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ISSUE 284 | OCTOBER 2026 | thebathmag.co.uk | £4.95 where sold

THEBATHMAGAZINE

Building for a better future

Buro Happold marks 50 years in Bath

Back to the future Bob Gale on taking the DeLorean to the stage

City of champions

Bath City FC begins an exciting new chapter

Crafted with care Why handmade details are transforming our homes

The art of Bath

The city’s artists go on show and behind the scenes at the studios

Absolutely Jennifer Jennifer Saunders on life, laughs and letting go PLUS... S O M U C H M O R E I N T H E C I T Y ’ S M O S T I N T E L L I G E N T G U I D E T O L I V I N G I N B AT H

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Contents

44 6

FIVE THINGS Great goings on to look forward to in Bath this month

14 FIVE MINUTES WITH... Solicitor Jeremy Thring reﬂects on a life well lived in Bath

16 COVER STORY Jennifer Saunders chats to Melissa Blease about comedy, conﬁdence and carrying on

20 FASHION In-between seasons. Keep your wardrobe ﬂexible with the latest looks and lighter layers for all weathers this autumn

22 BACK TO THE FUTURE Oscar-nominated co-creator Bob Gale tells us how he turned a much-loved movie into a hit stage musical

26 WHAT’S ON Our monthly round-up of must-attend events and things to do

36 BATH SOCIETY OF ARTISTS Celebrating the extraordinary breadth of talent at the Society’s 121st Annual Open Exhibition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

66 52 HALLOWEEN FOODS Halloween’s culinary traditions have a distinctly dark past. We dig into the folklore behind the spookiest feast

56 MARTIN BLAKE Classical techniques, seasonal inspiration and plenty of creative ﬂair. We speak to the chef behind Montagu’s Mews restaurant at the Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa

60 BATH CITY FOOTBALL Executive Chair Andrew Stalbow reveals the plans to unlock Bath City’s long-held potential

66 BURO HAPPOLD – SPECIAL FEATURE From a handful of engineers in a Bath townhouse to a global success story: Buro Happold celebrates 50 years

86 A GOOD WALK Andrew Swift takes a stroll through Trowbridge, where elegant architecture reveals a rich and surprising industrial past

88 INTERIORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . We explore the new appreciation for traditional skills and the enduring appeal of handmade pieces

40 ARTS & EXHIBITIONS Our carefully curated guide to art and visual delights to be found at the city’s galleries

44 BATH ARTISTS Sparking creativity since 1996, Bath Artists’ Studios reﬂects on its successes – and the challenges ahead Follow us @thebathmagazine or enjoy our website: thebathmag.co.uk

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On our cover this month Jennifer Saunders is to appear at the Theatre Royal in Edward Bond’s complex social satire/comedydrama, The Sea . Image courtesy of Theatre Royal Bath

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ZEITGEIST

Indulge at a food festival

Halloween at The American Museum & Gardens As daylight fades over Claverton Manor, something strange is stirring in the gardens. For the first time, the American Museum & Gardens is transforming its autumnal grounds after dark for an atmospheric Halloween experience filled with imaginative lighting, projections, eerie scenes, sound effects and playful surprises. Follow a self-guided route through the gardens, where shadows shift among the trees and the historic Manor House takes on a suitably spooky new guise. Visitors can also venture inside for a rare candlelit tour of selected historic rooms, subject to availability. Designed to be eerie and playful rather than terrifying, it’s a Halloween outing for families and grown-ups alike – and costumes are positively encouraged. Seasonal food and drink will be available throughout the evening. Running from 16 October – 1 November, advance booking is recommended for timed entry from 5.30-8.30pm. americanmuseum.org

Bath Young Musician of the Year Five of the city’s most talented young performers take centre stage at the Guildhall on 6 October at 7.30pm, competing Jacob Wells-Luttrell for the coveted title of Bath Young Musician of the Year. One of the Mid-Somerset Festival’s most prestigious annual events, the competition showcases musicians who achieved outstanding marks at this year’s Festival. Taking part are cellists Jay Finer and Arbel Rix, pianist Lisa Wang, guitarist Jacob Wells-Luttrell and saxophonist Matthew Wise. With former competitors having gone on to successful musical careers, it’s a chance to enjoy some exceptional emerging talent – and perhaps spot a star of the future. Tickets £13.50 (inc fees); under-18s free. bathboxoffice.org.uk

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Wells Food Festival is back for its 14th year on 11 October (10.30am-4.30pm, free entry), and is set to be a jam-packed celebration of the region’s rich farming and food heritage. In the Artisan Market, more than 200 producers and street food sellers will be offering creative culinary delights, with everything from dim sum to traditional Somerset cheddar, washed down with a range of drinks from kombucha to locally distilled gin. Feature areas for 2026 include Big Nath’s Fire Stage, with a BBQ masterclass from founder and chef Nathan Ritchie; Food for Thought, an area dedicated to chewing over some food-related issues; a quintessentially English area called Swan Green (which includes the English Wine Marquee) to relax, meet friends, enjoy street food and soak up live music; free children’s cookery workshops with Little Joe’s Kitchen and plenty more. wellsfoodfestival.co.uk

Moments of Light at Dorothy House See the grounds of Dorothy House transformed this autumn with Moments of Light, a spectacular new installation by internationally renowned light artist and Dorothy House Ambassador Bruce Munro. From October to December, thousands of illuminated forms will glow across the hospice grounds in Winsley, creating an immersive landscape designed as a place for reflection, remembrance and togetherness. The world-exclusive installation builds on Munro’s permanent Firefly Woods and forms part of Dorothy House’s anniversary celebrations. Visitors can experience the installation alone or with family and friends, and can also dedicate a light on a Firefly in memory of someone special. Tickets are free, with donations welcomed to support the hospice’s care for patients and their families. dorothyhouse.org.uk

A Major Murder: A Roman Baths Mystery Step back into Bath in 1897 for an evening of murder, mystery and intrigue in the atmospheric surroundings of the Roman Baths on 23 October, from 6.15pm. Major Charles Edward Davis has been found dead during the grand unveiling of the Roman Promenade – and it’s up to you to discover whodunnit. After a welcome drink, guests work in teams to explore the historic site, interrogate a colourful cast of suspects and piece together the clues before attempting to unmask the culprit. Expect suspicious characters, secrets among Bath’s Victorian elite and plenty of twists along the way. Period fancy dress is encouraged, but not essential. Tickets £35, including a drink. Ages 12+. bathvenues.co.uk

Image courtesy of John Law

things to enjoy in October

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ZEITGEIST

City Updates

UK premiere, The Parking Spot

Cinema has always helped us make sense of the world – and ourselves. This October, Bath Film Festival returns with 10 days of bold new films, UK premieres, rediscovered classics and imaginative events that take cinema far beyond the screen. Running from 16–25 October, the festival’s 36th edition explores what it means to be human in a changing world, with stories spanning love, identity, family, resilience, belonging and unexpected connection. From major international award-winners to emerging filmmakers and films rarely seen elsewhere in the region, there is plenty to discover. The festival opens with Wild Horse Nine, a pitch-black comedy from The Banshees of Inisherin director Martin McDonagh, starring Sam Rockwell, John Malkovich and Steve Buscemi. Other previews include Palme d’Or winner Fjord, with Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve; Josephine, starring Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan; and the wonderfully eccentric-sounding Wicker, which pairs Olivia Colman and Peter Dinklage in an unconventional adult fairy tale. Four UK premieres bring further discoveries, among them The Parking Spot, a Canadian thriller in which an everyday dispute over a parking space escalates into a confrontation and existential crisis. A premise that may strike a familiar chord with Bath motorists, perhaps – although hopefully without quite the same consequences. The filmmaker will join audiences for a post-screening Q&A. Beyond the cinema, Beyond the Screen turns watching a film into an experience. Japanese foodie favourite Tampopo comes with filminspired canapés and a shared vegetarian ramen supper created with Bath Community Kitchen, while Buster Keaton’s The General celebrates its centenary at the Holburne Museum with live piano accompaniment from Dominic Irving. Elsewhere, Human Traffic leads into a dance party, Bend It Like Beckham heads to Bath City FC as film meets football, while the screening of roller derby cult favourite, Whip It is followed by a roller disco! Festival Director Jasmine Barker says the programme is about introducing Bath audiences to stories and filmmakers they might not otherwise encounter: “The programme explores what makes us who we are, with rule-defying characters, unexpected human connections and experiences in our ever-changing world.” With award winners, premieres, filmmaker Q&As and experiences that spill out into venues across the city, Bath Film Festival offers an invitation to look beyond the familiar – and perhaps see both ourselves and the world a little differently. For the full programme and tickets visit filmbath.org.uk

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Don’t ditch it... Fix it! Give tired clothes, broken appliances and forgotten favourites a new lease of life at FixFest, a family festival celebrating repair, reuse and sustainable living at BRLSI on 10 October. Bringing together BRLSI, Dorothy House and Share and Repair for the first time, the day is packed with hands-on workshops, expert advice, talks and activities designed to help us rethink what we throw away. Bring along a household item to the pop-up Repair Café; learn essential stitches and creative mending techniques; transform an old pair of jeans into a bag; or discover how to give preloved clothes fresh appeal with Dorothy House’s Fashion Doctors, Lizzie Heffer and Sarah Baker. There are scrunchie and bunting workshops using reclaimed fabrics, practical home-energy tips from Bath and West Community Energy and a series of bite-sized talks on sustainability and repair. Younger fixers can get creative too, making sock puppets and theatres or helping to build a huge collaborative city. FixFest, 10 October, 10am-4pm, BRLSI, 16 Queen Square. Many activities are free, with additional workshops being lowcost. brlsi.org

Image credit: Tommy Clayton

Bath Film Festival: The world on screen

Bath Phil opens the door to new audiences Bath Philharmonic Orchestra is opening up live orchestral music with two new ticket offers. Bath Phil Discover gives firsttime audiences a free ticket, while Bath Phil Explore offers £6 tickets for selected concerts to those keen to return and hear more. The initiative builds on Bath Phil for Free, which distributed more than 3,000 free tickets across Bath and North East Somerset last year. bathphil.co.uk/discover

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ZEITGEIST

City Updates Image courtesy of Thermae Bath Spa / Jamie Kong

Digging deeper into Roman Bath

Twenty years of taking the waters For a city whose relationship with its thermal waters stretches back more than 2,000 years, 20 years may seem a mere ripple in time. But this year marks an important anniversary for Thermae Bath Spa, which opened in 2006 and helped return natural thermal bathing to the heart of the city. Since then, more than five million people have taken to its mineral-rich waters, with the rooftop pool and its panoramic views across Bath’s honey-coloured skyline becoming one of the city’s most recognisable contemporary images. Designed by Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners, Thermae Bath Spa brought a distinctly modern approach to Bath’s ancient tradition of wellbeing. Behind its striking glass and stone exterior, naturally warm thermal waters are combined with spa treatments and contemporary wellness experiences, creating a connection between the city’s remarkable history and the way we think about relaxation and self-care today. It was also an ambitious project years in the making. Its opening restored the opportunity to bathe in Bath’s naturally hot springs after a long absence, adding a new chapter to a story that began with the Romans and has continued through the Georgian enthusiasm for taking the waters to today’s flourishing wellness culture. Thermae now welcomes around 230,000 guests each year, drawn from across the UK and overseas, and its influence has extended well beyond the treatment rooms and pools. The spa has played a part in re-establishing Bath as an international wellness destination and strengthening the city’s year-round visitor economy. Bath also holds the unusual distinction of two UNESCO World Heritage inscriptions – as the City of Bath and as part of The Great Spa Towns of Europe. Andrew Jordan, Executive Vice President of YTL Hotels & Properties, says the anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate everyone who has been part of Thermae’s journey, from its guests and colleagues to partners and the wider Bath community. Two decades on, the appeal remains wonderfully simple: the chance to sink into naturally warm spring water, look out across the rooftops and participate in a Bath ritual that has endured for millennia. Book a dip, visit: thermaebathspa.com

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Archaeological excavations beneath Bath Assembly Rooms have uncovered evidence suggesting that the Roman city of Aquae Sulis stretched further west than previously understood. The discoveries, made during the National Trust’s £20 million restoration of the Assembly Rooms, include a network of substantial Roman ditches dating from the second to third centuries, together with almost 60 fragments of pottery, glass vessels, animal bones, roof tiles, three coins and a limestone tessera that may once have formed part of a mosaic floor. The excavation offered archaeologists a rare opportunity to investigate up to a metre beneath the Georgian building, in ground that had previously been largely inaccessible. Perhaps most intriguing is a rare fragment of a Roman military helmet, providing further evidence of the presence of military personnel involved in the construction of the city and its roads. Archaeologists have yet to establish exactly what was happening on the site during the Roman period, but hope future investigations in neighbouring streets and properties may reveal more. While Roman activity beyond the walls of Aquae Sulis has long been known to the north, particularly around Northgate Street and Walcot, the latest excavations extend the mapped area of occupation westwards. Archaeologists believe further remains could lie beneath neighbouring Georgian streets and properties. National Trust project curator Tatjana LeBoff described the discovery as “significant”, adding that the finds will help build a greater understanding of those who lived and worked in Bath nearly 2,000 years ago. The Assembly Rooms are due to reopen in 2027 following their restoration and transformation into a new visitor attraction. Find out more at: nationaltrust.org.uk

A collection of Roman finds from Bath Assembly Rooms. Picture courtesy of National Trust Images / James Beck

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The Bath Magazine, 2 Princes Buildings, George Street, Bath BA1 2ED Tel: 01225 424499 www.thebathmag.co.uk Editorial team and contributors: Melissa Blease, Rosanna Spence, Simon Horsford, Charlotte Carter, Andrew Swift, Joe Short, Elly West, India Farnham, Hannah Poon. editor@thebathmagazine Financial Director Jane Miklos jane@thebathmagazine.co.uk Editorial and Digital Assistant: Olivia Kent olivia@thebathmagazine.co.uk Production Manager Jeff Osborne production@thebathmagazine.co.uk Advertising Sales Liz Grey liz@thebathmagazine.co.uk To advertise tel: 01225 424499 Publisher Steve Miklos steve@thebathmagazine.co.uk Contact us at thebathmag.co.uk Follow us on Instagram @thebathmagazine The Bath Magazine and The Bristol Magazine are published by MC Publishing Ltd. We are independent of all other local publications. The Bath Magazine is delivered free, every month, to more than 15,000 residential addresses as well as businesses throughout Bath and the surrounding area. We also have special distribution units in many of Bath’s supermarkets. The Holburne and Toppings Books © MC Publishing Ltd 2026 Disclaimer: Whilst every reasonable care is taken with all material submitted to The Bath Magazine, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to such material. Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors. This publication is copyright and may not be reproduced in any form either in part or whole without written permission from the publishers. All paper used to make this magazine is taken from good sustainable sources and we encourage our suppliers to join an accredited green scheme. Magazines are now fully recyclable. By recycling magazines, you can help to reduce waste and contribute to the six million tonnes of paper already recycled by the UK paper industry each year. Please recycle this magazine, but if you are not able to participate in a recycling scheme, then why not pass your magazine on to a friend or colleague.

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CITY PEOPLE

FIVE MINUTES WITH...

Jeremy Thring Still working at 90, Bath-born solicitor Jeremy Thring reflects on a lifetime in the city, the value of kindness, embracing change and why you have to go out and meet life. You were born in Bath in 1936. What is your earliest memory of the city – and what was childhood in Bath like? My earliest memory is a frightening one – the bombing of Bath during the war. We lived between North Road and the golf club, and although the hilliness of the land spared us a direct hit, shrapnel rained down over the house. I remember hiding under the kitchen table while my mother, a tough Scot, remained a complete oasis of calm – nobody was going to pick a fight with her. I remember the local policeman and the ARP warden coming to check we were all right and thinking how brave they were. It was a dramatic start to childhood, but underneath that, wartime Bath was actually a quieter, gentler place than the city it has become today. You’ve called Bath “the most beautiful city”. After a lifetime here, do you still notice its beauty? Is there a view or street that still stops you in your tracks? Most definitely. If anything, I appreciate it even more now! Bath’s architecture still gets to me every time. It’s the rhythm and the style of it that’s so special – the way the buildings sit together and lead the eye through the city. That sense of proportion and harmony is, to me, simply perfect. You’ve watched Bath change over the best part of a century. What has changed most – and what reassuringly remains the same? To me, the two biggest changes have been the arrival of the Admiralty and, later, the University. The University in particular, I believe, has been a real force for good in the town, and I hope that continues. It’s wonderful that it has been so successful while sticking to a concept of excellence – producing welladjusted graduates who go on to do good things. When you also consider the incredibly successful businesses that have flourished in Bath and become champions of our communities, the charities that do so much good for the people and our rugby club that is admired and supported well beyond the city limits, Bath continues to find new ways to be great. What has stayed the same, reassuringly, is the beauty of our city. That has never lost its power and continues to be a magnetic force that brings the world to our doorstep. If you could give the next generation of Bathonians responsibility for just one thing, what would you ask them to protect – or perhaps to change? I’d ask them to keep welcoming change where it matters: new people, new ideas, new institutions. Bath has always been strongest when it holds on to its beauty while still letting new life in. Your life in Bath has taken you far beyond the law – through the RUH, schools, the University and many other organisations. Has being part

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Jeremy Thring of a city’s civic life changed what Bath means to you? I’ve learnt an enormous amount from sitting on various committees over the years, seeing what different organisations, mostly charities, have aimed to achieve over the years and the lengths they have gone to in order to make our community a better place. If anything, the amazing individuals I have met and continue to meet always seem to ﬁnd a way to surprise me and demonstrate the continued innovation and excellence that our city continues to cultivate.

