John Wood the younger
Who was he?
Wikipedia:
John Wood, the Younger (25 February 1728 - 18 June 1782) was an English
architect, working principally in the city of Bath, Somerset. He began
his work as an assistant for his father, the architect
John Wood, the
Elder. Among his works which survive today are the Royal Crescent
and
Bath Assembly Rooms. He also finished The Circus which was designed by
his father and completed in 1764.
Why was he in Bath?
He was born in Batheaston, just to the east of the city. According to
Lowndes [1981] "the bronze tablet [see
below] gives the year of his birth as
1727, but this is probably due to an equivocal interpretation of
the records. Before 1750. the legal year began on 25th March. All
documents bearing dates between January and March were usually endorsed
with the figures for two consecutive years, to cover the discrepancy
between legal and calendar years; thus Wood's birth date was recorded
as '25th day of February 1727/28'".
"When he commenced the building of the [Royal] Crescent in 1767, the
younger John Wood was thirty-nine years old. He was married with seven
children - all girls - and he lived at No 41 Gay Street. Two boys, born
later, completed the family".
According to
Forsyth [2003], 41 Gay Street
is by Wood the elder and was built in 1734-6 for Richard Marchant, a
rich Quaker. "Despite the plaque, there is no evidence that the younger
Wood (nor the elder) lived here, even for a short period."
Location of plaque at 41 Gay Street:
The text reads
"Here lived John Wood Junr b. 1727 d. 1781."
Location map of 41 Gay Street:
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