor of Walcot.

View of Milsom Street looking down towards Wood Street

Wood Street is seen here on the right with the gardens that were to be
built on when Northumberland place was built opposite

The following notes were supplied by Gordon Dando.
Certain information concerning 4,Wood Street,Bath.(formerly 2, Wood Street.) mainly to give some details of trades etc, persons that rented or owned these premises. More information could he obtained from the Rates office. In fact at one time I had such information, but am not now able to trace it.? Most details of owners obviously can be obtained from the Deeds, although they appear to' only start from the late 19th. Century. At that time there appears to have been a shared ownership, and my theory is that this is when the Deeds went stray?
1787- 1800. J.SELF. Carver and gilder.(also framer.)
1805- 1819-. W. SMITH. Carver and gilder.
Exact date not. known. Mr. Bell. 2 Wood St. (now 4.) Historical portrait, and miniature painter,& drawing master. A Mr. Hill also lived here up to 1850.
During the 1930's and up to about 1940 Vanstones, (Bath electrical etc. shop occupied these premises. During the war occupied by the Red Cross.
From about 1945 to 1956. Queen's Restaurant, who appear to have had the rear showroom constructed in the garden area. During this time the first floor was a ladies hairdresser, and the top flat by Mrs.Leigh Hunt, and her young daughter Barbara, fairly well known in theatre and Television plays. Barbara married in the late 1950's a Television actor named Richard Pascoe. Myself Gordon Dando started an antique shop at these premises in 1956, when my father purchased the property. For some years up to the sale of the property my son and myself occupied the whole premises.
The premises behind the Bristol & West were rented by us from 1956, and prior to this by the "Queens Restaurant which these used for their kitchen and cooking facilities.
These premises the rear part of which is said to have been part of the Barton Farm goes back to the 16th.Century as far as we have been able to ascertain. I well recall that before the war the Bristol and West shop area was owned by a Bath taylor named Titley & Son., and there was a way through to the rear premises by a passage between 4, Wood St., and the present no. 5 .Two separate trades were carried on in the rented rear premises. (ground & first floor with access to the first floor via a large wooden steps, in the small yard. Later the stairs were installed at the rear of the ground floor.