The Bath Architecture Museum is housed in the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel, built in 1765 for Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon. The use of Gothic Revival motifs in the chapel reflected a choice for an alternative to the ancient Greek and Roman classic that pervaded architecture during the early and mid-eighteenth centuries. When it was finished, Lady Huntingdon's chapel was the only medieval Gothic past in Bath, as most of the new 18th-century architecture of that type was reserved for castles or follies hidden in the gardens of large country houses.
Lady Hunting built many chapels throughout the country, 'Con commonly as la suanexion'; The one in Bath is the only one based on the drawings that survives today. While she was a friend of Horace Walpole, Lady Huntingdon may have been influenced by Strawberry Hill in the construction of the Gothic-style chapel. Walpole, after visiting the chapel, gave his opinion on the building; "It's very clean, with real gothic windows, but I'm not converted."
The front facade features two triple windows with ogee heads on a two-story window, where the chaplain's apartment would have been. The chapel itself is located at the rear of the building, away from the road, and is where the Bath Architecture Museum is located. As a functional chapel it was airless, with a flat ceiling and a second floor gallery, which are still recognizable today.
Museum of Bath Architecture
Address: The Countess of Huntingdon’s Chapel, The Paragon, The Vineyards, Bath BA1 5NA, Regno Unito
Phone: +44 1225 333895
Site:
http://museumofbatharchitecture.org.uk/Location inserted by
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