“People are essentially nice and kind, and prepared to give.” You’ve spent almost 70 years working with people and families, sometimes across generations. What has that taught you about people? One learns about people all the time, and what I’ve found, above all, is that people are essentially nice and kind, and prepared to give. If you’re polite, helpful and well-mannered, there is almost always a relationship you can build on. And if that turns into a friendship – well, that’s the best outcome of all! You’ve said communication skills remain essential, however sophisticated technology becomes. What does the younger generation do well – and what might they learn from yours? I have great faith in the younger generation. On the whole they’re well educated and they do genuinely seem to care about other people. Having grown up in a world where speed is ever increasing, they have certainly adapted to the strain and continue to do so. When you get to

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my age, you come to appreciate it when things slow down a bit and hopefully that is something they get the chance to realise as well. Your wife Cynthia clearly had an enormous influence on your life. You’ve said that loving someone made you want to do your best and make her proud. Looking back, do you think the people we share our lives with ultimately shape us more than our careers do? I do think that, yes. You are indeed shaped by your education, your career and defining experiences – my National Service in the Army being a significant one for me – but nothing quite leaves its mark like the influence of the person or people you love. My wife was a huge influence on my life, and I’ve seen the same thing happen for many other men with their partners, extraordinary people in their own right, building them up. If you’re lucky enough to have children, you have a duty to set an example and to know the difference between right and wrong – that matters enormously – and having someone to share that experience with not only helps make them better but helps you grow in ways you didn’t realise you could.

Handmade in the Heart of Bath

At 90 you’re still going into the office, meeting people and taking an interest in what is changing around you. What keeps you curious? I like people. It really is as simple as that. You’ve said, wonderfully, that “you have to go out and meet life – you cannot expect it to come to you.” What does going out to meet life mean to Jeremy Thring today? It can mean almost anything, so long as you’re not sitting back passively and waiting for things to happen to you. Life comes to those who go looking for it. With a completely free day in Bath, how would you spend it? I’d start with a round of golf, then treat myself to a good lunch. If I was feeling a little indulgent, particularly now as I’m getting older, I’d love to take a walk from the bottom of town right up to Beckford’s Tower. I would enjoy taking in the crescents along the way, love their magniﬁcence and the way they were conceived – the build-up from Queen Square and along Gay Street, into the Circus and beyond. It’s simply beautiful. n Thrings.com

JODYCORY.CO.UK 01225 460072 JODY@JODYCORY.CO.UK 9 ABBEY CHURCHYARD BATH BA1 1LY

Back in the day... when phones with cords were a thing

Repairs • Remodelling • Commissions

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COVER STORY | TRACY-ANN OBERMAN

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COVER STORY | JENNIFER SAUNDERS

Jennifer Saunders: My life is just my life

From Absolutely Fabulous to The Comic Strip Presents, Jennifer Saunders has created some of British comedy’s most unforgettable characters. As she returns to the Theatre Royal Bath in Edward Bond’s The Sea, Melissa Blease talks to her about playing formidable women, reuniting with Dawn French – and why she still doesn’t quite understand what it means to be an icon.

t’s a routine I’ve been familiar with for years: research done, questions prepared, background noise quelled; recording function fully operational, cup of coffee to hand, adrenaline pumping just enough to keep the verbal ping-pong bouncy. But during this particular interview build-up, I’m having to add “pinch myself several times” to the list. Eek! I’m getting ready to talk to Jennifer Saunders: the actress, comedian, writer (and more!) who’s earned herself National Treasure status over a fascinating glittering career. To take a speedy stroll through all that stardust, Jennifer was, alongside fellow contemporary luminaries including Dawn French, Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, a pivotal cog in the groundbreaking, pioneering 1980s Comic Strip Presents… team. She moved on to be the bossy half of French and Saunders and the self-obsessed, narcissistic fashion PR pariah Edina Monsoon in Absolutely Fabulous. She wrote (and starred in) Women’s Institute-centric comedy drama Jam & Jerusalem, penned the script for the Spice Girls-based jukebox musical Viva Forever!... and in 2019, having already aced the role of The Duchess of Berwick in Lady Windermere’s Fan in London’s West End, she rocked Bath with her take on Noël Coward's eccentric clairvoyant Madam Arcati in the Theatre Royal Bath’s production of Blithe Spirit.

“My life is just my life; I just do things, and if I really enjoyed doing that thing then it was a highlight” Jennifer is returning to Bath this month to star as formidable aristocrat Mrs Rafi in the first major revival of Edward Bond’s complex social satire/comedy-drama The Sea for almost two decades – and The Bath Magazine is one of the first publications to talk to her about it. So! Am I forgiven for being a bit… daunted? The voice – refined but warm, effortlessly articulate – is uniquely, unmistakably Saunders. But there’s an unexpected timbre in the mix that puts me at ease from the get-go. “It’s turning into a beautiful day here!” she says, talking to me from her family home and out-of-London bolthole on Dartmoor. “It’s been raining hard but now the sun is poking through the clouds and everything is all a bit… well, glisteny!” Straight away, I can tell that this is a woman who, despite her aweinspiring CV, has absolutely no ‘showbiz side’ to her at all – but much as I’d love to discuss the beauties of the autumn season with her all day

long, we do indeed have business to do. Sorry to disturb your reverie, Jennifer – but why The Sea… and why now? “I’ve never seen The Sea, and I’d never even read it before director Jonathan Munby sent it to me,” she says, keeping that Caramel Bunny vibe going despite my dragging her off the path of peace. “I haven’t done many plays but I really enjoyed my Blithe Spirit experience and I thought well, if this one’s in Bath too, I’ll say yes!” So it was Bath that swung it for her! “The Theatre Royal is a lovely place to do a play, and Bath audiences are so appreciative; being there is just a lovely experience,” she says. “But of course, the play is great too! Bond wrote it in 1973, but it’s set in the early 1900s. My part, Mrs Rafi, sort of represents that era: she’s the top rung of the upper middle class types at the height of the Empire days: bossy and arrogant. And she’s really quite horrible to people; very cruel, but deliberately so. She thinks that people expect her to boss them around, and shout at them, and bully them – so she does. I don’t hate her for that; she’s doing what she was brought up to do. But she’s definitely quite mean, and has no sympathy for anyone except herself.” Might Mrs Rafi be the Edina Monsoon of the early 20th century aristos? Sadly, it didn’t occur to me to put that to Jennifer during our chat (blame that on my own performance anxiety). The Sea, however, has a very different kind of theatrical depth. “It’s quite a strange play because it tells two different sides of the same story,” Jennifer tells me. “There’s a death by drowning right at the beginning and everything sort of spins out of control after that. It’s quite difficult at times – it’s not all comedy; it’s really intriguing.” I expect nothing less, either from playwright Edward Bond (who drew some of his inspiration for The Sea from themes within Shakespeare’s The Tempest but somehow – and I kid you not, here – managed to weave the character of a draper with a belief in alien invasion into the mix), the domineering, manipulative hypocrite Mrs Rafi… or, of course, Jennifer herself. Might this eagerly anticipated revival be on track for an upper-echelon rating on Saunders’ ‘highlight of career to date’ status? “Hm, that whole highlight thing,” she muses. “My life is just my life; I just do things, and if I really enjoyed doing that thing then it was a highlight. I loved doing Ab Fab, for example; it was such a joyous thing. And I still love working with Dawn!” That’s just as well, really, because when The Sea’s tide rolls away, Saunders is reuniting on stage with French for the first time in 17 years when the duo star as the Ugly Sisters in the London Palladium’s prestigious 2026 pantomime production of Cinderella. Jennifer is no stranger to the pantomime genre, having made her Palladium panto debut in the 2023/24 season starring as Captain Hook in Peter Pan. If Jennifer starring alongside Julian Clary as Seaman Smee resulted in ➲ THEBATHMAG.CO.UK | OCTOBER 2026 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 17

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COVER STORY | JENNIFER SAUNDERS

a witmeister wonderland experience, surely French and Saunders version 2.0 is set to be an ad-libbing riot? “Dawn and I are actually very disciplined!” Jennifer insists. “You’ve always got to know exactly what’s going to happen next in any given production, and it’s actually very difficult to be impromptu, especially in comedy.” Okay, let’s take the panto prospect down another possible outcome track: will Jennifer – perhaps the most beautiful ‘ugly sister’ to date – make her role ‘iconic’, as she has done with so many of the characters she’s now well known for?

“I can’t wait to be back in Bath… it’s just the loveliest city.” Jennifer’s response to this question is positively, spontaneously raucous. “I don’t think I’ve ever done that!” she exclaims. Oh yes she has; Edina and Madam Arcati to name but two – Jennifer takes a role and owns it. But… “I don’t really understand what an icon is!” she says; “I just do the role I’m doing, and hope that people want to watch me doing it!” Okay, so we declare a stalemate on Jennifer’s icon/not-an-icon status. The producers of Steve Martin and John Hoffman’s massively successful American murder mystery comedy/drama Only Murders in the Building, however, might take my side. Jennifer is starring in Only Murders season 6 – informally dubbed Only Murders in London – joining existing superstars in their regular roles of Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) and Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep) alongside a star-studded British cast including Olivia Colman, David Tennant and Martin Freeman. See: icons! But nope: Jennifer will not concur. “Murders was just a lovely job,” she says. “Everyone involved was so chilled out, and easy-going, and nice; the whole thing was just like a very well-hosted party. And I didn’t hear a single person get stroppy or shout at anybody during the whole process, which is actually quite rare.” Is Jennifer herself ever drawn to shouting while working? “No, I don’t think so!” she says and I totally believe her – Caramel Bunny, remember? And might ‘not shouting’ also be one of the secrets to the success of her long marriage to Adrian Edmondson? Jennifer married Ade in 1985, around the early Comic Strip era, and the couple went on to have three daughters (and, to date, ﬁve grandchildren). “Ade answered this question quite well himself in an interview once: he said the secret of a good marriage is not to get divorced,” she says. “You can take that in many ways, but I think he’s right – you just work through it all together.” And together, Jennifer and I have worked through our interview – and my pre-interview nerves were, it seems, entirely redundant. “I can’t wait to be back in Bath,” she says, before we say goodbye. “I’m so looking forward to it; it’s just the loveliest city. The shops are great, the cafes, bakeries and parks are great. I just love walking around it all, constantly thinking, gosh, how has it kept so beautiful? It’s like a dream!” And talking to Jennifer was a dream in itself… no self-inﬂicted pinch-bruises necessary. n The Sea. Theatre Royal Bath, Thursday 22 October – Saturday 7 November For tickets and details see: theatreroyal.org.uk 18 THEBATHMAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2026 | ISSUE 284

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Future proof Great Scott! Back to the Future is heading to Bristol. Rosanna Spence talks to the film’s original Oscar-nominated co-creator Bob Gale about DeLoreans, Doc Brown and turning a much-loved movie into a hit stage musical. Bob Gale with the DeLorean

f you’re ever asked to list the most iconic, classic family-favourite films ever written, Back to the Future is more than likely going to be on there rubbing shoulders with the greats. Co-written by Bob Gale and Robert (Bob) Zemeckis at the turn of the 1980s, Back to the Future remains one of cinema’s most memorable moments. Fast forward 41 years since its 1985 release, and with multiple award nominations and wins under its belt, a storyline firmly ingrained in the minds of most Millennials, plus an unusual blend of both mainstream fandom and die-hard cult status… and the DeLorean is skidding onto stage at Bristol Hippodrome for Back to the Future: The Musical – along with Marty McFly and the Doc like you’ve never seen (or heard) them before. Bob Gale – yes, the Bob Gale – is sitting smiling at me from his LA home. And after we swap tales of UK heatwaves (the tarmac melted on Heathrow’s runways during a previous visit to us, so he was sympathetic to our unsavoury flavour of temperature), I immediately doubt myself. What on earth could you possibly ask the person who’s been interviewed 22 THEBATHMAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2026 | ISSUE 284

about Back to the Future non-stop for the past 40 years?! But all fears of inferior questions were immediately settled. For Bob, the answer is simple. “You know what? There’s always someone reading who doesn’t know the story. I’d rather have people talking about it than not.” Phew! Well, then Bob. Seeing as we’re on the topic of time travel, if you could go back to the 80s and tell yourself that the screenplay you were writing would one day become a hugely successful international stage musical, what do you think your reaction would have been? “Oh my God,” he chuckles. “If Bob Zemeckis and I travelled back in time from 2026 to our office in 1980 or 1981, when we were struggling to write this script, and said, ‘Do you guys know what’s going to happen? We’re from the future, and this is going to become a stage musical that’s performed all over the world,’ we would have called security and said, ‘There are two drunk old guys in here annoying the hell out of us. Get them out of here!’”

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THEATRE It’s a fair enough reaction. By that point, Bob (we’re back to Gale, now) had only ever penned one musical before: turning Guys and Dolls into a satire for his senior play when graduating high school. In 1980, both Bobs had no idea that the idiosyncratic screenplay they were creating would stand the test of time, remaining relevant enough to audiences decades later even in the digital age of streaming – and with enough elasticity to evolve the tale into an all-singing, all-dancing stage musical.

“The ﬁlm is the gold standard, but it couldn’t become a religious object where every single thing from the movie had to appear on stage.”

From screen to stage Audiences around the world have come to know the likes of Marty McFly, Dr ‘Doc’ Emmett Brown, Mr Strickland, and Lorraine and George McFly very well over the years… but did creating the musical change the way Bob looked at the original story and the characters they created? “Absolutely,” he states. “What fascinated me was discovering just how much room there was in the story to tell things differently. “When we started developing the musical, one thing we were absolutely adamant about was that it had to work as a stage show. It had to feel like a real musical, not a mediocre adaptation of a movie. We've all seen those. “The ﬁlm is the gold standard, but it couldn't become a religious object where every single thing from the movie had to appear on stage.” Transforming Back to the Future into a musical has also – perhaps rather unexpectedly – opened windows into moments we’ve watched time and again to be experienced in a completely different way on stage. Much like the DeLorean itself, the musical format allowed Bob to play with time, in a sense. Bob explains it by comparing it to close-ups on camera that give us greater insight into a character’s inner world. On stage, he says, it’s the songs that provide this understanding.

We can, of course, expect some excellent numbers throughout the show, with the eras providing their own genres to keep things interesting: “The songs in the 1950s sound like 1950s songs, and the songs in the 1980s have a much more 80s feel,” Bob notes. “Of course, we still have The Power of Love, Back in Time, Johnny B. Goode and Earth Angel – we couldn’t do the show without them – but the new songs integrate beautifully, and then there are songs that don’t sound like anything you’ve heard before. And that’s exactly as it should be.” Transposing on-screen magic onto a stage in front of a live audience is no easy feat. So, as Bob explains, the team had to ask themselves: what works in theatre? What doesn’t? One of the ﬁrst things to be ﬂagged was the famous – and dangerous – skateboard chase scene (“You can't have your leading man riding a skateboard every night doing tricks. It’s not even practical, because you already need someone who can sing, dance, act, be funny, be the right age – and then you’re also asking him to perform skateboard stunts?”). Doc’s beloved dog Einstein was another darling that didn’t make it to the musical. With dog costumes out of the question, and worries about a real dog among the intense live theatrics, Bob and the team had to leave him safe and sound in 1985. But there are some elements that simply couldn’t be missed. “One idea I was particularly proud to be involved with was the DeLorean,” Bob smiles. “In the movie, you can clearly see the time displays inside the car. On stage, no one would be able to read them. So, I thought: let’s make the DeLorean talk, a bit like Knight Rider. Doc Brown has a microphone and says, ‘Start the car,’ and then this Siri-like voice replies, ‘Now starting the car. Time circuits on...’ When Doc enters a destination, say, 4 July 1776, the car repeats the date aloud so everyone in the audience knows exactly where it’s set to go. It worked perfectly.”

