Grosvenor Villa, a Downton Abbey-style Georgian villa and historic hidden gem in Bath.
Address: Grosvenor Bridge Road, Bath, BA1 6BB.
Grosvenor Villa has that unmistakable old-school charm that instantly brought Downton Abbey to mind. The high ceilings, vintage touches, abundance of paintings and cosy details made us feel as though we’d stepped into our own little manor house. It’s the sort of place where you can easily imagine sipping tea like a lady or lord of the house, yet still feel completely relaxed.
Your stay here feels all the richer once you hear the story behind it — something the owner, Richard, loves to share with every guest. And it’s well worth hearing, because Grosvenor Villa has a history that’s every bit as charming as the house itself. The villa is a Grade II listed Georgian property, added to one end of a grand terrace designed by John Eveleigh, one of Bath’s best-known architects of the era.
The house owes its existence to Thomas Shew, a painter, collector and art dealer, who originally planned to build himself a home and gallery to display his treasures. While he was working on that project, Bath Abbey happened to be removing its beautifully carved marble altarpiece — first installed in 1726 and taken out in 1830 to make way for the Gothic one that stands there today. Shew bought the entire altar and decided it deserved a proper home, so he built Grosvenor Villa around it, creating the impressive entrance hall you see now, complete with stones said to have come from the Abbey floor. It’s a wonderfully unexpected bit of history: a Georgian villa that exists because an artist fell in love with an ornate Italian-style altar and built a house to preserve it.
What else made this accommodation special for us? It’s adults-only and brilliantly dog-friendly — ideal for our stay. The location is also spot on: just 1.2 miles from Bath city centre, easily reached either by bus from the stop outside the house or via a gentle 20-minute stroll along the canal towpath at the end of the road, which brings you out into Sydney Gardens at the top of Great Pulteney Street.
A continental breakfast is served in the Georgian dining room, where dogs are welcome too, from 8:30 to 9:30. One of the most memorable touches is the dumbwaiter used by the owner to deliver breakfast to the room — a small service lift traditionally used in historic houses to transport food, dishes, laundry and other items between floors, helping to keep household service discreet.
Grosvenor Villa is a small B&B, with only three rooms, but honestly, the service here is the sort many big hotels — even well-known chains — would be lucky to match. Everything feels genuinely thoughtful, from the warm welcome to the little details that make your stay feel special: helpful emails full of dog-friendly recommendations, Richard’s personal greeting and his readiness to answer any questions (including booking a taxi if needed), the two small bottles of wine in the room, and his brilliant stories over breakfast.
There are three rooms: Mansfield Park (en-suite), Pride & Prejudice (private bathroom) and Northanger Abbey (private bathroom). We stayed in the Mansfield Park room, which was wonderfully spacious, complete with a king-size four-poster bed. A small word of warning: the steps inside the house are very steep, so this may not be the best choice for people with limited mobility.
Dogs at Grosvenor Villa
This is one of the most dog-friendly places we’ve ever stayed. Dogs are welcome everywhere, including the dining room — and there’s no extra charge. There’s a small, fully enclosed garden where Winnie was able to have a good run around.
Parking
There is no on-site parking, but parking is available on Grosvenor Bridge Road, which is a cul-de-sac, and on the road behind, Ringswell Gardens. Neither has any parking restrictions, and both offer free parking 24/7.
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