The Bath Preservation Trust is a

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * C ...

that is based in Bath,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, which exists to safeguard for the public benefit the historic character and amenities of the city, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, and its environs. The trust is independent, funded by public membership, grants, donations and income from four museums that it operates in Bath: No. 1 Royal Crescent, the Museum of Bath Architecture, Beckford's Tower, and the Herschel Museum of Astronomy. In addition to its campaigning and educational roles, the trust comments on planning applications and takes part in planning policy consultations. It also provides limited financial assistance towards the repair or reinstatement of external architectural features (railings, window glazing bars, urns, gateposts, etc.) on listed buildings in Bath.

History

The trust was founded in 1934 as a small pressure group with the specific aim of fundraising to buy properties in preparation to resist the Bath Bill, which was drafted in order to drive a new east to west road through the centre of

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

Bath. As a result of victory in this challenge the status of the trust was considerably enhanced, and it was able to propose its own agenda for preserving the city. This included restoring Prior Park's

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

Bridge and Lansdown's Greville Monument. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

damage to buildings in the city during the

Baedeker raids The Baedeker Blitz or Baedeker raids were a series of aerial attacks in April and May 1942 by the German ''Luftwaffe'' on English cities during the Second World War. The name derives from Baedeker, a series of German tourist guide books, includ ...

on 25 and 26 April 1942, the trust worked with the War Damage Commission to assist people to restore their buildings. A further campaign against the "Sack of Bath" in 1967–1968 reduced the loss of heritage buildings to modern structures. Sir John Betjeman was for over 20 years a trustee, and was vice-president from 1965 to 1971 at a time when Bath came under increasing pressure from modern developers and another proposal to build a major road through (in part, under) the city. From 1972, Sir John became the nation's

Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...

. The trust is now an independent registered

and continues to campaign to save

listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, of which Bath has some six and a half thousand, and to ensure a sustainable future for Bath in the context of its status as a World Heritage Site. The trust has over fourteen hundred members and a number of corporate sponsors. Its Patron is

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...

. In July 2015 the trust became the sole trustee of the Herschel House Trust, which owns the Herschel Museum of Astronomy.

Activities

The trust contributes financially to remedial works that enhance the city's Georgian character. It has rescued properties as diverse as

Ralph Allen Ralph Allen (1693 – 29 June 1764) was an entrepreneur and philanthropist, who was notable for his reforms to the British postal system. Allen was born in Cornwall but moved to Bath to work in the post office, becoming the postmaster at ...

's quarry workers' cottages in

Widcombe Widcombe is a district of Bath, England, immediately south-east of the city centre, across the River Avon. The electoral ward was merged with Lyncombe at the boundary changes effected at the elections held on 2 May 2019; the two places have h ...

which once housed artisans who built some of Bath's great Georgian architectural set pieces, and the historically significant Beckford's Tower, now owned by the Bath Preservation Trust and run as a museum. A significant part of the trust's work is reviewing and responding to all planning and listed building consent applications submitted to

Bath and North East Somerset Council Bath and North East Somerset Council is the local council for the district of Bath and North East Somerset in Somerset, England. It is a unitary authority, with the powers and functions of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined ...

. It also owns and runs four independent museums; No. 1 Royal Crescent, the Museum of Bath Architecture, Beckford's Tower and the Herschel Museum of Astronomy. A small former cemetery, the Southcot Burial Ground in Widcombe, is owned by the trust, and is conserved for its wildlife and heritage.

Headquarters

The trust's registered address and offices are at No. 1 Royal Crescent. While most of the rooms in No. 1 operate as a museum, the trust's offices occupy the upper two floors. Since 2018 some staff have relocated to offices at the Old School House, adjacent to the Museum of Bath Architecture.

Trustees

The board of trustees is chaired by Thomas Sheppard who succeeded Edward Bayntun-Coward in February 2016. An earlier chairman was

Michael Fenwick Briggs Michael Fenwick Briggs (7 July 1926 – 22 July 2017) was a British businessman who led preservation work in Bath, Somerset. The son of Dennis B. Briggs, of Oxford, and Grace Mary Davey Luke, Briggs was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, and Mert ...

, of Midford Castle."Michael Briggs, chairman of Bath Preservation Trust – obituary"
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'', 29 July 2017, accessed 11 August 2021

References

External links