A human heart There are people coming to see the musical who weren’t even born when the ﬁlm was released, so what is it about Back to the Future that keeps connecting with each new generation who are introduced to the story? Well, despite the shiny lights and smoke, exhilarating action and time travel, it’s the humans that remain at the heart of the story. “When you’re seven, eight or nine years old, you ﬁnally realise that your parents were once children too,” explains Bob. “That’s a huge, almost cosmic revelation to a child. Your whole life you've heard your mum or dad say, ‘Well, when I was your age...’ and you’re thinking, ‘How could

Roger Bart (Doc Brown) and Axel Duffy (Marty McFly). Photo by Daniel Boud.

Caden Brauch (Marty McFly) and Maddie Grace Jepson (Lorraine Baines). Photo by Mark Senior.

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THEATRE

Caden Brauch (Marty McFly) and Company. Photo by Matt Crockett

these giant people ever have been my age?’ Then suddenly your clothes don’t fit anymore. You’re getting taller. Maybe you’ve got an older brother and you’re beginning to notice people growing up.” From curiosity around first dates to high school shenanigans and questioning how we got here in the first place, when they were writing the movie, Bob remembers genuine surprise that nobody had really tackled that before… not in the way they were imagining it. “Young audiences don’t understand every cultural reference, and that’s fine. When we were kids, we watched movies set in the 1940s or the Wild West or medieval times without understanding every reference either – we understood the human relationships.”

“Stop seeing your therapist and come and buy theatre tickets!” During the workshop process, the show’s director John Rando kept reminding everyone of this. “He said, ‘I don’t even want to think about the special effects until we've got the human relationships working’,” Bob recalls. And the result is that amid the mesmerising tricks that help the DeLorean reach its now-famous speeds of 88mph, relationships between the characters on stage are evolving from what we know of the movie. Marty and Doc’s connection – Bob points out, as an example – is actually much warmer. “Part of that is Roger Bart [The Stepford Wives, Desperate Housewives, 30 Rock], who Bristol will be lucky enough to see performing the role he created for the show,” says Bob. “He is Doc Brown on stage. He’s so good that it’s a joy to watch him perform. Roger’s also a father, whereas Christopher Lloyd wasn’t. I think there’s something about that, something unspoken, in the way a father naturally relates to a younger person. I couldn't deﬁne it for you exactly, but you can feel it. “There’s a genuine love there. In the story, Marty is the son Doc Brown never had, and I think that comes across even more strongly in the musical than it did in the ﬁlm.” Bob explains that the movie moves so quickly, audiences are almost 24 THEBATHMAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2026 | ISSUE 284

trying to catch their breath all the time. “In the musical, the songs allow us to pause for a moment. They give the audience time to process what's happening emotionally.”

Quality control When adapting a film for the stage, there’s no escaping some fans wondering whether a musical could ever live up to the film. But Bob has a clear answer to calm any qualms. “My name is on this show as the book writer, and that’s my guarantee. Bob Zemeckis and I controlled the theatrical rights throughout the entire process. If we had ever felt that the show was going off the rails, we could have pushed the red button and stopped the production completely.” And he’s been proven right so far. When the team won an Olivier in 2022 for Back to the Future: The Musical, actor/singer Hannah Waddingham presented the award. “I’m a huge fan of hers,” Bob confesses. “As we were walking off stage, I asked her if she’d seen the show. She said, ‘No. I love the movie so much that I've been afraid to see the musical because I thought it might ruin my memories of the film.’ I said, ‘Hannah, I promise you… please come and see it. If you don’t like it, I’ll personally refund your ticket.’” Well, Hannah came to see it. Then she came back three more times. But that’s not the highest number of visits for a single audience member. Bob tells another story of a woman he met towards the end of the show’s first year in London who approached him to say she watched the musical once a week. This was on her 19th visit. “I said, ‘Really? I’m incredibly flattered... but doesn’t that get expensive?’ She said, ‘Well, I worked it out. I used to see a therapist every week, and every time I left therapy I felt terrible. But every time I came to see your show, I felt wonderful. So I stopped seeing my therapist, and I spend that money on theatre tickets instead.’” Back to the Future: The Musical is in Bristol for seven weeks, so there will be plenty of opportunities for us to seek some joy and leave the show feeling wonderful… “Exactly,” agrees Bob, who adds, laughing, “Stop seeing your therapist and come and buy theatre tickets!” n Back to the Future: The Musical is at Bristol Hippodrome from 8 October until 21 November. Tickets can be booked now online at atgtickets.com/bristol

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Lydia Gardiner performs the songs of Kate Bush at Bath Abbey

LIVE MUSIC AT GREEN PARK BRASSERIE Throughout October n Green Park Brasserie, BA1 1JB With a mixture of acoustic, funk, soul and popular music covers from the South West’s best musicians, enjoy live music alongside world-class pizza, cocktails, and craft beer every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. Bookings and walk-ups available. greenparkbrasserie.com LIGHT. INNOVATION. IMAGINATION. Until 3 January 2027 Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm n Herschel Museum of Astronomy 19 New King Street, Bath, BA1 2BL Explore astronomy, photography and contemporary art at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy with two new exhibitions: Photology: John Herschel, Henry Talbot and Early Photography, and The as-yet unseen by artist Grace Weir. Visit: herschelmuseum.org.uk THE STIRLING PRIZE: BRITISH ARCHITECTURE’S OSCARS 5 October, 11.30am n The Arts Society Bath, Widcombe Social Club, Bath Celebrating Britain’s finest contemporary buildings since 1996, the Stirling Prize is architecture’s answer to the Oscars. Brian Stater considers some of its hits and misses – plus buildings that arguably should have won, but didn’t. Non-members £10 (£7 Zoom). Book by email by 2 October: bath@theartssociety.org theartssocietybath.com 26 TheBATHMagazine | OCTOBeR 2026 | iSSUe 284

Bath Film Society presents Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach

UNIVERSITY OF BATH GARDENING CLUB: SEAN HOGAN: OREGON OR BUST: NEW PLANTS FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST 6 October, 7:30pm-9pm n University of Bath, Room 1, Level 1, East Building, BA2 7AY Sean is a horticulturist and avid plant hunter based at his design nursery, Cistus, in Portland. He will talk about the new and unusual plants that he has discovered and successfully introduced to western North America. Open to all, Annual membership £25, Visitors £8. ubgc.org

Planetarium. Two presenter-led shows offer different journeys into space. The Story of Stars explores Bristol’s seasonal night sky before following the spectacular life cycle of a star, from nebula to supernova – with the chance to venture to the edge of a black hole in 3D. Light from Afar looks deeper into the cosmos, revealing how astronomers capture and interpret light from distant objects to measure the universe and search for alien worlds. Shows run on selected Thursdays from 8 October to 17 December and last approximately one hour. Recommended for ages 16+. Tickets £16.50; concessions £12.50. wethecurious.org

ART BY YASMINA REZA 7-10 October. 8pm n The Rondo Theatre, St. Saviours Road, Bath BA1 6RT Bath Drama presents Yasmina Reza’s awardwinning dark comedy, directed by Lauren Arena McCann. When Serge buys an expensive modern painting that his friend Marc despises, their disagreement soon exposes deeper tensions, insecurities and differences. Caught between them, Yvan attempts to keep the peace. Fast-paced, witty and perceptive, Art explores friendship, loyalty and what happens when long-held assumptions are challenged. Book tickets at: ticketsource.com/rondotheatre

BATH FILM SOCIETY PRESENTS: VERSUS – THE LIFE & FILMS OF KEN LOACH 9 October, 7pm n BRLSI,Queen Square, Bath BA1 2HN Bath Film Society has two screenings this month, starting with Versus: The Life & Films of Ken Loach, Louise Osmond’s candid and perceptive documentary charting the acclaimed British filmmaker’s remarkable career, from Cathy Come Home and Kes to The Wind That Shakes the Barley and I, Daniel Blake. Interviews with Loach, his actors and collaborators reveal a career shaped by creativity, conviction and battles with politicians, censors and the press. The evening also includes the society’s AGM for members. Bath Film Society’s second presentation, Emerald Fennell’s provocative, blackly comic Promising Young Woman, starring Carey Mulligan, is on 23 October. For more details and membership visit: bathfilmsociety.org.uk

PLANETARIUM NIGHTS AT WE THE CURIOUS 8 October–17 December n We The Curious, Millennium Square, Bristol Spend an autumn evening exploring the universe as Planetarium Nights return to We The Curious and the UK’s only 3D

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What’s on

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Mariam Batsashvili performs with the Bath Philharmonic Orchestra

AN EVENING OF KATE BUSH 9 October, 7.30pm n Bath Abbey, Bath The extraordinary music of Kate Bush fills the atmospheric surroundings of Bath Abbey as part of a new UK cathedral tour. Following sell-out productions celebrating Radiohead and Pink Floyd, organiser Let Me In turns its attention to one of Britain’s most distinctive artists, with a 10-piece band and the Mike Nowland String Quartet. Led by vocalist Lydia Gardiner, the show journeys chronologically from Bush’s groundbreaking debut The Kick Inside through Never for Ever and Hounds of Love to 2005’s Aerial. Expect favourites including Wuthering Heights, Cloudbusting and Running Up That Hill, alongside rarities and deeper cuts – including The Ninth Wave suite performed in its entirety. Search Eventbrite for tickets. eventbrite.co.uk

annual Open Morning, offering the chance to explore the wide range of activities and interest groups available to members. From creative pursuits and culture to languages, history and much more. Many of the groups will have displays on the day, with members on hand to chat about what they do and how to get involved. Whether you’re already a u3a member looking for a new interest or simply curious to discover what’s on offer, drop in, have a browse and meet some of the people behind the groups. Refreshments will also be available. Visit: u3ainbath.uk

AN INTRODUCTION TO YOUR FUTURE HEALTH 12 October n Colerne, Wiltshire, SN14 8AZ A full day with Dr Robin Fackrell and Amanda Overeynder at Lucknam Park, Wiltshire. The day includes workshops discovering what metabolic health is, how lifestyle medicine impacts our health outcomes, how to make changes, and a food demonstration with practical nutrition guidance. Enjoy a delicious metabolically friendly lunch together, an immersive forest bathing walk, and time to relax and ask questions. Register your interest by emailing: enquiries@epochmetabolic.com

NORTHERN LIGHTS: BATH PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA WITH MARIAM BATSASHVILI 13 October, 7.30pm n The Forum, Bath BA1 1UG Bath Philharmonic Orchestra welcomes acclaimed pianist Mariam Batsashvili for Northern Lights, an evening of virtuosity, colour and sweeping orchestral music. A prize-winner at the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition, Batsashvili takes centre stage for Liszt’s exhilarating Piano Concerto No. 1. Conducted by guest conductor Rory Macdonald, the programme also explores contemporary musical landscapes with works by Jay Capperauld, Aileen Sweeney and Judith Weir, before culminating in Sibelius’s magnificent Symphony No. 7. The concert will also premiere a new work co-created with Young Carers as part of Bath Phil’s continuing community programme. For more details and tickets visit: bathforum.co.uk

BATH U3A OPEN MORNING 13 October, 10am–12.30pm n Bath Pavilion, North Parade Road, Bath Curious about learning something new, meeting people or rediscovering an old interest? Bath u3a opens its doors for its

MARIANNE’S BOOK CLUB: THOMAS RUTTER 14 October, 6.15pm n Iford Manor Estate, BA15 2BA Gardener and garden writer Thomas Rutter joins Marianne for an evening exploring his

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two new books, The Garden Through Time and The Ethical Gardener. A former horticultural trainee at Iford Manor, Thomas has also worked at Sissinghurst and Lowther Castle and on private estates in Tuscany. His beautifully illustrated books look at what historic gardens can teach us today and how even the smallest outside spaces can support nature and biodiversity. The evening includes conversation, audience Q&As and an opportunity to meet Thomas and have books signed. Ticket includes a welcome drink. Booking essential. ifordmanor.co.uk THE MAGIC OF MOTOWN 16 October, 7.30pm n The Forum, Bath BA1 1UG Get ready to Reach Out as The Magic of Motown brings the sound of a generation to The Forum. Packed with classic hits, glittering costumes, slick dance routines and a live band, the show celebrates some of the greatest names to emerge from the legendary Motown label. Expect favourites made famous by Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, The Jackson 5 and Smokey Robinson. From irresistible dancefloor anthems to soulful classics, it’s a whistlestop journey through one of popular music’s most enduring and influential songbooks – and, naturally, there ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ to stop the party. Tickets: £36.20 (inc. fees). For more details visit: bathforum.co.uk BATH BACH CHOIR: BACH RESOUNDING 17 October, 7.30pm n Bath Abbey, Bath What could be more uplifting for an autumn than a concert of JS Bach resounding exuberantly throughout every corner of Bath Abbey. Bath Bach Choir comes home to present an evening devoted to the master, pairing his intimate Mass in F and substantial Cantata BMV 21 with the familiar strains of the first Brandenburg Concerto. As it approaches its 80th anniversary, Bath Bach Choir is delighted to give a warm welcome to instrumentalists from Bristol Ensemble and singers from Oxford Bach Soloists, to complete the line up for a heartwarming evening of brilliance in Bath Abbey. For tickets and information visit: bathboxoffice.org.uk Continued page 30

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WHAT’S ON EVENTS SHAKESPEARE’S GREEN-EYED MONSTER 17 October, 8pm n The Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath Beware the green-eyed monster as Shakespeare Live explores jealousy and envy – and all the suspicion, anger, comedy and tragedy they inspire. Created by director Gill Morrell, this full-length production brings together scenes and quotations from across Shakespeare’s works, from Othello, The Winter’s Tale and Twelfth Night to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Two Noble Kinsmen and many more. This is pure entertainment for anyone who enjoys great theatre. Performed by an ensemble cast, the evening moves between very different Shakespearean worlds, united by one of the playwright’s most potent themes – the destructive power of jealousy. Tickets from: ticketsource.com/rondotheatre THE JURY EXPERIENCE – THE 20 MILLION DOLLAR HEIST 18 October, 4pm n Komedia, Bath Take your seat on the jury for an immersive courtroom drama where the final verdict rests with the audience. A disgraced former driver stands accused of stealing a $20 million necklace from global superstar Lana Tonneti – but is everything quite as it seems? Listen to witness testimonies, examine the evidence and make decisions along the way, using your phone to vote at key moments before ultimately deciding whether the accused is guilty or not guilty. Every detail could prove crucial in this interactive theatrical whodunnit. Ages 12+. Tickets from £33. komediabath.co.uk 3SG VOLUNTEER FAIR 22 October, 11am–3pm n Bath Abbey, Bath Fancy giving something back, meeting new people or putting your skills to good use? 3SG’s Volunteer Fair brings more than 50 local charities and community groups together under one roof at Bath Abbey. Whether you have a few hours a month or are looking for a regular commitment, discover opportunities spanning environmental projects, youth work, culture, health and wellbeing and much more. Chat directly with local organisations, join free bite-sized workshops exploring volunteering and enjoy coffee and cake in the Abbey. It’s a relaxed, informal drop-in, with no pressure to sign up on the day – simply come along, browse and discover where your time and 30 TheBATHMagazine | OCTOBeR 2026 | iSSUe 284

