Prior Park Buildings and Prior Park Cottages were built on two parcels of land, two and a half acres in area – called respectively Forefield and Forefield Orchard, in the parish of Lyncombe and Widcombe.
During the Middle Ages all the land in the area was held by the Priors of the Abbey church in Bath. At the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, the estate, which escheated to the Crown, was largely leased out, Eventually it passed to a series of grant-holders until it came into the hands of Hugh Sexey who lived in Bruton. He died in 1620.
In the late 17th century the ex-mayor of Bath, Robert Fisher acquired from Sexey a large holding of land which included Forefield and Forefield Orchard. For many years the land, being close to the centre of Bath was intensively cultivated to produce apples, pears, plums, gooseberries, cabbages, carrots, and notably, strawberries needed to feed the growing population of Bath.
By the beginning of the 18th century Forefield and Forefield Orchard were located in the estate of what is now called Widcombe Manner but at the time was called ‘the farm at Widcombe’ and was owned by Scarborough Chapman, a Bristol merchant. He probably extended there or built a new residence for himself which his grandson Philip Bennet re-fronted and improved and which came to be known as Widcombe House (called from the beginning of the 20th century Widcombe Manor).
In 1817 Philip Bennet sold the estate to John Thomas. John Thomas was a successful business man from Bristol who had bought Prior Park in 1813. He had a close connection with Bath as he had superintended the building of the Kennet & Avon canal.
In 1820 John Thomas sold the land to Mathias Harris and Samual Saunders who had formed a partnership with a number of local tradesmen/investors to build the terraces.