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or rate payer but occupied only a furnished house or as much of — 
it as suited him. Letting lodgings or furnished houses was a. 
leading business at this time and to meet the demand what are 
now known as paying guests were taken by private people as. 
boarders, the power of choice in this case being reserved. It was 
perhaps with these thoughts that at some time during my 
wanderings through the streets of Bath, the impression got fixed. 
in my mind that the Sheridan residence in Kingsmead St. must 
have been the very ornate house at the east end corner of the 
south side of the street known once as Rosewell ‘and since by 
different names from time to time, as it was imagined that at the 
Sheridan time the street was only partially built, and no other 
house seemed suitable. It was remembered too that the south 
side looked over Kingsmead Fields since and now always closely 
associated with his name. From want of observation this house: 
is always wrongly described. It is often or always stated that it is. 
in Kingsmead Square, but it is in Kingsmead Street. The length 
east and west is in alignment with that street and the main 
entrance also is in that street. By removing the woodwork now 
outside the shop fronts, the original front doorway, now divided, 
would appear, the exact position would be seen. There may 
have been a side entrance originally from the now Kingsmead 
Square but the present doorway there is an insertion, its style 
different and later than the house wall around it and the date 
above it. On being asked, when the present occasion revived the 
subject, to name Sheridan’s house I gave my above impression. 
but with the direct qualification that there was no authority for it. 
The thought however got into circulation, was even “ discovered ” 
locally, and lord Dufferin was driven by this house also, 
Bath was not early with a newspaper but curiously the far away 
Kentish Post of the 3rd Dec, 1740%* tells us under date from Bath 
26th Nov, that on that morning—‘“‘a dreadful fire happened in the 
* P 2; :co0l.2: 