talents might make a difference. Free entry. bit.ly/volfair2026 THE ART OF BEING: A CACAO & SOUND IMMERSION 24 October, 11am-2pm n Silk Mill, Frome BA11 1PT Step away from the busyness of everyday life and join Gizelle Renee from I AM BEING for a deeply nourishing experience of cacao, connection and sound at Silk Mill Studios, in the heart of Frome. Guests will share ceremonial cacao before journeying inwards through guided meditation, conscious breathwork and meaningful conversation. The experience will finish with an immersive sound bath using alchemy crystal bowls, chimes and other healing instruments. A chance to relax, let go and reconnect with yourself. Everything is provided, including yoga mats, cushions, blankets and eye masks. Simply arrive as you are and leave feeling grounded, nourished and more connected to yourself, to others and to the present moment. Enjoy 30% off tickets with the code: SILKMILLCACAO. For more details visit: iambeing.co.uk COME AND SING VERDI REQUIEM 25 October, 10am–5pm n Roper Theatre, Hayesfield School, Bath Bath Minerva Choir invites singers to spend a day exploring the drama and power of Verdi’s magnificent Requiem under the direction of maestro Gavin Carr. Enjoy a day of exhilarating choral singing before putting the work together in a performance runthrough at 4pm, joined by a stellar cast of soloists. Whether revisiting this much-loved masterpiece or getting to know it better, it promises an inspiring day of music-making with one of Bath’s leading choirs. Cost, including music: £25 non-members; £20 BMC members. For tickets and more details visit: bathminervachoir.co.uk THE BETTER TOGETHER TOUR: KATY HURT & TWO WAYS HOME 30 October, 8pm n Chapel Arts Centre, Bath BA1 1QR Two of the UK’s rising Country/Americana acts join forces for a tour that does away with the traditional headline format. Katy Hurt and Two Ways Home share the stage throughout the evening, moving between high-energy full-band performances and intimate acoustic moments, while also giving audiences the first chance to hear brand-new music performed live. Expect rich harmonies, rootsy storytelling and plenty of collaboration as the musicians dip into their respective

catalogues and come together for something created especially for the tour. Fans of Fleetwood Mac’s harmony-laden sound and the roots-rock storytelling of Sheryl Crow should feel very much at home.Advance tickets are £19.43 and are also available on the door for £22. chapelarts.org CAPPELLA NOVA: THE ENCHANTED NIGHT 31 October. 7.30pm n St Alphege’s Church, Oldfield Lane. Bath. BA2 3NR As darkness falls on Halloween, Bath chamber choir Cappella Nova presents The Enchanted Night, an atmospheric musical journey from dusk through night to the first light of dawn. Beginning with Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s The Evening Star, the programme explores moonlight, Shakespeare, dreams, reflection, contemplation and prayer, before emerging into James MacMillan’s luminous O Radiant Dawn. Spanning music from the 16th century to the present day, the concert also features works by Dowland, Ešenvalds, Holst, Rheinberger, Sullivan, Tsupryk, Vaughan Williams and Weelkes. Conducted by Marysia Górska-Saj, it promises an evocative evening of choral music perfectly suited to an autumn night. Tickets £18/£10. cappellanova.org.uk OCTOBER PERFUME MAKING COURSES n Great Pulteney Street, Bath If you love fragrance why not join niche luxury perfume house Parterre, for a creative hands-on session, and make your own bespoke scent. Perfume Making Half Day Workshop 16, 31 October, 2.30pm - 5pm. Informative and engaging, this workshop covers some theory, then, working with high quality oils, you will be expertly guided through the process of designing and blending your own perfume. By the end of the afternoon you will have a 50ml bottle of fragrance that you have made yourself to take home and enjoy. £125pp. Half Term Perfume Making 29 October 11.15am -12.30pm A fun, hands-on taster session where you will learn the basics of fragrance creation, sample some high quality oils and then blend a simple perfume (10ml bottle) to take away. Suitable for children 12 years and above if accompanied by an adult. £45pp. Workshops are held in Great Pulteney Street, central Bath. For further details and to book go to: parterrefragrances.com Continued page 32

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WHAT’S ON EVENTS

NOVEMBER HEADS UP ART OF JOHN PIPER 2 November, 11.30am n The Arts Society Bath, Widcombe Social Club, Bath From cathedrals and churches to cottages and coastlines, John Piper found inspiration throughout the British landscape. Artist, printmaker and designer, Piper became one of the most distinctive figures in 20th-century British art, celebrated for his atmospheric depictions of architecture and landscape. Arts Society lecturer Alexandra Epps explores his remarkable body of work and the places that inspired it. Non-members £10 (£7 Zoom). Book by email by 2 October: bath@theartssociety.org theartssocietybath.com BRAMLEY WINTER SKINCARE WORKSHOP 4 November, 7-8.30pm n THE PIG-near Bath, Hunstrete, Bath BS39 4NS Give your winter skincare routine a little extra attention at this relaxed evening hosted by Bramley founder and creative director Chloë Luxton. Bramley lead therapist Hannah Parsons-Shaw will demonstrate how to give yourself a nourishing 30-minute facial, while sharing practical advice on keeping skin hydrated and healthy through the colder months. There’ll also be time for questions and expert skincare tips. Tickets cost £47.50 and include English fizz on arrival, PIG Cut wine and Piggy Bits, plus a gift bag of Bramley miniatures and a £10 voucher to spend at the Bramley pop-up shop on the evening. Over-18s only. thepighotel.com

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BATH ROTARY FIREWORK FIESTA 7 November, from 5pm n Recreation Ground, Bath More than 40 years of spectacular community firework displays are celebrated at the Rec this November, with what is expected to be the final Firework Fiesta at the ground for a while, ahead of the planned stadium redevelopment. Organised by the Rotary Club of Bath with support from Bath Recreation Ltd, the much-loved annual event has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local causes over the decades. This year, the festivities begin with live pre-show entertainment, including the vibrant sounds of samba band Jamma de Samba, before the main display lights up the Bath skyline. Earlybird tickets cost £10 adults and £4.50 children, with proceeds supporting local charities. To book: bathboxoffice.org.uk LUCIS CHOIR PRESENTS: VIERNE – MESSE SOLENNELLE 7 November, 7.30pm n St Mary’s Church, Bathwick, Bath Bath’s Lucis Choir joins forces with acclaimed professional vocal ensemble the Jervaulx Singers for an evening celebrating the rich tradition of French sacred choral and organ music. At its heart is Louis Vierne’s magnificent Messe Solennelle, combining powerful choral writing with the grandeur of the French symphonic organ tradition. The programme travels through works by Vierne’s contemporaries and successors, including Widor, Dupré and Duruflé, alongside the timeless sound of Gregorian chant and an organ solo from Vierne’s 24 Pièces en style libre. Based in North Yorkshire, the Jervaulx Singers perform regularly at festivals and concert venues across the UK and are known for their expressive performances and imaginative programming. To book tickets visit: bathboxoffice.org.uk

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FAMILY EVENTS | OCTOBER

Something spooky is waiting in the caves at Wookey Hole

Country Pumpkins at Avon Valley Adventure Park

Family fun

The best things to see and do with the little ones this month CIRCUS OF CURIOSITIES Throughout October, 10am-5pm n The American Museum and Gardens, Claverton Manor, Bath BA2 7BD This wonderful interactive exhibition from the highly acclaimed Cabaret Mechanical Theatre brings together 25 automata – intricate, ingenious, hand-crafted mechanical sculptures that blend engineering with art and delightful storytelling. Be prepared to turn a handle to reveal the magic of movement. For tickets and more information visit: americanmuseum.org PUMPKIN PATCH Selected dates between 3–31 October n Avon Valley Adventure Park, BS31 1TP Give yourself ‘pumpkin’ to talk about with a fab-boo-lous trip to Avon Valley’s Pumpkin Patch, back with even more seasonal fun for all ages to enjoy. New for 2026 is the Rival Games Bar and the Big Boo Trail walkthrough light installation, which join returning favourites including the seasonal shop and interactive games, speciality market, and, of course, the pumpkin patch. Don’t forget to bring your pooch! avonvalley.co.uk THE HOME OF HALLOWEEN AT WOOKEY HOLE 3 October until 1 November n Wookey Hole, BA5 1BB Things are getting suitably spooky at Wookey Hole this October as the famous caves transform for a month of family Halloween adventures. Deep beneath the Mendip Hills, immersive projections bring the legend of the Witch of Wookey Hole to life among the ancient rock formations, alongside a pumpkin trail, puzzles and prizes. Above ground, there’s the new Monster’s Ball Circus Show, Halloweenthemed Monster Golf, a 4D cinema adventure, indoor soft play and plenty more. The Witch herself will also be making appearances, with fancy dress actively encouraged and a daily prize draw for costumed visitors. Running at weekends from 3 October and daily throughout half-term, 24 October–1 November. For all the details visit: wookey.co.uk/halloween 34 THEBATHMAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2026 | ISSUE 284

EEW! REVOLTING ROMAN REMEDIES AT THE ROMAN BATHS 16 October until 1 November n The Roman Baths, Bath Can you stomach the strange and surprising world of Roman medicine? This October half term, families can become Roman doctors-in-training at The Roman Baths with Eew! Revolting Roman Remedies, a brand-new family adventure packed with gruesome cures, fascinating stories and hands-on fun. Pick up a free trail and help a series of Roman patients by matching their ailments to some truly revolting remedies. Along the way, discover how Romans used everything from herbs and plants to ingredients that might make modern visitors squirm. Included with admission. For all the details visit: romanbaths.co.uk HAY! 26-28 October, Performances at 11.30am & 3pm n The Egg Theatre, Sawclose, Bath A joyful, wordless adventure – the only word you’ll hear is Hay! Farmer Geenie’s new scarecrow doesn’t want to stay stuck in the mud, he wants to spread his arms and fly like the birds. Join him as he finds his feet then his hands, his voice, his legs and his love of song and dance in a story about the fun of growing up where every moment there’s something new to make you say ‘Hay!’ Tickets from: £11.50 - £14 (inc. fees). Running Time: 50 minutes. Visit: theatreroyal.org.uk ROCK THE TOTS: SPOOKY FUN Tue 27 October, 11am n The Rondo Theatre, Larkhall, Bath Gigs for little ones… and their grown-ups! We’re edging closer to Halloween, and Steph & Craig are back with all things spooky and ghoulish! Don’t worry – nothing too scary for the babies and littles… or grown-ups for that matter! But there will be some seasonal bangers – think Monster Mash, Ghostbusters, and The Cranberries to name a few. Get into the mood and wear spooky fancy dress. Who ya gonna call? Rock The Tots! Admission £8. Running time: 1 hour (no interval). Suitable for children aged 0-6 and their adults, under 1s go free! rondotheatre.co.uk

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ART ON SHOW

The Muse, Rosalind Robinson

Round Up, Patrick Hallissey

The art of the Open:

The Bath Society of Artists on show Now in its 121st year, the Bath Society of Artists’ Annual Open Exhibition is underway at the Victoria Art Gallery and runs until 7 November. Hannah Poon meets some of the artists behind this year’s show.

rom a gigantic marble milk carton to a Western cowboy, the Bath Society of Artists’ 121st Open Exhibition is bursting with original artwork from makers across the country. Celebrated as a cornerstone of our region’s cultural calendar, it showcases a diverse mix of work from rising talent to established names. With over 400 pieces on display, spanning painting, printmaking, sculpture and mixed media, there’s a huge amount to take in. With an open submission process, anyone can submit work for consideration, making this show truly unique. Founded in 1904 with just 26 members, the Bath Society of Artists – who organise the event – has grown into a thriving organisation of around 125 members and is one of the region’s longest-standing artistic institutions. Over the decades it has drawn the interest of some of Britain’s most celebrated artists, including Walter Sickert and Mary Fedden. “Bath has such a rich vein of creativity and culture at its core that it’s only right that the Victoria Art Gallery shows it off and gives the opportunity to all creatives here and further aﬁeld,” says Nathalie Levi, Senior Curator at the Victoria Art Gallery. “Bath Society of Artists does a great deal in organising the show and are an impressive, longstanding institution who we have worked with for over 100 years. They represent the breadth of artistic skill we are lucky to have in Bath.” 36 TheBATHMagazine | OCTOBeR 2026 | issue 284

This year’s headline act Every year, the Society invites one artist to take centre stage, and this year’s invited artist is Basil Beattie RA, a painter and printmaker who was at the forefront of British Abstract Expressionism in the midtwentieth century and who, in 2007, was given his own dedicated room at Tate Britain. His earth-toned works – often built around architectural motifs and hieroglyph-like symbols – are sure to capture attention. “We’re tremendously lucky to have someone of Basil Basil Beatie RA, Unparalleled. Beattie’s standing in the exhibition, and grateful to Image courtesy of Avdanced Graphics London Advanced Graphics London for helping to facilitate this. His pieces are vibrant, gestural, and full of motifs and meaning – they often stir an emotional response in viewers,” says Nathalie.

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ART ON SHOW

Milk Carton, Tom Waugh

Judges and prizes Alongside the Invited Artist, the exhibition is shaped by a panel of judges and guest selectors, with a top prize of £2,000 up for grabs. But the judges aren’t the only ones with a say. Visitors can vote for their own favourite in the Public Choice Prize. And for anyone tempted to do more than just look, nearly everything on the walls is for sale – whether you’re a seasoned collector or just after something special for the house, there are prices to suit most budgets. “Every year the selection panel changes, which ensures the variety and opportunities shift from one year to the next and we can never predict what will be accepted – and there are always surprises. You can only appreciate it by coming to see it for yourself,” says Nathalie.

Evening Blue, Laura Howarth

by evening walks near the coast. “Showing my painting in the Bath Exhibition is a highlight of my year, and I have always been delighted when my work has been accepted, and very impressed by the standard on display. Showing alongside such a range of talented creatives means a lot to me.”

“I’m on the prowl, watching for moments when the mundane and the magical are in conversation together.” Ros Cuthbert

Meet the artists We speak to six of this year’s artists about the stories behind their creations, and what showing at the Bath Open Exhibition means to them. Rosalind Robinson, Wiltshire “The Muse has been chosen by the Victoria Art Gallery as the promotional image for this year’s show. It’s the first in a series inspired by the legend of the Silk Princess, who smuggled silkworm eggs and mulberry seeds into the ancient city of Khotan hidden in her headdress – bringing the secrets of silk farming to her new people. The white mask references the Chinese cultural tradition of white face paint. “Last year I was invited to become a member of the Bath Society of Artists, having been represented in the show as a non-member on several previous occasions. To be exhibiting as a member for the first time this year is very special to me.” Laura Howarth, 76, Bristol “My piece Arroyo was painted using oil and cold wax medium, and is an homage to New Mexico. Its clear, striking sunlight on adobe buildings is contrasted by the softness of hills in the distance. Evening Blue is mists, a scattered sunset, and dazzling reflections, but there’s also a softness as evening begins to close and peace takes over. It was inspired

Patrick Hallissey, 77, Trowbridge “My paintings are based on the Western ﬁction genre which was popular in the 1950s and 1960s on television and in comics. My aim is to be fresh and direct, so I paint in a very quick, spontaneous manner. Round Up depicts a Western scene with a cowboy rounding up horses. The mountains in the background are indicated with broad brushstrokes contrasting with the painting of the horses in the foreground. The angles of the lasso, mountains and horses contribute to the sense of movement.” Ros Cuthbert, 75, Winscombe “My paintings take inspiration from my immediate surroundings. I contemplate and interpret those timeless qualities of light playing over our time-drenched modern lives. I’m on the prowl, watching for moments when the mundane and the magical are in conversation together. “My painting is called Circles in the Sand. It is an image of sand art on the beach near the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare. I take many photos in my quest for subjects that speak to me, and when looking back through a folder one day, this image stood out. I like that the young ➲ THEBATHMAG.CO.UK | OCTOBER 2026 | THEBATHMAGAZINE 37

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ART ON SHOW

Circles in the Sand, Ros Cuthbert

“I give these fragile forms a weight and stillness that lets them be seen diﬀerently.” Tom Waugh

artist is there, absorbed in his drawing. I like his aloneness and the expectant silence of the moment. The soft late afternoon light is a bonus. “I apply each year to be a part of the Bath Open. When my work is accepted, to see it there among so many worthy pieces is a source of pride and pleasure. The show is always varied, lively, thoughtful, and well hung. It is also much loved and visited.” Tom Waugh, 47, West Somerset “I carve everyday objects like plastic bags, puffer jackets, and cardboard boxes from marble and stone. Using traditional hand-carving techniques, I give these fragile forms a weight and stillness that lets them be seen differently. My sculptures ask people to pause, to look again, and to consider how our consumer culture shapes the world around us. “My sculpture Milk Carton is a twice life-size, wall-mounted piece carved from pure white Italian marble. It takes a generic, mass-produced object and renders it crushed and crumpled, creating creases and folds reminiscent of carved drapery. The shift in scale and the use of marble elevate this everyday item, opening up questions around how we attribute value to different objects and materials. “Open exhibitions and the ‘salon hang’ often get a bad reputation, but I think they offer something genuinely valuable. They create space for those at different stages of their careers to show work side by side, and they give audiences the chance to encounter a wide range of artworks in a setting that feels open, democratic and accessible.” Rob Grieve, Batheaston “I have no formal art training, but I did attend evening classes in printmaking at Bath College for a year in 2014. My main output is relief

