Virtual Tour
The Building
Number 19 New King Street is by Bath standards a modest town-house; built in around 1764 and probably designed by one of the city’s less celebrated architects, Strachan. It follows a fairly standard layout over five floors with two reception rooms on the ground and first floors and smaller bedrooms on the upper floors.
The basement, on the other hand is unusual; it has not suffered conversion or major change since the house was built and offers the visitor an immediate insight into the juxtaposition of domestic life and ground-breaking astronomical research. It is worth reflecting that, while The Herschel Museum is not only the only museum in Britain dedicated to astronomy, it is one of very few unimposing Georgian town-houses open to the public. Unlike the grand houses in the Royal Crescent, the Circus or more fashionable parts of Bath, this house would probably not have been leased to visitors who came to the city to take the waters, but to residents of a more permanent nature.
The Entrance Hall and Stairs
The entrance hall has changed very little since Georgian times. Of particular note are the cornices which run around the hallway – recent cleaning has revealed a set of plaster lion heads which are linked together with garlands.
The Reception Room
The reception room looks out over the garden below. The room contains a replica of the 7 foot telescope with which William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus.
The Dining Room
The dining room is set out as it may have appeared during the last quarter of the 18th century. The grey and white wallpaper is a replica of a paper from a house in St. Catherine’s Place, Bath. The needlepoint rug is in the French Aubusson style, while the dining table is formed by one segment of a larger table which belonged to the Herschel family when they lived at Observatory House near Slough.
The Drawing Room
The first floor drawing room still retains much of the character of the Georgian period. In the drawing room is a unique collection of astronomical instruments which has recently been given on loan from the Science Museum. These include a brass orrery made in the workshop of George Adam. Because it includes Uranus and two of its moons we can assume that it dates to the period after 1781. Orrerys were in part expensive toys for wealthy gentlemen, but they also helped scientists like Herschel give practical demonstrations of complicated concepts such as the rotation of the planets.
The Music Room
Music was always a major feature of the Herschel household, and the music room of the museum gives an impression of this. It is a room where William Herschel composed and copied music, rehearsed for his concerts and instructed his music students. Some of the great variety of instruments with which he was familiar are represented here. Unfortunately, the organ built by Snezler for the Octagon Chapel, where William Herschel made his musical debut in Bath was dismantled many years ago but part of the keyboards and pipes survived and are on display here.
The Basement
Perhaps the most evocative part of the house is the basement with its kitchen leading directly into the workshop, all of which has changed little since the Herschels lived here.
The workshop is a place of special interest because it was in this place that William Herschel made many of the parts for his telescopes. The flagstone floor in the basement has been in place since the house was constructed, and there is an area in the workshop where the flags are cracked and discoloured, which is thought to be due to an accident which occurred in 1781 and is recorded by Caroline: “Both my brothers and the caster and his men were obliged to run out of opposite doors, for the stone flooring flew about in all directions as high as the ceiling. My poor brother fell exhausted by heat and exertion on a heap of brickbats”.
The Garden
The basement leads out into a garden which has been landscaped to appear much as it might have done during the Herschels’ residence at 19 New King Street; it is a delightful example of a Georgian town-house garden. The astrolabe is situated
where William Herschel might well have placed his telescope while making astronomical observations. The statue of William and Caroline Herschel was unveiled in December 1988 and the plaque on the wall of the workshop was put in place by the National Institute of Physics.
The Star Vault
The right hand cellar vault is now a small astronomy auditorium, which was opened to the public by Sir Patrick Moore in 2002.