LUNCHTIME TALKS

Preserving Bath

Chaired by Rex Valentine

Eleanor Murphy

The Bath Preservation Trust

9 June 2005

The speaker said that when she first looked down on the City of Bath from Bathwick Hill she could see it, in its entirety as designed in 18^th century, and thought it unique.

She then discussed how the role of the Preservation Trust to preserve the Heritage buildings had evolved with changing perception and functions of the city.

It was founded in 1934 and like the BRLSI is a charitable Trust. It is not funded by National or Local Government and has no statuary powers to prevent inappropriate building or destruction. It is now Resident at No 1 Royal Crescent and has 1400 members.

At first in 1935 it undertook fundraising to buy properties in preparation to resist the Bath Bill, set up to drive a new east to west road through the centre of Bath. This battle against the city Council, led by Sir Alexander Lawrence resulted in the resignation of Alderman John Lewis Chairman of the so-called City Improvements Committee. As a result of this victory the Status of the Trust was considerably enhanced and it was able to propose its own agenda for preserving the city. This included restoring The Prior Park Palladian Bridge and the Lansdowne Greville Monument.

Its main aim now became the protection of the green belt that frames Bath, against proposals first made in 1937 to build a bypass through the Limpley Stoke valley to join the A36/46, which is still being considered.

As a result of the Baedeker raids on the 25^th and 26^th April 1942 in WWII many historic buildings were destroyed. The Trust worked with the War Damage Commission to assist people to restore their buildings. And as a result the listing procedure came into force in 1944 before the end of the war.

As a result of the post War strained economy the average five story block of Bath terraces, with servant’s quarters had become an anachronism. In 1944 the society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings recommended that their separate floors should now be flatted off.

At the end of the War the Bath City Council proposed another approach ‘Plan for Bath’. This involved using heritage buildings like the Royal Crescent for Civic purposes. The Trusts priorities in this bleak post war period had to be the housing needs of the people. A Concert Hall, Bus Station and East-West traffic Route were also planned. It took until the 1960’s before these proposals were reconsidered.

The next milestone in Bath’s history was the so- called ‘Sack Of Bath’ of the 1967-68. The Corporation now started to carry out an unprecedented toll of needless destruction and replacement with poor quality modern buildings, as can be seen in certain areas today. This was drawn to national attention by Peter Coad and Adam Ferguson and became a national conservation scandal. The Architectural Review was also highly critical of the corporation. As the opposition to the council built up The Secretary of State became involved and in July 1974 the Trust was invited to join with the Dept. of Environment and the City Council Steering Group to devise a policy of ‘Minimum Physical Change’ and extension of conservation areas. This opposition led, in 1978 to Buchanan’s ‘Volte Face’ document ‘Saving Bath’, and ultimately to recognition of the city as a whole to status as a World Heritage Site in 1987 by UNESCO.

In spite of this recognition the main challenge of keeping Bath moving in the 21^st century remains as difficult as ever.

Examples are, increases in Park and Ride facilities, that, although they diminish cars in the centre increase buses already excessive and often half empty. The plan to extend the University by 52 acres will be difficult to resist, but the pressure to produce top quality buildings in a University with a well-known Architectural Dept will be maximum.

Vision 2026 deals with amongst other things the proportion of retail development against housing units in the Western Riverside Project. The Trust fears excessive metres of ‘bulky goods retail’ warehouses will force urban housing into the green belt.

The A36/46 link road is still on the agenda.

This continued problem of preserving Heritage Bath while meeting the dynamic and changing requirements of the modern city will continue to challenge and occupy the Bath Preservation Trust.

Summary by Rex Valentine