38 TheBATHMagazine | OCTOBeR 2026 | issue 284

Cool Cats, Rob Grieve

printmaking, focusing on limited-edition linocuts, woodcuts, wood engraving, and more recently, linocut collage. My printmaking approach is graphical with occasional splashes of colour and patterns. My work is a little quirky with a sense of humour. “My first piece for this year’s show is a linocut collage titled Waiting. The ‘peace’ birds in the collage were part of an auctioned print to raise funds through the creative fundraising initiative Doves for Peace, on behalf of War Child UK, a registered charity that supports children affected by conflict around the world. The title Waiting is purposively open to interpretation, but the message of the birds of peace and figures in the forefront relates to ‘man’s’ involvement in conflict, and a hopeful waiting for peace to resume in the world. “My second piece Cool Cats is a quirky linocut showing the mischievous character of cats, including a sense of style in their matching red pocket squares. I have exhibited regularly since 2017 in the Bath Society of Artists Annual Open Exhibition, and am proud and fortunate to show my work alongside talented artists in the prestigious Victoria Art Gallery.” n The Bath Society of Artists’ 121st Open Exhibition runs until Saturday 7 November. 10.30am–5pm. Standard adult admission is £9. The Victoria Art Gallery, Bridge Street, Bath BA2 4AT Find exhibition details and tickets at: victoriagal.org.uk

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WHAT’S ON / ARTS

A Potted History (of The Ashmolean) screenprint by Sarah Targett

Arts & exhibitions

The Weight of a Look, 1st -25th October 2026 Atelier Rad, 76 Walcot Street, Bath Atelier Rad presents The Weight of a Look, a solo exhibition by Bath-based artist Harry Simmonds. Through haunting monochrome paintings, figures emerge from shadow, caught between memory and immediacy. Existing works meet a new series created for the exhibition, inviting intimate encounters with presence, vulnerability and perception. rad@atelierrad.com Head of Mike 6, Ink and acrylic on paper, 91.2 x 73.4 x 4.5 cm Self-portrait no. 12, Ink and acrylic on paper, 43 x 42 cm

A Personal View, 20th–31st October Bath Royal Literary & Scientiﬁc Institution 16-18 Queen Square, Bath A rare opportunity to see four diverse artists come together to share their ‘Personal View’ in different media. View the latest works from Modern Impressionist painter Lynne Roche, transcription collage maker Henrietta Smith, visual arts teacher Julian Hyzler and celebrated contemporary painter Alice Mumford RWA. email: lynne@roche-dolls.co.uk | brlsi.org

‘Roses in an open window' by Alice Mumford

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Witty Screenprints by Sarah Targett at The Barton Gallery, 28 Barton Street, Bath This October, The Barton Gallery will have lots of new and fabulous screen-prints by Bath artist Sarah Targett. With a love of colour and pattern, she takes inspiration from decorative and domestic objects and animals, with a special love of birds, combining these elements to create a new narrative. Colour is a must and often Sarah's prints will have a pop of bright colour and some subtle touches of gold ink to make them stand out. The Barton Gallery is the only gallery in Bath to stock her work, including all her latest pieces. thebartongallery.com

Sandra Higgins Art Sandra Higgins Art is delighted to welcome four new artists to the gallery: Malcolm Ashman, Gail Barker, Jeremy Kidd and Valentina González Sáez. Their practices span collage, drawing, painting and sewing, shaped by a distinct relationship to place and process. From González Sáez’s architecturally informed collages exploring memory and transformation, to Ashman’s landscape paintings drawn from memory of the West of England, Kidd’s paintings negotiating seeing and feeling and Barker’s works built from daily ritual and walking. Together they bring fresh range and depth to the gallery. For full bio and works go to sandrahiggins.art Images from top left: Gail Barker, ‘Untitled’, top right: Valentina González Sáez, ‘The Sky Turned’, bottom left: Malcolm Ashman, ‘Chalk Downs’, bottom right: Jeremy Kidd, ‘Joshua Tree Borealis’

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WHAT’S ON / ARTS

Helen Simmonds, Alaskan Ladybird, Oil on Board 76 x 61cm

Gallery Nine’s exhibition Weaving into Autumn with Textile Embroideries by Aly Dalyrmple, until 4 October Beautiful boxes by Cornelius van Drop 9B Margaret Buildings, Bath Don’t miss your last chance to see the current exhibition Weaving into Autumn with Textile Embroideries by Aly Dalyrmple, which finishes on 4th October at Gallery Nine. Drawing on inspiration from her childhood in the mountains of North Wales, Dalyrmple infuses her work with a deep appreciation for nature. Throughout October, you can also visit Gallery Nine to look at and buy a selection of beautiful new boxes and brooches by Cornelius Van Dop. galleryninebath.com

12 October – 7 November Beaux Arts Bath. 12-13 York Street, Bath BA1 1NG

Main picture - Kirstie Macleod with the Red Dress. Inset - embroiderers from the Congo

Beautiful Mixed precious MetalBox by Cornelius van Dop ‘Woodland Cabin, Owl and Rising Moon'

The Red Dress - The World’s Largest Collaborative Embroidery Project, 21st September - 30th October, 25-28 Roseberry Rd, Bath From 2009 to 2023 a total of 380 individuals, mostly women, embroidered on The Red Dress, a project conceived by UK artist Kirstie Macleod. Consisting of 87 pieces of silk dupion fabric, the garment was transported around the globe for 14 years and worked on by people ranging from refugees and asylum seekers to professional studios.The finished dress has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide and stands as a testament to the power of collaboration, creativity and the stories that connect us across borders, cultures and generations. roseberryroadstudios.com 42 TheBATHMagazine | OCTOBeR 2026 | issue 284

In October Beaux Arts Bath play host to one of the most eagerly anticipated exhibitions of the year - that of Wiltshire’s own Helen Simmonds. Over forty of her highly sought-after still life paintings will adorn the walls of this prestigious gallery, situated within two Georgian townhouses near the Abbey. Helen’s emotive paintings mainly feature seasonal home-grown flowers and items from the artist's beloved collection of ceramics, bottles and enamel vessels. Her work is the antithesis of our voracious, image-hungry, digital zeitgeist. It engenders feelings of tranquillity and privacy. She is capable of re-enchanting the everyday utensil, revivifying and suspending for us the short precious life-span of a flowering plant. Contemplating her work is to be guided from a viral, hurried world to a quiet essence. As Vicktor Frankle put it, ‘Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response is our truth and freedom.’ Sculptures inspired by Irish mythology are by Anthony Scott and ceramics by Chris Keenan. beauxartsbath.co.uk

Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair, Sunday 11 October, 10am–5pm Green Park Station, Green Park Road, Bath The award-winning monthly Bath Contemporary Artists’ Fair (BCAF) is committed to bringing the best of contemporary art to the heart of Bath. It has created a regular space where artists can network, share ideas, connect with the Tom Burdon public, and where the public can connect with art. Visitors can see the works of local artists and admire fine art, photography, sculpture, textiles, ceramics and much more, all under the vaulted glass roof of Green Park Station. For updates and exhibiting artists visit bcaf.co.uk

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CITY STORIES | BATH ARTISTS’ STUDIOS

Georgia Cox

Bath Artists’ Studios: Home is where the art is

Spanning 50 rooms, laden with imagination, and stuffed full of passionate local artists, Bath Artists’ Studios has been sparking creativity throughout the city since 1996. India Farnham catches up with the Studios’ trustees and in-house artists to find out why it’s more important than ever before to support this well-kept, well-loved secret.... Words by India Farnham

ath Artists’ Studios is one of those cultural institutions that is so deeply woven into the fabric of the city’s creative landscape that its impact is almost impossible to measure. Perhaps we’ll start with the facts. Entirely self-sustaining since 1996, the Studios (currently based in central Bath on Upper Bristol Road) is home to over 60 local artists – from painters to sculptors to printmakers to illustrators and ceramists – all creating and collaborating under one roof. This makes Bath Artists’ Studios the largest studios in the region, and a considerable player in retaining creative talent in the South West. But Bath Artists’ Studios is more than just a place to work. As a registered charity with a mission to advance the education of the public in the appreciation of the arts, many of the Studios’ resident artists are also experienced educators, welcoming in members of the public for workshops and courses. The charity also offers a yearly studio placement to a local Bath Spa graduate, an initiative the team hopes to expand in the future. And if that wasn’t already enough, the Studios is also home to The 44 THEBATHMAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2026 | ISSUE 284

Roper Gallery, a highly respected exhibition space with a commitment to championing emerging talent.

The art school for everyone Phew! Now, if that feels like a lot of impact to take in, then fear not, because two of the Studios’ trustees, Fran Forsyth and Richard Fell, are here to break it down for us. “It’s important to understand that we have three different functions. The ﬁrst is running the studios, the second is delivering outreach and education, and the third is fundraising,” Richard tells me. “As a charity, we’re also self-sustaining,” Fran continues. “What we mean by that is we run on the money we earn ourselves, through, for example, studio rents and the running of classes in our teaching rooms, instead of relying on regular funding.” Fran and Richard both have ﬁrst-hand experience with the outreach function of the Studios; Fran, who is a solicitor by training, runs sustainable textiles classes in the teaching space and Richard, who works as a TV drama executive, originally discovered the charity through

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CITY STORIES | BATH ARTISTS’ STUDIOS

attending their sculpture class. The Studios estimate that a whopping 200 members of the public attend a class on the premises every week. Why, I wonder, is it so important for the Studios to run classes for the general public, instead of just being a hub for established artists? “Our classes are affordable, which means they’re accessible to people who would not otherwise be able to participate in professionally run sessions. Last year, for example, we piloted holiday activities for children. Finding the funding for private classes can be difficult for some families, but we want everyone in Bath to be able to experience art, if they wish,” Fran tells me. “Our outreach work also helps to bring people into the building, which in turn creates a really special atmosphere here. The Studios feel full of people from different backgrounds and groups. The atmosphere is like an art school, except that everyone gets to experience it, not just undergraduates. I love being able to enter this extraordinary space and focus for a few hours for the sculpture class. I hadn’t done sculpture since I was eighteen, and I wouldn’t have been able to without these classes,” Richard enthuses. Another Bath Artists’ Studios outreach programme is the Bath Patchwork Project in collaboration with The American Museum & Gardens. Charities and individuals have embroidered silk squares in celebration of Bath or aspects of their daily lives. The completed patchwork will be exhibited at the American Museum & Gardens on the evening of Thanksgiving, 26 November, 5-7pm, and the following weekend. It becomes, in effect, a Thanksgiving to Bath. ➲

Mary-Jane Evans

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CITY STORIES | BATH ARTISTS’ STUDIOS

Charlotte Latham

Jo Lovell, Funky Art House

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Bo Hilton

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CITY STORIES | BATH ARTISTS’ STUDIOS

Studio living A shining example of the Studios’ classes are those run by Funky Art House. Set up by Bath-based sisters Jo Lovell and Amy Milford 16 years ago, Funky Art House aims to allow local children to explore creativity. Whilst the sisters also run events around the South West including in primary and secondary schools, museums, parties, parks and community settings, their space at Bath Artists’ Studios is their base, foundational to their business. Seating 10 children comfortably, Jo and Amy use their studio space not only for teaching but for prepping classes and storing equipment too. Funky Art House’s Amy told me a bit more about what Bath Artists’ Studios has facilitated for her and the business. “Bath Artists’ Studios has basically been my whole adult life in terms of work and friends. We started quite small and have built up to now having this space. We can’t imagine Funky Art House anywhere else.” This notion of the Studios being integral to a creative’s life is shared by many of the artists I chatted to on my visit. Mary-Jane Evans, an award-winning ceramicist, explained this feeling further. “This is my spiritual home and my creative home. I can’t do what I do here in my house; I’ve got my kiln here, so I fire all my work in this room. Plus, there’s a real sense of community here, and we all look out for each other. The studios really do offer me something special.” For Ben Hughes, a self-taught landscape and portrait artist, this sense of community has been a definite highlight of his 26 years as a studio member. “All of us artists will get together at lunchtime and eat together in the common room, and just having that day-to-day contact is massive, because being an artist can be quite solitary. This way, you find out what other people are doing, you get input on what you’re doing, and sometimes opportunities arise from chatting.” ➲

Liberty Wright

Life drawing class

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CITY STORIES | BATH ARTISTS’ STUDIOS

Ben Hughes

The space he’s able to use here has also served him creatively. “I can do pretty landscapes anywhere, but the studio has allowed me the space to experiment with bigger, bolder paintings. As an artist, of course you want to continue making work that sells, but you also want to push yourself and develop, which is what I’m able to do here.” For visual artist Liberty Wright, who specialises in hand-painted lenticular pictures, the Studios have granted her the ﬂexibility she requires as a working mum. “I have a very young daughter at school, so my days are quite short. This is the only affordable rented space I could ﬁnd in Bath, so I can justify only coming in during the school hours here. I also work with a lot of scalpels, which is not conducive to living with a small child! So, I feel very lucky to be able to call this space mine.”

The next chapter The Studios’ next big challenge is finding a new home. That’s right, after 30 incredible and, as we’ve discovered, immeasurably important years, Bath Artists’ Studios’ lease on its current base at The Old Malthouse is up. Now, the charity is looking to find a new, more permanent home, but it needs our help. “There is a limit to what we can say – because some of our discussions are still ongoing and therefore confidential – but our lease runs out next year and we are actively looking for a new permanent place we can call Bath Artists’ Studios,” trustee Richard shares. What sort of place are they looking for? “Of course, we need around 50 rooms like these to house our resident artists,” trustee Fran explains. “But we’d also like to replicate much of what we have here, which means finding somewhere with a decent-sized 48 THEBATHMAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2026 | ISSUE 284

Sue Wise

teaching room and a gallery space. Basically, an adaptable space that can also generate some income that can go back into the charity.” These aren’t easy requirements to find in a building, so the charity is more than aware that any building they do acquire will need to be adapted. “The move will inevitably involve money we do not currently have. We will therefore be launching a fundraising campaign in October to facilitate the move and adapt whichever building we go into for our purposes,” Fran explains. Ultimately, though, the Bath Artists’ Studios team are feeling positive about the move. “We see it as a chance to move to the next stage, become bigger and more public, embrace different art forms and stamp our identity more visibly on the city,” Richard shares. How do they imagine the charity developing in a new home? “Perhaps we could have a café, screenings, talks or social activities – there’s so much more we’d be open to trying. We’ve got that ambition,” Richard tells me. You heard it here first: after three decades of shaping Bath’s creative landscape, the Studios’ next chapter could prove just as impactful as its first. Watch this space. n To find out more about Bath Artists’ Studios, visit: bathartistsstudios.org The Bath Patchwork Project visit instagram@ bathpatchworkproject26 To keep up to date with the Studios, follow @bathartistsstudios on Instagram, and if you’d like to help with fundraising for the new premises, get in touch with the team here: bathartistsstudios@gmail.com

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The Home Trial By Cynthia Wihardja Beau Nash Antiques

How a Bath Couple Avoided a £1,400 Mistake When Sarah and Tim downsized to a walkable home in Bath, one antiques trip nearly cost them £1,400 on a table and lampshades that looked perfect in the shop — and wrong in every room of their house.

hen Sarah and Tim sold their farmhouse — the one where they’d raised three children — for a central house in the city, the move itself was the easy part. What remained was furnishing it: their existing sofas, tables, and wardrobes came from storage, but the finishing pieces — lamps, occasional tables, the things that make a house feel lived-in rather than moved-into — still needed finding. They spotted several at our interior galleries on Brock Street — a Regency side table, a pair of Regency urn lamps, a blue and white porcelain shoulder lamp, a gold bulbous Kashmiri lamp for character, and a Chinoiserie side table they were, by their own admission, “a little obsessed with.” But a shop is not a home. Lighting, proportions, and the personality of a room don't always translate from showroom to sitting room — something Sarah and Tim weren’t sure about until they spoke to Tristan, one of the shop’s team members. He mentioned something most Bath shoppers don’t know is on offer: a home trial. Beau Nash will deliver selected pieces to a local home so buyers can see them in situ before committing. Tristan arrived with four lamps and two tables & helped the couple move them from room to room, testing how each looked against their own furniture and light. Together they settled on all four lamps and only one table — the Regency flamed mahogany piece won out, while the £1,250 Chinoiserie table they'd been “a little obsessed with” in the shop was brought back along with two £75 lampshades that, once seen under their own lighting, didn’t suit the rooms after all. “Sometimes,” Sarah said, “the thing you love in a shop is best left there.” For anyone furnishing a home in Bath, that’s the real value of a trial: not only the pieces themselves, but the certainty that they belong before you’ve paid, unpacked, and lived with the regret. If you're furnishing — or refurnishing — a home this season, ask us about booking a home trial. www.beaunashbath.com; info@beaunashbath.com; @beaunashbath

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Exceptional Books, Manuscripts and Photography Draw Strong Collector Interest A personal inscription from a young king, a striking photograph of the Great Wall of China, and a military commission bearing Napoleon Bonaparte’s signature were among the highlights of our recent Books, Maps, Manuscripts and Photography auction, which attracted strong interest from collectors and enthusiasts throughout the sale. The auction brought together a fascinating variety of printed material, manuscripts, photographs and historical documents, with several lots standing out for their rarity and connections to remarkable figures. One of the most intriguing lots was “Ways to Defend Yourself”, a first edition privately printed in Iraq in 1951 by King Faisal II, Youssef Al-Naip and Majid AbdulSattar. The copy had been presented to Mrs Jolliffe, the matron of Harrow School during Faisal’s time there, and the title page bears the inscription: “To Mrs Jolliffe, with my best regards, Faisal, 30.4.51.” Illustrated with diagrams by Khalid Al-Rahal and bound in contemporary clothbacked boards by Tawfiq-al-Shaykhli, the volume was one of just 50 copies. These copies were personally signed and presented by the young king to foreign dignitaries, fellow Arab monarchs and close acquaintances. The combination of its extreme rarity and direct personal association with Faisal II generated considerable collector interest, with the book achieving a final price of *£6,000. Photography provided another notable result, with Herbert George Ponting’s carbon print of the Great Wall of China, dating from circa 1907, bought for *£2,625. The auction also included an intriguing group of 18th and 19th century manuscripts, military records and correspondence, among them an officer’s commission bearing the signature of Napoleon Bonaparte. The group was bought for *£1,750, underlining the continued appeal of historic manuscripts, military records and ephemera to specialist collectors. The strong results achieved by these highlights reflect the enduring interest in historically significant objects. If you have an item you'd like Lawrences’ help with valuing, get in touch with one of their team. (All prices include *Buyers Premium).

