Dear Sir, I’m writing with reference to the Bath Voice article “Developers want to knock down classic 1960s building” March 2024.
Cyril Beazer, mason and builder, had an office, joinery works and builders yard in Cheltenham Street on a site of war damaged houses. His son Brian was the major force in the expansion of the business and in 1974 he completed the construction of new offices called Beazer House in Midland Bridge Road. As the firm expanded he sold Beazer House to Thrings solicitors and acquired the offices of Stothert and Pitt on the Lower Bristol Road.
The new “Beazer House” was the company’s HQ for several years but it was built by Stothert and Pitt. The simple block design may reflect their engineering aesthetic.
Yours, Derek Walker. Surveyor
Below is the article in question:
Bath Voice News: 1960’s Beazer House – a piece of Bath’s post war architectural history – is under threat over plans for a new hotel on Lower Bristol Road
JANUARY 29, 2024
Planning News: Plans have been submitted to knock down a “subjectively” unattractive Bath office block to build a giant 152-room hotel, writes local democracy reporter John Wimperis.
The charity, An ‘environmentally challenged’ office block near the centre of Bath could soon be demolished to make way for a giant three star hotel (pictured below).
The 152-room hotel — which would be six storeys high with a restaurant and bar — would create 47 new jobs in the city and bring an anticipated £1.9m a year into the local economy, developers say. The building of the hotel would also support 127 construction jobs a year until it is completed.
A presentation of the plans at a consultation event in October stated: “Bath attracts over 6 million visitors a year. Savills research team identified strong demand for a three- star hotel in this location.”
Now an application to get planning permission for the development has been submitted to Bath and North East Somerset Council.
Beazer House, a large but almost empty office block on the Lower Bristol Road would be demolished to make way for the hotel under the plans. After being marketed for two years, no office occupiers have expressed interest and the final company to rent a floor are planning to move out within the month.
The presentation stated: “Beazer House was built as an office building in 1966. It is no longer fit for purpose, and at the end of its economic life. It has an EPC ‘E’ rating and is therefore environmentally challenged.” A design and access statement submitted with the application added: “Beazer House is subjectively considered one of Bath’s least attractive buildings.”
If planning permission is approved, work could start in June and it is hoped the hotel could be open and trading by December 2025.
Comment from the editor Harry Mottram: Those familiar with the construction industry will recall the family firm of Beazer that took on contracts to rebuild parts of Bath after the war. The company also built a number of homes and commercial buildings in and around the city including Beazer House. Sometimes described as an example of ‘carchitecture’ – Beazer House was constructed in the era when cars were king in planners’ minds as new roads, ring roads, fly-overs, urban motorways and multi storey car parks were the fashion as Britain embraced the motor car. It was also the time often referred to as ‘The Rape of Bath’ when entire streets of houses were knocked down to make way for new roads – but also a time of optimism with England winning the 1966 World Cup in football, the Beatles and pop conquering all and the ‘Swinging 60s’ when society’s attitudes began to change. The question for future generations will be does Bath have any examples of 20th century and in particular 1960s’ architecture left? Beazer House is a prime example – built on stilts so Ford Anglias and Morris Minors could be parked below for the office workers – with open plan offices above – then and now seen as the best type of work environment allowing more light in and for better communications for the staff.
An uncharitable view of the proposed hotel design is that it is somewhat bland in comparison – and an argument could be that Beazer House simply needs some TLC. Of course the new jobs, money and accommodation are telling factors. Up to Bathonians. You can write to the editor with you views at news@bathvoice.co.uk If you are interested in the preservation of 1960s and indeed 20th century buildings which are under threat there is a society dedicated to their existence in the 20th Century Society at https://c20society.org.uk/
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