The Circus

Printed on archival watercolour paper with waterbased inks, these fine art reproductions are a true and faithful reproduction of an original watercolour painting by local artist Irene Marsh.

Irene’s original paintings are held in private collections around the world, admired for their remarkable detail and delicate craftsmanship. Each original watercolour often took up to a year to complete, as Irene worked meticulously with a magnifying glass and fine brush to capture every subtle nuance — a testament to her extraordinary patience and skill.

The History

The Circus is a historic ring of large townhouses in the city ofBath, England, forming a circle with three entrances.

The Circus is divided into three segments of equal length, with a lawn in the centre. Each segment faces one of the three entrances, ensuring a classical façade is always presented straight ahead and is regarded as a pre-eminent example of Georgian architecture.

The Circus, originally called the King's Circus, was designed by the architect John Wood, the Elder. Convinced that Bath had been the principal centre of Druid activity in Britain, Wood took inspiration for his design from Stonehenge.

The Circus was part of John Wood the Elder's grand vision to recreate a classical Palladian architectural landscape for the city. Other projects included nearby Queen Square and the never-built Forum. The culmination of Wood's career, the Circus is considered his masterpiece.

Unfortunately Wood died less than three months after the first stone was laid; so his son, John Wood, the Younger, completed the project to his father's design.

The painter Thomas Gainsborough lived in number 17 between 1758 and 1774, using part of its space as his portrait studio. Number 15 was home to Admiral Sir Richard Bickerton and his family in the first half of the 19th century.

During the Bath Blitz of 25/26 April 1942, one of the Baedeker Blitz retaliatory raids on England, a bomb fell into the Circus, demolishing several of the houses. These have since been reconstructed in the original style.

Architectural historian Dan Cruickshank selected the Circus as one of his five choices for the 2002 BBC television documentary series Britain's Best Buildings.

The construction has been designated as a Grade I listed building.