Construction Ralph Allen, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, was notable for his reforms to the British
postal system. He moved in 1710 to Bath, where he became a post office clerk, and at the age of 19, in 1712, became the
Postmaster. In 1742 he was elected
Mayor of Bath, and was the
Member of Parliament for
Bath between 1757 and 1764. Allen acquired the stone quarries at
Combe Down and Bathampton Down. Following a failed bid to supply stone to buildings in London, Allen wanted a building which would show off the properties of Bath stone as a building material. Bath stone is an
Oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of
calcium carbonate laid down during the
Jurassic period (195 to 135 million years ago). An important feature of Bath stone is that it is a
freestone, that is one that can be sawn or 'squared up' in any direction, unlike other rocks such as
slate, which has distinct layers. It was extensively used in the Roman and Medieval periods on domestic, ecclesiastical and civil engineering projects such as bridges.
John Wood, the Elder was commissioned by Ralph Allen to build on the hill overlooking Bath: "To see all Bath, and for all Bath to see".
St John's Hospital, (1727–28),
Queen Square (1728–36), the
North (1740) and
South Parades (1743–48), the
Mineral Water Hospital (1738–42) and other notable houses, many of which are
Grade I listed buildings. Queen Square was his first speculative development. Wood lived in a house on the square, which was described by
Nikolaus Pevsner as "one of the finest Palladian compositions in England before 1730". The plan for Prior Park was to construct five buildings along three sides of a
dodecagon matching the sweep of the head of the valley, with the main building flanked by elongated wings based on designs by
Andrea Palladio. The plans were influenced by drawings in
Vitruvius Britannicus originally made by
Colen Campbell for
Wanstead House in Essex, which was yet to be built. The main block had 15
bays and each of the wings 17 bays. Between each wing and the main block was a
Porte-cochère for coaches to stop under. In addition to the stone from the local quarries, material, including the grand staircase and plasterwork, from the demolished
Hunstrete House were used in the construction. Construction work began in 1734 to Wood's plan but disagreements between Wood and Allen led to his dismissal and Wood's Clerk of Works, Richard Jones, replaced him and made some changes to the plans, particularly for the east wing. Jones also added the Palladian Bridge. The building was finished in 1743 and was occupied by Allen as his primary residence until his death in 1764. incorrectly showing 13 bays in the main house
Later use After Allen's death in 1764,
William Warburton, Allen's relative, lived in the house for some time and it was passed down to other family members and then purchased, in 1809, by John Thomas, a Bristol
Quaker. and three barrel vaulted rooms on the first floor and a terrace roof. The seminary was closed in 1856 after a fire which, in 1836, had resulted in extensive damage and renovation and brought about financial insolvency. It was bought in 1867 by Bishop
William Hugh Joseph Clifford who founded a
Roman Catholic Grammar School in the mansion. Prior Park operated as a grammar school until 1904. During
World War I the site was occupied by the army and used for officer cadet training. Following the war, several tenants occupied the site. In 1921, the
Christian Brothers acquired the building and opened a boarding school for boys in 1924, which continues today as a mixed
public school. The main building (the Mansion) has been badly burnt twice. The 1836 fire left visible damage to some stonework. The 1991 fire gutted the interior, except for parts of the basement. Unusually, the blaze started on the top floor, and spread downwards. Rebuilding took approximately three years. ==Architecture==