Lawrences AUCTIONEERS South Street, Crewkerne, Somerset TA18 8AB. T: 01460 73041 E: enquiries@lawrences.co.uk 1A Woodlands Estate, Westbury, BA13 3QS T: 01373 822337 E: wessex@lawrences.co.uk

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FOOD & DRINK | FOLKLORE

Eat, drink and be scary From bloodthirsty legends and petrifying pumpkins to Soul Cakes and fortune-telling Barmbrack, Halloween’s culinary traditions have a distinctly dark past. Melissa Blease digs into the folklore behind our spookiest feast.

alloween is on the horizon, and supermarket shelves are laden with ‘ghoulish’ goodies as Monster Mash, Cheesy Bat Fangs, Gooey Ghosts and many more similarly-themed ‘terrifying’ treats all compete for their place on the (fake) blood-curdling buffet. But there’s more antediluvian symbolism in those ghoulish goodies than there is sugar in a bag of Eerie Eyeball Gobstoppers.

Bring on the megalo-vein-iacs Throughout history, blood has been laden with cultural and religious symbolism. It forms an intrinsic part of multiple dark rituals, it’s laden with powerful taboos… and of course, just like the vampires who dominate our imaginations when the clock strikes midnight on 31 October, we can’t live without it. For hundreds of years, Rangda, Bali’s “Queen of Demons”, has apparently scoured graveyards across Indonesia in search of the blood of new-born babies to keep her “alive” in the dead zone – a trait shared by transcendental mythological icon Lilith, whose name pops up in ancient tracts such as the medieval Alphabet of Sirach where she’s credited as being Adam’s rebellious wife-before-Eve who chose eternal exile in limbo over patriarchal control in the earthly realm. Elsewhere… On his deathbed in 1492, Pope Innocent VIII tried to prolong his life by drinking the blood of recently-deceased teenage boys. The ruse, however, didn’t work; he died the following day. In modern times, North Korea’s “Eternal President” Kim Il-Sung demanded blood transfusions from young people in an effort to reach his target age of 120 (another failed attempt; Il-Sung died in 1994, aged 82.) And of course, Vlad “The Impaler" Tepes, who ruled across a large area of Romania in the

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second half of the 15th century, had a penchant for drinking the blood of captured Ottoman Army soldiers. Did the habit buy Vlad eternal youth? In one way, yes; he’s the guy credited to have inﬂuenced Bram Stoker’s Dracula. If you want to rustle up a feast ﬁt for a thirsty bloodsucker this Halloween, British black pudding, French Boudin Noir and Spanish Morcilla all contain up to 50% pig or beef blood… and we all know how well fava beans and a nice Chianti pair with liver. But unless you’re planning to party on your own, might I suggest a more palatable alternative, best served with a chilling caveat?

Mirror, mirror, on the wall: which is the bloodiest cocktail of them all? Halloween is a great excuse for a spot of spirited indulgence – and a Bloody Mary is the obvious choice. According to popular urban myth, you can conjure up a vision of “Bloody Mary” herself simply by standing in front of a candlelit mirror on Halloween and chanting her name 3, 13 or, erm, 47 times depending on which guide to Captromancy (an ancient form of divination using a reﬂective surface) you rely on. Do it with intention, and a horrifying blood-drenched apparition will step out of the glass and attempt to steal your soul. Most sources will tell you that Mary is the ghost of 17th-century Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory, accused of slaying up to 650 young women (making her the most proliﬁc serial killer in history) and bathing in/drinking their blood. She could, however, be Queen Mary I (Mary Tudor), the 16th-century English queen responsible for reviving heresy laws and putting an estimated 300 Protestant dissenters to death.

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FOOD & DRINK | FOLKLORE

Or perhaps she’s New England herbalist Mary Worth, who was accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake during the Salem Witch Trials? All three Marys allegedly vowed to take revenge on anyone who chanted her name in front of a mirror on Halloween. But if all that’s put you off your favourite cocktail for good, bear this in mind: in Wicca world, alcohol is highly valued for its purifying qualities, chillies (a key component of Tabasco sauce) repel bad vibes and ward off curses, while a sprig of celery and a slice of lemon clean negative environments and dispel dark auras. Take that and party, Mary!

Petrifying Pumpkins Did you know that the iconic Halloween lantern made from a carved, hollowed-out pumpkin symbolises a portable sconce lit by a burning ember, tossed from the ﬂames of hell by the Devil, and destined to be carried around the dark earth for all eternity by 17th century Irish scammer Stingy Jack? And he’s still around today. Folkloric rumour has it that Jack often misinterprets “tributes” to his plight as welcoming beacons of support for his salvation and makes attempts to con his way into homes that he hopes may offer refuge – now that’s an image I’d like to see captured on a Ring Video Doorbell.

handful of currants, turn the dough into cookies and mark the top with the all-important cross – the effort will save you a small fortune on Gruesome Gummies.

Terrifying Tea Time Recipes for Barmbrack – a sweet Irish bread packed with tea-soaked dried fruits and warm spices – date back hundreds of years. But when served during the ancient Gaelic harvest festival Samhain (October 31November 1), it’s traditionally packed with symbolic trinkets said to predict the ﬁnder’s future, turning every bite into a gamble. While ﬁnding a coin or a ring predicts prosperity or marriage, a dried pea forecasts the opposite story, a matchstick warns of domestic disputes… and let’s just say that if you don’t choke on a recovered piece of rag, you’ll wish you had during the coming year. While I don’t suggest, for obvious reasons, that you bake a tea cake stuffed with choke-inducing trinkets this Halloween, serving homemade Barmbrack accompanied by a lucky (or otherwise) bag of coins, dried peas and matchsticks keeps Samhain tradition alive… although it might be a good idea to omit the piece of rag. n

There’s more antediluvian symbolism in those ghoulish goodies than there is sugar in a bag of Eerie Eyeball Gobstoppers.

Recipe: Spicy Roast Pumpkin Soup

But the Halloween lantern tradition dates back to long before the Stingy Jack days. Ancient agricultural societies as far back as 500BC carved terrifying faces into root vegetables and lit them from within in an effort to prevent malevolent spirits (and/or, perhaps, their earthly, living equivalents) from entering their settlements or attacking their crops, believing that the glowing, macabre faces acted as a spiritual defence. The original UK ghoul-grabbers wouldn’t have used pumpkins, though; we made do with turnips, swedes and even potatoes until the bright orange icons with roots ﬁrmly embedded in North America became readily available on our shores during the 1990s, creating a seasonal, commercial hot property uplift for farmers across the land. But whatever you do or don’t believe about the ‘power’ of the illuminated pumpkin, make the most of this glorious gourd while you can: that bright orange ﬂesh is nutrient-dense, super-tasty and works well in all manner of recipes from soups and stews to cakes, desserts and even smoothies.

Ingredients – Serves 4:

Soul Food Last Halloween, Haribo’s Gruesome Gummies took pole position on the contemporary trick-or-treater’s most wanted wish list. But since as far back as 500AD and all the way up to the Victorian era, most households had a plate of Soul Cakes – spiced biscuits with the mark of a cross baked into the top – ready to be handed out to the “soulers” who offered prayers to release deceased relatives from Purgatory (the intermediate state between earth and heaven) in exchange for a homebaked sweet treat. If you didn’t have any Soul Cakes at the ready, you ran the risk of opening your door to malevolent spirits – and lo, the custom of trick or treating began. If you can make shortbread, you can make Soul Cakes: add a smattering of mixed spice, ground ginger and nutmeg along with a

Carving pumpkins in readiness for Halloween? Don’t let all that fabulous pumpkin flesh go to waste! This mildly spicy, silky soup is guaranteed to keep the spooky season hunger ghouls at bay. Try to keep your pumpkin chunks neat as you carve, though; aim for evenly-sized chunks.

• The deseeded flesh from 1 large pumpkin (usually 1.5-2kg) • 1 tbsp garam masala • 2 tsp dried cumin • 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes • 3 tbsp olive oil • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped

• 3cm nub of fresh ginger, peeled and grated • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed/grated • 900ml vegetable or chicken stock • 100ml double cream or crème fraîche

Method: Preheat the oven to 190°C gas mark 5. Tumble the chopped pumpkin flesh into a large bowl, sprinkle with the garam masala, cumin and chilli flakes, season well and drizzle with 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Toss to cover the pumpkin in the spiced oil, transfer to a baking tray and roast for around 40–45 minutes (turning halfway through) or until the pumpkin flesh is very soft when pierced with a fork. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion for 10 minutes or until just turning translucent. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for a few more minutes until fragrant. Add the stock and roasted pumpkin flesh to the pan, stir well and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat, season to taste and blitz with a hand blender (or in a food processor) until smooth and silky. Return to the pan over a low heat, add the cream, season to taste and bring back to a gentle simmer before serving in warmed bowls topped with an extra drizzle of double cream or crème fraîche and a pinch of chilli flakes to taste... and, of course, an evil laugh!

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FOOD & DRINK | NOTEBOOK

Champagne Bollinger Dinner

Recipe: Bandook’s delicious Pumpkin Pie Biryani Ingredients: Serves 2 • Basmati rice 75g • Pinch of saffron strands 1 tbsp • Pumpkin 170g pumpkin, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks • Warm milk • Onion (about 1 small onion), thinly sliced for the base • Butter or ghee 2 tbsp • Clove of garlic, finely chopped 15g • Small piece fresh ginger, finely chopped • Green chilli, deseeded

• Juice of ½ lime 30ml • Greek yogurt 1½ tbsp • Handful of fresh mint leaves • Fresh coriander leaves • Chilli powder ⅛ tsp • Ground cardamom seeds ¼ tsp • Pinch of grated nutmeg • Small cinnamon stick • 2-3 whole cloves • 1 bay leaf • Water 1 – 2 tbs • Rose water ½ tbsp

22 October, 6.45pm Restaurant Hywel Jones, Lucknam Park Celebrate the heritage and craftsmanship of Champagne Bollinger with an exclusive evening of fine food and exceptional wines. Michelin-starred chef Hywel Jones has created a five-course seasonal menu, including canapés, with carefully selected Bollinger pairings for each course. The evening will be hosted by Champagne Bollinger Brand Ambassador Alex Beelsey and Bastien Martinole of Fine Wines Direct UK, who will share their knowledge of this celebrated Champagne house. Spaces are limited and booking is essential. £295 per person. To book: lucknampark.co.uk

Method: Par-boil the Rice. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil with the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, cloves, and crushed cardamom pods. Add the washed basmati rice and cook for exactly 7 minutes. The grains should be cooked on the outside but still have a firm bite in the middle (80% cooked). Drain the rice, reserving 80ml of the aromatic cooking water for later, and set aside. Caramelise the onions. Heat 1½ tablespoons of ghee or oil in a heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the sliced red onions and fry for about 10 minutes until deeply golden and caramelised. Scoop out half of the onions and set them aside on paper towels to crisp up for the final garnish. Cook the pumpkin masala in the same pot with the remaining onions, stir in the ginger-garlic paste and green chilli, cooking for 2 minutes. Add the cumin and garam masala, stirring rapidly for 30 seconds to toast the spices, followed by the pumpkin chunks, a pinch of salt, and 150ml of water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the pumpkin is tender but still holds its shape. Layer the Biryani. Pour the reserved 80ml of rice water into the pumpkin curry base to loosen it slightly. Spoon one-third of the par-boiled rice evenly over the pumpkin. Drizzle a teaspoon of ghee and a teaspoon of the golden saffron milk over the rice layer, then scatter a few mint and coriander leaves. Repeat this layering process twice more, finishing with a final layer of rice topped with the remaining saffron milk, herbs, and reserved crispy fried onions. To “dum” steam cook, press the lid down firmly over it to trap the steam. Keep the heat on the lowest setting and let the biryani steam for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave it undisturbed for another 10 minutes. To serve, gently dig a large spoon straight down to the bottom of the pot to scoop up the contrasting white, golden saffron, and deeply spiced pumpkin layers together.

This autumn, The Bath Priory is hosting a special event in support of Hospitality Action, a charity very close to their hearts. At the heart of the evening is a shared commitment to supporting the hospitality community through Hospitality Action’s work. The ‘Harvest Gathering’ evening will begin with a glass of Laurent-Perrier Heritage, seasonal canapés, accompanied by the sounds of a live saxophonist drifting through candlelit rooms. Guests will then enjoy a beautifully curated three-course dinner, alongside a silent auction of luxury experiences, fundraising moments, and thoughtful surprises throughout the evening. Monday 12th October,6.30pm. £99 per person

Bandook, Shire’s Yard, Bath. bandookkitchen.com

thebathpriory.co.uk/hospitality-action-harvest-gathering

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Autumn-themed ‘Harvest Gathering’

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CITY PEOPLE

Martin Blake:

Fine dining, fresh thinking Fine dining doesn’t have to mean formality. Melissa Blease meets Martin Blake, the chef behind Montagu’s Mews at the Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa, where modern British menus combine classical technique, seasonal inspiration and plenty of creative flair. So, what’s cooking?

t’s a crisp autumn afternoon and the Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa’s manicured gardens represent, as ever, the ultimate secluded urban oasis tucked away behind Bath’s most iconic example of architectural Georgiana. The scent of lavender hangs in the air, a murmuration of starlings ﬂutter overhead and squirrels skitter around the bushes. In one corner, wedding guests raise champagne ﬂutes to a new Mr and Mrs, while a group of decorous revellers gather on the heated, covered terrace. Although the overall vibe gently encourages mellow merriment, the brigade hard at work in the kitchen are preparing for another busy shift at the hob. Head Chef Martin Blake, however, appears to be as cool as a well-chilled heritage cucumber as he sits down with me for a chat in the bar. Martin joined the Royal Crescent Hotel team in 2021, bringing over 12 years of experience at some of the South West’s best hotels and restaurants with him. Today, the RCH’s stylishly seductive Montagu’s Mews restaurant and bar, which was refurbished to supertasteful contemporary standards in the spring of 2023, offers the perfect backdrop against which to explore Martin’s elegant, flawlesslyexecuted modern British dishes.

