Prior Park (Bath)

 mansion / manor house / villa, Grade I Listed (UK)

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list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1394...
Built between 1735-1748,by architect John Wood the Elder, completed by Richard Jones, for Ralph Allen.
During Allen,s lifetime it became a renowned seat, frequently visited by Alexander Pope, who advised on the landscape setting. The house was acquired in 1829 by Dr Baines, Roman Catholic Bishop for the Western District for use as a seminary (in the east wing) and a boys school (in the west). Baines,s vision for a major Catholic cathedral here was only partly realised. The mansion, used as the Bishop,s residence and altered by H.E. Goodridge, was severely fire damaged in 1836; during reconstruction substantial elements from the recently demolished Hunstrete House, were incorporated into the interior. The seminary and school closed in 1856, having exhausted their limited means. The Catholic Bishop of Clifton bought back the seat in 1867. The Christian Brothers acquired an interest in 1895 and bought it outright in 1922, transferring the running of the school here to a trust in 1981. Having suffered from bomb damage, it suffered a second major fire in 1991, leading to a major campaign of restoration. The gardens were transferred to the National Trust in 1993.