The Georgian town house was built in 1820. It replaced a house that had been occupied by John Bradshaw, Congleton Mayor in 1637, and president of the court that sentenced King Charles 1 to death. The current Bradshaw House is a fine example of a merchant’s town house but bears no resemblance to the house that was lived in by John Bradshaw. An existing drawing shows this to have been a fine timbered house with many windows and decorative work over the gables.
The Lowndes family, who built the second Bradshaw House, may also have built the Bath House which sits behind the house in a garden that was once owned by John Bradshaw. The Bath House, currently undergoing extensive restoration by Congleton Building Preservation Trust, is a two-storey building which houses a plunge pool and a warming-room. The garden, which is planted as a Physic Garden, has an Adam-style shelter. Bath houses, inspired by the Roman practice, enjoyed a renaissance during the classical revival in the late Georgian period and this is a very nice example of a privately-owned facility, if a little unexpected in the garden of a town tradesman.
The Bath House is opened to the public on selected days and you can see more information about this by visiting https://congletonbpt.wordpress.com
For more information about John Bradshaw, see Ye Olde White Lion at No 7 of this Heritage Trail or visit Congleton Museum which is situated behind the Town Hall.
Take a walk along Moody Street to see more fine houses from the Georgian period.