Photography by TBM

“I’m passionate about ﬁne dining… people seem to think the phrase is simply shorthand for expensive – which very much isn’t the case anymore.” “Our menus have changed quite a lot since the refurbishment; we’ve developed and redefined our offering to make it more in keeping with how people want to dine now,” Martin tells me. “The biggest change is that, instead of Tasting Menus, we include my recommended Chef ’s Choice selections on an à la carte menu. It’s still fine dining to exactly the same standards as our Tasting Menus were, but it’s more creative too; our guests don’t have to commit to a set menu, and neither do we, in the kitchen.” So: less formality, more flair? “Exactly that!” Martin concurs. As a result of the changes, the very best of the new season’s crop (earthy greens; buoyant berries; succulent stone fruits) may be served on an inspirational whim to accompany seasonal superstars such as, right now, native oysters or Somerset duck. “Autumn is all about

warming food, earthy flavours, dishes that hug you,” says Martin… while readily admitting that it’s harder to make hearty dishes as pretty as a midsummer salad. This is a chef, however, who’s as proficient in the art of presentation as he is a maestro of technique – and clearly puts his heart and soul into both. “Every time I see the Pâté en Croûte on the current menu leave the kitchen, I’m chuffed because I know how much work we put into getting it right,” he says. “That dish is the result of a labour of love, but we got there in the end!” Indeed; it’s a phenomenal representation of a classic French creation that elevates what’s ostensibly a slice of pork and pistachio terrine wrapped in a hot water pastry crust to stellar heights. “I’m passionate about fine dining,” says Martin. “Nowadays, people seem to be apologetic about saying that, or think the phrase is simply shorthand for expensive – which very much isn’t the case anymore. Eating out is changing so much and there are so many places doing different things; in London there are Greek restaurants with Michelin stars, and that sort of thing really interests me. My favourite restaurant ever is Paul Ainsworth’s No 6 in Padstow, and I love Japaneseinfluenced food too. But obviously, my own style is classic British.” At Martin’s bidding, we try his Porthilly Oysters “Hot and Cold” (one crispy; one bracingly fresh and briny), and silky-rich Cornish Bluefin Tuna served with a sprightly ponzu. Somerset Lamb comes in multiple magnificent formats perfectly complemented by a deeply umami tapenade and a bright, vibrant basil emulsion, while a buttery fillet of pan-roasted halibut accompanied by sweet, fat mussels and bracingly briny sea vegetables prove to be equally sensational. At the finishing line, a fluffy, featherlight Strawberry Soufflé and a second dessert combining the extraordinarily complex Valrhona Opalys (the only white chocolate that turns my head) with Earl Grey, apricot and camomile: intriguing and charming in equal measure. Balance and harmony; skill and thrills – why Martin doesn’t have a Michelin star to complement the bouquet of 3 AA rosettes that he’s maintained since 2022 is totally beyond me. “I just try to cook food that I like and I know our guests are going to like, and hope that one day, Michelin will like it too,” he shrugs. “Stars are a dream and a goal for sure, but it’s all completely out of my hands.” But for a chef of Martin’s calibre, dreams can come true, and goals can be reached; I don’t doubt for one moment that stardust will one day sprinkle all over his hob. n Head Chef Martin Blake. Montagu’s Mews Restaurant, The Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa, 16 Royal Crescent, Bath BA1 2LS. royalcrescent.co.uk THEBATHMAG.CO.UK | OCTOBER 2026 | ThEBATHMagazinE 57

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CITY STORIES | BATH CITY FC

Bath City: The next chapter Photography courtesy of Bath City Photos/S Howe

Following a multi-million-pound takeover, Bath City FC has entered a new era. Simon Horsford meets Executive Chair Andrew Stalbow to talk ambition, community and Twerton Park – and discover how the club plans to unlock its long-held potential.

hich team in Bath holds the record for the highest attendance? Bath Rugby? No, it’s Bath City, with 18,020 in January 1960 for a third-round FA Cup tie against Brighton & Hove Albion. It’s signiﬁcant because it shows the kind of potential that led to an investor group, headed by former mobile games entrepreneur and football fan Andrew Stalbow, buying the club in a deal – initially worth £6.3 million – that was recently overwhelmingly approved by the shareholders and supporters of the former communityowned club. Bath City may have had its ups and downs since those heady days and currently languishes in the seventh tier of the English football league – Southern League Premier South – but the future has surely rarely looked brighter. And before anyone gets carried away, no-one – at least for now – is talking about, or expecting, a Wrexham-like rise from non-league to the Championship in three seasons, one that was documented by Disney and kick-started by Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac (formerly McElhenney). This is more to do with investing quietly and sensibly in a club which, despite struggling of late both on and off the pitch and being overshadowed by its rugby counterpart, remains a hugely important part of the community in Twerton – and Bath itself. And yet the amount of money being put into the club is a major signiﬁer as it represents the biggest ever single investment in a non-league club. As Stalbow sees it, “this can be a football and a rugby city”. Here too is a club that epitomises the roots of football, one which in

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recent years has literally been propped up by donations from some of its supporters. It’s the kind of team too that succinctly captures Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s claim - made during Fifa boss Gianni Infantino’s World Cup stake-selling fiasco – that football “belongs to the people who fill the stands and who stand on the touchline week in, week out, rain or shine.” It’s such attributes that caught Stalbow’s attention, and it’s soon apparent after we meet in one of the club’s function rooms that he has an eye for a good thing. Stalbow, who grew up in Watford and now splits his time between Los Angeles and Bath, had an early stint as a journalist/researcher at The Telegraph, before in 2008, he says, “I moved over to LA to work for Fox [Entertainment] and my job was to take their TV content like The Simpsons or Family Guy, or film content like Avatar, to mobile phones and I started doing that before the iPhone came out. “I had the worst office on the lot as no-one thought mobile [entertainment] was going anywhere, but then it took off and we did some really big deals. Then [the film] Rio came out around the same time as [the video game] Angry Birds – which was created by 10 people [at Rovio] in Helsinki – and I thought ‘why don’t we mash them up together’ and we got this Angry Birds/Rio game and marketed it like it was a movie but it’s just an app and it worked well.” Stalbow went on to work with Rovio when mobile gaming and entertainment was becoming an increasingly important media platform before co-founding another mobile games company, Seriously, with the aim of creating the “Pixar of mobile”. It soon developed into “a business

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CITY STORIES | BATH CITY FC

Photography courtesy of Bath City Photos/S Howe

that was generating $500,000 a day with two million people around the world playing our game [Best Fiends] for an hour a day.” The company was turning over annual revenue of more than $100 million when it was sold in 2019 with Stalbow continuing to work with the new owners for a short time before he branched into teaching entrepreneurship at UCLA. A couple of years ago, his focus turned to football. “I thought I wanted to do something because there are a lot of tailwinds in football. In a world of AI, football and human competition are going to be increasingly important. I’m a massive fan and I love the connection of going to a game, the big occasion. I loved following England and Watford – unfortunately for me. I was born in the hospital next to the ground and it was the ultimate community club because they went on a journey from the Fourth Division to the First Division. My Dad’s great but Graham Taylor [the manager at that time] was like a father ﬁgure to me,” he laughs.

Investor and Executive Chair, Andrew Stalbow

“It wouldn’t take much for this stadium to be rocking.” So how do you get from Watford and LA to Bath City? At the start of the process, Stalbow had about 10 clubs on his list and then “about 15 months ago, I got a phone call from a ﬁrm representing Bath City saying they were wanting to raise some money, would you be interested? And I thought ‘yes, of course’. Bath City is obvious – if you don’t have your football hat on, it sounds big. “I’ve always been attracted to projects where it’s kind of David versus Goliath. I remember when I ﬁrst came down and people said ‘oh it’s a rugby city’ but actually if you go back to the 1950s, 60s and 70s, it was a football city.” The club dates back to 1889 and at different points ➲

City’s Scott Wilson nets a second goal against Chippenham Town

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Photography courtesy of Bath City Photos/S Howe

The team celebrate

featured Stan Mortensen and Tony Book and were even managed by Malcolm Allison. Aside from that record high in the cup against Brighton, it also attracted a crowd of around 7,000 in January 1994 for another third round FA Cup tie against Stoke City. “I knew a lot of CEOs of other mobile game companies and investors and people that love football and they wanted to be part of something. So I needed [a club] that was accessible internationally because they were from around the world. I also wanted a strategy as good as the mobile games one and I figured I wanted to work with a smaller club and follow their story of trying to get up [through] the leagues.” It would also, he says, be somewhere where the fans and the community were entrenched right in the heart of it “because that’s what I’d grown up with at Watford and where this thing could be a pillar of the community. I quickly realised it had to be here. “It’s close to London – like a short commute in LA – and it’s a beautiful city, the backdrop to period dramas with an amazing history. I can see football and tourism growing a bit.” Bath City became a community-owned club in 2017 but Covid hit hard as the pandemic shut down the non-league teams from playing “and so revenue streams were turned off,” adds Stalbow, “and many of the fans had to loan the club money” to help them to keep going. “They had some unbelievably well-qualified volunteers across the board and actually attendances went up but it just got to the point where the club was losing money every year…and they were saddled with over a million pounds of debt.” The result is that it became increasingly hard to be competitive. “So,” says Stalbow, “we structured a deal where the idea was to raise a minimum of $6 million and then target $8 million and that will be enough for us to make a difference. Then if we do well we think there is a lot more capital that will come in here. We actually raised $8.5m (£6.3 million). It’s still a community club, it’s just got a different ownership structure. I see myself as a custodian. We just need to live within our means and have to be super-smart about how we allocate [the money] but we want a competitive budget for the team.” “It takes a village too do this,” he adds, The board is headed by Stalbow as executive chairman and includes various high-profile investors [from an investment group of around 50] with experience in

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“This can be a football and a rugby city.”

technology, sport, games, venture capital, consulting and, notably, the Bath-born co-founder of Tears for Fears, Curt Smith (now based in LA), who will also be an ambassador for the club. “I know the power of what a wonderful football club can be for the community of Twerton and the city of Bath and I wanted to be a part of that,” says Smith of a district that has frequently been ignored. “My grandmother lived a stone’s throw from the ground, so I’ve got a lot of fond memories of Twerton. I even played here for Percy Boys club.” There will also be a representative of the Supporters Society on the new board, and a Community Share and Protected Rights Deed, which gives the society prior consent rights over aspects of the club, such as club colours and the use of Twerton Park. What’s telling is that when the idea of investing was first mooted last season, the club were mid-table in the National League South but then endured their worst-ever run in the division – 14 games without a victory – before eventually being relegated. Stalbow, who took the disappointment as providing “more of a challenge” as it would now take more time and money, found his fellow investors similarly enthused “because they want to go on a journey.” He has talked of hoping to get the club “league ready” maybe in the next five years. Stalbow’s deft handling of the lead-up to the purchase ensured support came from both former chairman, David McDonagh, who described it as a “momentous occasion” (he is now the Supporters Society representative on the board) and Ian McKay, chairman of the Bath Supporters’ Society, who pointed to the new owners’ understanding of “what makes this club special.” Even Bath City’s most high-profile fan, the film director Ken Loach, ‘applauded plans which are well considered, ambitious and exciting for supporters.’ The stadium is surely key to any improvements. It may be likeably old school but the investors’ surveyor described it as being “end of life”. There was the mooted re-development [in 2020] but that got rejected

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by the council. “Our view is this is a sports, entertainment and community hub right on the heart of Twerton,” says Stalbow. “We haven’t built the plans yet but the stadium does need work. We want to make it a place where people would come at 12 o’clock and stay after [a game] as a great place to hang out as we could potentially offer other entertainment.” He mentions restaurants and music. “Our job is to build a football experience for the fans” and as Stalbow intimated in a letter to shareholders that means keeping costs “seriously low” from season tickets to beer. “We also hope to show young players that this is a great place for them to come and start their career.” They are also committed to the women’s team and want to invest there too. What about increasing the size of the ground? “I think we have to earn the right. Last season's average attendance was about 1,100 and the season before 1,400 or 1,500. So right now we don’t need to increase because we have quite a lot of capacity to ﬁll.” He adds that the club deﬁnitely needs a better playing surface where drainage is an issue [at the moment there isn’t even a full-time groundsman], while “we also need to modernise the changing rooms and have better recovery facilities. We are also [going] to work on a data science platform” to enhance player performance. At the time of writing, the club had made an erratic start to the season – although they did win the “A4 derby” – 2-0 against Chippenham Town (attracting a crowd just one shy of 1,700). And showing continuity is a key factor, Stalbow is genuinely supportive of manager Scott Bartlett. “My assessment is that he’s actually done it before by taking Weston-super-Mare from the seventh tier to the upper echelons of the National League. In terms of my conversations with him so far and the way he handles himself, I think he’s got what it takes to be a Football League manager and I’ve talked a lot about wanting this club to be Football League ready.” Hardly surprising then that Bartlett is relishing the challenge of these “ambitious and exciting plans”. Ultimately, the aim, stresses Stalbow, is that he and his fellow investors “will bring the resources and the ambition to Bath City. Everyone knows they should be a football league team and it’s our job to unlock that potential in partnership with the community and the fans. It wouldn’t take much for this stadium to be rocking.” It promises to be quite a journey. n bathcityfc.com

Investor and Board Director, Ivan Hindshaw with club Ambassador, Curt Smith in Charlie’s Bar

A post match ‘ussie’ with defender, Joe Raynes

Photography courtesy of Bath City Photos/S Howe

Andrew Stalbow and Ken Loach

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CITY NEWS

Bath business

CITY BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY ORGANISATION UPDATES

Food for the future Oasis Bath has secured more than £272,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund, safeguarding its two affordable food pantries for the next three years. Established in 2018, Oasis Hub Bath provided crisis support to local families throughout the pandemic, with that work evolving into two thriving pantries which now support around 600 people across the city every week. The £272,702 award will cover the majority of core operating costs until 2029, while also helping Oasis Bath develop additional services in response to changing needs in the community. The pantries offer much more than affordable food. Partner organisations, including Citizens Advice and healthcare providers, regularly offer guidance, practical support and health checks, while staff and volunteers have created welcoming spaces where friendships and support networks can flourish. Community Director Jo Dolby said the funding would provide “much-needed stability”, allowing the organisation to strengthen its long-term sustainability while continuing to support people experiencing food insecurity. Oasis Church Bath in the city centre also operates as a community hub, hosting a range of projects and services delivered by partner organisations. To find out more or to get involved visit: oasisbath.org

Work begins on a £12m RUH treatment centre

Bath brand, blossom & beau expands after award-winning year

Construction is set to begin on a new £12 million Urgent Treatment Centre at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust. The purpose-built centre will replace the RUH’s existing facility, currently located within its Emergency Department, creating additional capacity in A&E for seriously ill and injured patients and helping to reduce crowding. Designed for people requiring same-day treatment for urgent but non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries, the new centre will provide improved waiting, assessment and treatment areas, greater privacy, enhanced infection prevention measures and better facilities for staff. Separating urgent treatment from emergency care will also allow patients to be directed more quickly to the most appropriate service when they arrive at the hospital. Clinical teams are reviewing patient journeys and working practices alongside the development. The project is being funded through £12 million in funding from the Department of Health and Social Care with modular buildings supplied by healthcare infrastructure specialist Vanguard Healthcare Solutions. RUH Managing Director John Palmer said the development would help deliver “more efficient and effective care” while improving access to treatment. Construction commenced on 28 September, with the new centre scheduled to open in late December 2026. The existing Urgent Treatment Centre and Emergency Department will remain open as normal throughout the work. For more information and updates, visit: ruh.nhs.uk

Locally-based personal care brand blossom & beau is expanding its range following a year of awards and recognition for founder Amanda Johnson and her fledgling business. Amanda, a mum of five who has worked as an NHS paramedic for more than 20 years, founded the company after struggling to find an age-appropriate natural roll-on deodorant for her then seven-yearold daughter, Chloe. Its first product, Dazzling Diva natural deodorant, has since picked up a Vegan Choice Award, a Theo Paphitis Small Business Award, and a Junior Design Award as well as reaching the finals of the London Packaging Innovation Awards. Johnson has also pitched the business to investors and entrepreneurs at Bristol’s Wheel of Dreams. The company has now launched its second product, Dazzling Diva Natural Body Mist, as it looks to build on that early success and develop a wider personal-care range aimed specifically at tween and teenage girls. “The body mist felt like the obvious next step,” says Amanda. “A way to give girls a first taste of fragrance that isn’t a diluted grown-up perfume, but something made just for them.” Made in the UK, the new water-based mist shares the Parma Violet and Peony fragrance of the original deodorant and is vegan-friendly and cruelty-free. blossomandbeau.com

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The waterfall at Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore. Image ©Timothy Hursley

From Bath to the world: Buro Happold at 50 From a handful of engineers in a Bath townhouse to 3,700 people working across the globe, Buro Happold has spent 50 years shaping extraordinary places. As the engineering and design consultancy marks its milestone anniversary, its connection to the city where it all began remains as strong as ever. Words by Charlotte Carter

ngineering is, at its best, an art grounded in social responsibility’, so said the late Sir Edmund ‘Ted’ Happold, whose expertise and passions spanned all three disciplines. Despite Ted’s passing three decades ago his greatest legacy, founding and leading global consultancy firm Buro Happold, is marking 50 years since it first sprung into existence in a small townhouse office in central Bath. It’s just possible that many in Bath’s busy hustle and bustle are not aware that some of the world’s most celebrated buildings and masterplans were developed here, behind the doors of an innovative engineering and design consultancy that was founded in Bath in 1976. During the intervening five decades, Buro Happold has had an enduring impact on

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the local community and built environment, and is one of the city’s largest private-sector employers. The firm’s engineers have worked on some of Bath’s most treasured buildings including Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths, as well as major regional regeneration developments and the masterplanning behind them. Local connections run deep. On the global stage, Buro Happold has offices in 37 locations across the world, employing 3,700 people who have delivered projects on every continent, and worked with organisations such as the United Nations, UNESCO and C40 Cities. The firm’s name is linked to iconic structures and major developments the world over. However, for Buro Happold, all roads lead back to its Bath headquarters where the firm’s humble beginnings originate.

