Listed Building record MDR3541 - Haig House, Steps and Railings, Bath Street, Bakewell

Haig House, steps and railings, Bath Street, Bakewell, built in 1697. 'Situated on the south side of Bath Street this structure was built as a bath house for the Duke of Rutland, in 1697. The building is of two storeys with an attic. The fenestration consists generally of 2-light mullions; the roof has stone slates with stone gabled ends. The building contains the original bath, 33 ft by 16 ft, vaulted in 1705, and now forming the basement. It is still liberally fed from the Bath Well. Externally there are cast iron railings to steps and there is a wrought iron former lamp bracket over the door.' (1) 'The bath was much used until about 1767 and was then neglected. It was restored in 1817, with two shower baths and a pump being installed. During restoration, a cold spring was discovered under the bath steps. Since finally going out of use in the 1930s, it has had a range of functions, including storage and a mushroom 'farm'.' (2) 'A reference in 1905 notes that 'it is no longer thought agreeable to bathe in a sort of prison vault with a reverbatory echo…'.' (3) 'There may have been buildings on the site in the medieval period; there is a reference in 1471 to a tenement with its appurtances situated between the 'font' and shops.' (4) From the National Heritage List for England: 'BAKEWELL SK2168 BATH STREET 831-1/4/25 (South side) 13/03/51 Haig House with attached steps and railings (Formerly Listed as: BATH STREET (South side) Bath House (Royal British Legion H.Q.) Steps and Iron Railings to Bath House) GV II House with attached steps and railings and containing natural spring bathing pool; now Royal British Legion Club. 1697 for the Duke of Rutland; pool vaulted over in 1705; later additions and alterations; early C19 side wings. Deeply-coursed sandstone and coursed limestone; stone slate, concrete tile and Welsh slate roofs. EXTERIOR: original L-shaped house of 3 storeys and attic with infilled angle; elongated 2-storey side wing across west side with single-storey wing attached. C17 part has large quoins; shaped kneelers with ball finials and chamfered gable copings. Entrance front: 6-panel door approached by 4 stone steps with curved handrails on mid C19 Neo-classical, cast-iron balustrade panels. 2-light double-chamfered mullioned window on left has leaded lights; single-light stair window. Rebuilt gable with band linking the kneelers. Single bay to right of gable has 2-light chamfered mullioned windows to each floor and a parapet. Left return: gable to left with large round-arched 3-light window with transom (lighting the pool); altered window above on left and chamfered single-light window to right; renewed 2-light window to attic. To right of gable a chamfered 2-light window to ground floor, altered window above then a square-faced 2-light mullioned window. 2-storey side on left projects and has an open-fronted rustic porch with 4-panelled door in tufa-lined recess beneath fish-scale, stone-slated canopy. Both gable ends of 2-storey wing have 2-light mullioned windows. INTERIOR: original open-well staircase with square newels having moulded caps; balustrade boxed in except in attic which has exposed turned balusters (newels of staircase supported on inserted props). Round-arched vault over bath measuring approximately 10mx5m; 2 flights of stone steps into the pool; iron handrails. Listing NGR: SK2173368592.' (5)