Dance had begun work for Sir Francis Baring on his Hampshire country seat, Stratton Park, by 6 January 1803 (see [SM D1/1/9]) and by June of the same year was designing improvements to Baring's town house at No. 33 (then No. 31) Hill Street. His aims were to provide more light and amenities (including warm-air heating in the entrance hall), simplify the layout, and add dignity by some remodelling.

The drawings show that the main changes to the almost square house fronting Hill Street, with three storeys, attic and basement, and originally five bays, were the rebuilding of the best and secondary staircases with top-lighting and a new entrance hall. Some partition walls were removed so that, for example, a library was formed at the back of the ground floor, a rectangular addition of four floors was built to the southwest, the roof was replaced, lavatories added and the wine storage much improved. Externally, the two right-hand windows on each floor of the street elevation were filled in and a new one inserted centred over the (enlarged) front door. Taller sashes were inserted on the first floor front as well as on the ground and first floors of the back where a veranda was added to the first floor.

Baring's summary of his personal accounts for 1802-03 has '7500 cost of House in Hill Street'; 1805-06 '4500 furniture Hill Street / & Stratton'; and finally, 1807-08 'NB this year I sold the house / in Hill Street to / Mr Wall for 10000 / the furniture for 3500 / £13500'. Charles Wall was his son-in-law and business partner. In 1807 Wall also bought Norman Court, for which Dance prepared a scheme in 1810 that was not carried out.

The present 33 Hill Street has three bays instead of Dance's four (which he changed from five) and is a late 19th-century replacement.

LITERATURE. Stroud pp.204-05.

OTHER SOURCES. ING Baring Archive, Sir Francis Baring's account books, BP2.S15