PRIOR PARK, BATH 



263 



FIG. 1 8 1. Went worth Woodhouse. The Staircase Hall. 



who designed it in 1736 for Ralph Allen, an extremely capable 

 man, who, from being a clerk in a Bath post office, became one 

 of the wealthiest men of his time. He established a lucrative 

 system of posts, and he exploited the quarries of the district. 

 It is said, indeed, that Prior Park was built in order to advertise 



