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CITY | PROPERTY
IN AMONG THE TREETOPS
Greenway Crescent is Bath’s newest hidden gem, tucked away behind a wall above Bear Flat. Georgette McCready enjoys a tour of the show home
T
hose clever Georgians used to pop a row of terraced houses on to a hillside with consummate skill. Look at all those delightful rows perched at odd points around Bath, such as Macaulay Buildings, Bloomfield Crescent or Widcombe Crescent. And in 2017, that tradition continues, with the creation of a new crescent of four townhouses built into the hillside off Wellsway, on the edge of Greenway Lane and overlooking the woods of Lyncombe Vale. It is the first crescent to be built in the city for more than 15 years. Work is just finishing on what has been a painstaking two year project for local family developers and builders Simon and Lisa Hatch of Hatch Builders of Bath (hatchbuilders.co.uk). The show home at Greenway Crescent is now open for viewings. I had first visited the site a few months ago to discover that the Hatches had launched themselves into an ambitious project which had involved demolishing a bungalow on the site and building five new homes into the slope, using an enormous gabion wall to allow the gently curved crescent of four homes to nestle into the hill. From the front they look like contemporary homes with integral garages and a first floor over them, but step inside and the light and spacious interior opens up over five floors. The show home, No 1, has been beautifully styled and furnished by Susanna and Chloe Temple of Blue Home at The Loft, of Bartlett Street. Theoretically the new owners could buy the whole house and contents as seen. Lisa and Simon, who have three children and understand the practicalities of busy working parents, have designed the houses to be as low maintenance as possible. Drive the car into the integral garage, open the door inside and you’re in the hallway. From here there are doors to a wet room – with a hand held shower as well as the overhead showerhead, which makes it useful for hosing down muddy dogs or children. Next door is the utility room, into which said dogs or children’s muddy kit or towels can be deposited for laundry, and down a short flight of stairs, all the shopping can be put away in the enormous kitchen-dining room. This room is a delight. It’s been practically designed with loads of cupboard and wall space, an island with a hob and a breakfast bar plus plenty of room for a full size family dining table. There’s even more space for a child to wheel about on a trike or for guests to mingle while the 90 TheBATHMagazine
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JUne 2017
WHATEVER THE WEATHER: main picture, big doors unfold from the kitchen-dining room on to the terrace, with the treetop views beyond Left, a fuel efficient log burning stove adds a cosy glow to the main drawing room, pictured right Top, the view from the back garden and a dining table, invitingly laid out so people can envisage how the space could be used in the kitchen-dining room