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For instance, our collaboration on the London 2012 Olympic Stadium and football stadia for the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham were designed in Bath, and it was engineers and specialists based here that delivered the incredible shallow dome for the Louvre Museum, Abu Dhabi.” The pioneering Louvre Abu Dhabi’s intricately latticed dome makes it an iconic world destination. Serving as a complex ﬁlter to the bright desert sun, it is a masterpiece in geometry. Working closely with architects Ateliers Jean Nouvel, it took over a year to engineer the solution to support nine layers of cladding across a 180-metre dome so that shafts of light burst through and create patterns on the galleries below.

Image courtesy of Buro Happold ©

“A world which sees art and engineering as divided is not seeing the world as a whole.” Sir Ted Happold

Sir Ted Happold

Early homes

“Buro Happold’s Bath office has been likened to a ‘teaching hospital’,” Phil adds. “We help engineers grow, learn and experiment in a highly collaborative environment surrounded by world-class engineers and specialists. If you look at the leadership of our global offices, many of them started out in Bath. We’re not just a design office, we’re an incubator for talent, if you like, and will continue to be; that’s our culture.” ➲

In 1976, Sir Ted Happold was already a well-established and respected engineer when he was invited to become Professor of Architecture and Engineering Design at the University of Bath. As part of the move, he would start up his own practice. Described as a man with charisma, great energy and self-belief, he quickly persuaded a team of seven fellow engineers to join him in Bath and become founding partners of Buro Happold. So great was their conﬁdence in Ted’s vision that they followed, even though Ted was the only one guaranteed a salary by the move. Their earliest home was at 14 Gay Street, where the ﬁrst job was to build their own tables on which to draw – there were no design computers back then. The building was run-down, and the team’s early days were characterised by swiping away the plaster and wood shavings that fell onto their drawings as they worked amidst a full-scale renovation. There followed a stint on Quiet Street and Trim Street before Buro Happold settled at Camden Mill on Lower Bristol Road, eventually expanding into the neighbouring Bayer Building. For 38 years, this remained the cultural home and headquarters of the growing global enterprise, until 2026.

The original Buro Happold team

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Image courtesy of Buro Happold ©

Bath calling From the start, Buro Happold’s focus was on delivering engineering solutions that are better for places, people and the planet with a commitment to ‘touch the earth lightly’, an approach propounded by Ted Happold himself. Bath Office Director and Engineer Phil Lines, who joined the ﬁrm in 2003, says that Buro Happold’s Bath office is unique. “Over the past 23 years I’ve delivered projects across the country and the globe all while based out of our Bath office, which I think makes working here a little different,” he explains. “Not many consultancies based out of the South West operate quite so globally, or at this scale.

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Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City © La'ala Al Kuwait Real Estate Company

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Image courtesy of Buro Happold ©

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Global footsteps Buro Happold’s earliest projects sent founding partners to locations across the world, paving the way to a perpetual stream of landmark development work. Among early international projects the Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City in Kuwait was an engineering feat, sculpting an additional 180km of new coastline development space to support over 100,000 residents. Masterplanned and engineered to thrive in harmony with its environment, the naturally flushing waterway preserves marine ecosystems. More recently bringing nature indoors, in 2018 Buro Happold worked with architects on Singapore’s Jewel Changi Airport to create the tallest indoor waterfall by engineering the world’s largest gridshell to enclose the complex. The innovative, 6,000-tonne glass and steel roof structure spans more than 200 metres at its widest point and is almost column free, an impressive sight for passengers. Across Europe, Buro Happold’s local offices have worked with world-leading architects to deliver iconic buildings and cultural venues such as the Danish National Opera House. “A colleague once described Buro Happold as having a ‘disproportionate share of the best work in the market’,” said Phil, “I think that still rings true today. We’re working on some of the best buildings and placemaking projects in the UK and globally.” On home soil, Buro Happold’s engineers have brought their expertise to create or preserve some of the nation’s most treasured buildings. For example, working with architects at Foster + Partners, reimagining the British Museum’s Great Court with a remarkable glass and steel roof, the largest covered courtyard in Europe. It floods the space with light and gathers the museum’s Georgian buildings under one spectacular roof. From heritage projects to the Millennium Dome, Buro Happold engineered the Dome’s lightweight tensile structure, reimagined again some years later when the firm’s engineers and architects Populous designed the O2 Arena inside the Dome.

The firm is also part of some of the UK’s most significant infrastructure and regeneration developments. For over a quarter of a century it was at the forefront of restoration and redevelopment work for the iconic Battersea Power Station, winning gongs for the strong sustainability focus. Back in the region, the placemaking legacy continues. Since initial masterplanning over a decade ago, Partner and South West Market Lead, Claire Smith, has led Buro Happold’s crucial role in regenerating the University of Bristol’s flagship Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. The scheme’s new, sustainable Sloane Robinson Building opened last month, unlocking a long-unused location in the heart of Bristol, next to Temple Meads Station and the Floating Harbour, overcoming flood risks and other complex challenges stemming from the site’s former industrial use. “We’re extremely proud and excited to see this project completed and the former industrial site transformed, as well as the catalysing impact it’s having on development across this neglected quarter of the city,” says Claire. “Historically, the cities of Bath and Bristol have turned their backs on the River Avon, but we’re now in a very exciting period of design where they are starting to turn back and face it.” Claire has collaborated on many major regional projects, including regeneration of North and South Quays in Bath, and sits on the BaNES Future Ambition Board.

Protecting cultural heritage

Bath office Director and Engineer Phil Lines on site at Pinesgate West

Within the BA postcode, a scavenger hunt of projects touched by Buro Happold’s engineers makes a busy day out, though the involvement may be imperceptible to the casual passerby. Not many visit the city without glimpsing Bath Abbey. The floor has over 8,500 burials beneath it, many of which had started to collapse making the floor structurally unstable. Buro Happold worked with the Abbey as part of the Heritage Lottery Funded Footprint Project to replace the floor and refurbish the vaults to expand facilities. As part of the project, heat was recovered from the city’s natural hot springs for a sustainable, underfloor heating system, once the team had solved the corrosion and health risks. The project’s success led to another, to provide sustainable energy to heat the neighbouring Roman Baths visitor attraction, providing ➲

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Images courtesy of Buro Happold ©

Partner and South West Market Lead, Claire Smith

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“We’re not just a design oﬃce, we’re an incubator for talent, if you like, and will continue to be; that’s our culture.” Phil Lines, Bath Office Director and Engineer

Images courtesy of Buro Happold ©

a similar attitude towards what we’re here to do, which is not just our day job, but to ﬁnd ways to share our expertise and contribute to improving our communities. “Our young engineers, particularly, put a huge amount of energy into community-based projects. We run a programme called Share Our Skills, through which we have supported community projects across the globe, such as conservation in Madagascar and connecting remote communities in Rwanda.” This ethos goes hand-in-hand with giving back locally, like building a new community bike shed in Widcombe. Anyone strolling down Bath’s waterfront in a recent December may also have noticed 24 glowing windows at Camden Mill numbered in a Christmas countdown. The four-storey Advent Calendar became a collaboration with Bath Rugby Foundation as local businesses sponsored windows, each celebrating a squad number, while the generous community supported an Advent Window Raffle. The 2025 Christmas season helped raise £15,000 for the Foundation. Structural work at Bath Abbey

both carbon and cost savings for years to come. The sustainability focus continues into the surrounding countryside, such as creating the striking treetops walkway at Westonbirt Arboretum. Families entranced at The Egg Theatre also unknowingly experience Buro Happold’s work in action. When the Theatre Royal sought to transform the Grade II listed building into a space for children, young people and their families, the Bath team provided an innovative structural solution to support the egg-shaped auditorium, along with multidisciplinary support to bring the much-loved performance space to life. “We’ve been truly privileged to collaborate on so many of Bath’s heritage sites, schools and culturally invaluable buildings, as well as forge long-standing relationships with the people and organisations that keep the city running,” says Phil. “Bath is a beautiful place to live and work, and as engineers we really appreciate working in such a beautiful and deeply cultural setting.” This echoes Sir Ted’s own sentiment, that: “A world which sees art and engineering as divided is not seeing the world as a whole.”

Supporting communities Buro Happold’s relationship with its home city runs deep and not without recognition. Claire, who has been with the firm since 2001, has forged close relationships with many Bath institutions, including the University of Bath which awarded her an honorary Doctorate to recognise her contribution. Close ties remain, such as through the annual Ted Happold Prize for the University’s final year joint architecture and engineering projects. “It’s a privilege to have a strong connection to the city and to really feel part of it,” Claire reflects. “I think engineers at Buro Happold share

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Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus photography by Andy Stagg

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A new low-carbon home Despite housing the region’s tallest Advent Calendar, sustained growth, changing work practices, and Buro Happold’s sustainability and carbon ambitions meant that by 2025, Camden Mill was no longer the right home for the business. Coinciding with the firm’s 50th year, in 2026 the Bath office started a new chapter with Phil Lines overseeing its first move in almost four decades, albeit not too far away. He said: “Camden Mill is a beautiful building steeped in heritage, but it was no longer the workplace for us. We needed more open floor plans to create a truly collaborative environment for our engineers and where we could stand by our sustainability commitments. “Leaving Bath was never in question, we’re a major contributor to the region’s STEM economy and it’s home for so many of our people. So, we took a bold move and seized the opportunity for a low-carbon, sustainability-led retrofit in the heart of Bath which will serve us for years to come.” In January 2026, the firm relocated temporarily into Pinesgate East, slightly further down Lower Bristol Road, while works are undertaken to the neighbouring Pinesgate West building to create Buro Happold’s permanent new home. Working with architect AWW and landlord Watkin Property Ventures, Buro Happold is engaging in a back-to-frame retrofit of Pinesgate West targeting top sustainability certifications as well as meeting demanding carbon targets when in use. “It’s an exciting move for us,” says Phil, “and feels fitting that the first step has come during this milestone year. We’re looking forward to moving into our new home in 2027 and renewing our commitment to the city.”

Living values Gazing into the future, the strong values of Buro Happold’s innovative founder, Ted Happold, set the ﬁrm in good stead for the priorities of tomorrow’s value-led businesses. The 50th anniversary provided an opportunity to reﬂect on just how much.

“Many of our people didn’t know Ted, including myself,” said Phil, “but his values live on in the firm. He believed passionately about using materials responsibly, coining the phrase ‘touching the earth lightly’, an ethos we still live by but more often termed ‘sustainability’. He believed all our projects should leave a place better than we find it by contributing to and supporting local economies and improving the lives of those who live and work around them, what we would now call ‘social value’. “And Ted prioritised looking after his own employees, providing an environment in which to grow and learn, as well as our workplace providing a café and social hub to ensure we’re well fed and looked after – what you might term ‘employee wellbeing’. He was well-known for his belief that ‘the best work is done by the most diverse group of talents’, which is true recognition of the value of inclusion and diversity. So perhaps we all know him better than we thought.” Fifty years in, the stage is being set at Pinesgate West for Buro Happold’s new ‘incubator for talent’ to support and inspire our engineers of the future for the next 50 years and beyond, right here, in the centre of the world heritage city of Bath. n burohappold.com To mark Buro Happold’s milestone year, the firm has compiled a new book: Buro Happold – Engineering, design and advisory, 50 years of courage and care, published by Lund Humphries, exploring the achievements of its founder and highlighting the firm’s innovations through 50 key projects. Find it at: lundhumphries.com

Louvre Abu Dhabi Image © Ateliers Jean Nouvel

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CITY READING

Book shelf Moody October Reading: Six dark novels to thrill and delight you. Book recommendations from Topping & Company

The Bell by Iris Murdoch In this riot of a novel from 1958, philosophical musings on goodness, faith and desire lie side-by-side with a plot rivalling that of a soap opera. Imber Court offers a sanctuary for those unsuited for life both in the world and out of it. Beneath the routines of this peaceful community, lie burgeoning desires, religious guilt and yearning and a tale of tragic love. Add a manor house into the mix and you’ve got all the trappings of a good old-fashioned Gothic novel! Published by Vintage Classics, £10.99

Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson An underrated book from the queen of horror inspired by a real unsolved disappearance. Hangsaman is the disquieting story of Natalie Waite, daughter of a mediocre writer and a neurotic housewife. In the midst of her adolescence she senses a creeping darkness in her life – spreading among nightmarish parties, poisonous cliques and the manipulations of the intellectual men that surround her. Watch with dread as her very identity begins to crumble before your eyes… Published by Penguin Classics, £10.99.

Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval Translated from Norwegian, Paradise Rot is the claustrophobic debut novel from an acclaimed artist and musician. Jo is listless in an unnamed new country and having an increasingly strange time. She lives in a house with no walls alongside a housemate with no boundaries and with each day, their home seems more feverish and alive. This is a sticky, inventive take on the haunted house story, exploring alienation and desire with electrifying, concise prose. Published by Verso, £9.99. 72 TheBATHMagazine | OCTOBeR 2026 | iSSUe 284

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente A lush, blood-streaked fairytale inspired by Russian folklore and history, Deathless is an irresistible book. A young man arrives in St Petersburg at the house of Marya Morevna, seeking his bride. He is the Tsar of Life, and he is Marya’s fate. Charismatic and monstrous, he takes Marya to his land and there, she is scarred by love and war. When she eventually flees to her birthplace, Marya is horrified by what she finds...With echoes of Angela Carter and The Master and Margarita, this is a novel you won’t soon forget. Published by Corsair, £10.99.

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig Twisty and dark, this Gothic fantasy follows Six, a diviner. Taken as a foundling to Aisling cathedral, her sole purpose is to dream visions known as the Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom to learn their futures. When a mysterious heretic knight shows up at Aisling and her diviner sisters start vanishing, she has no choice but to follow him into the outside world – a choice that will destroy everything Six holds dear. Published by Orbit, £10.99.

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell A spine-tingling Victorian chiller that will make you forever fearful of unusual antiques and curiosities. Newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband’s country estate. Though she has only his awkward cousin for company, there is no boredom at The Bridge – inside Elsie’s new home is a locked room, and beyond that door lies a diary exposing an unspeakable series of events and an unsettling wooden figure that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself. Published by Raven Books, £10.99.

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EDUCATING BATH

Education matters NEWS FROM THE CITY’S LEARNERS AND LEADERS

KINGSWOOD CELEBRATES NATIONAL RECOGNITION Kingswood School is celebrating a trio of national accolades, including recognition from The Telegraph for offering strong value for money. The Bath school received a ‘Very Good’ rating – the highest category in The Telegraph’s latest analysis of independent schools, which considers academic results, fees and facilities. Kingswood has also been commended in the Co-educational Independent School of the Year category at the 2026 Independent Schools of the Year Awards, run by Independent School Parent. Completing the trio, the school was shortlisted for a Talk Education Award for Innovation in Education in the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion category, following an 18-month review encompassing policies and curriculum content, staff training and pupil-led initiatives. Headmaster Andrew Gordon-Brown said the recognition was particularly welcome at a time when families were facing difficult choices and the independent school sector was under pressure, adding that delivering a strong education alongside good value was “more important than ever”. kingswood.bath.sch.uk

Millﬁeld Prep introduces new skills-based programme Millfield Prep School has introduced the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB) for pupils in Years 7 and 8, adding a new skillsbased approach alongside its existing academic curriculum. The programme focuses on developing independence, communication, collaboration, thinking and learning, and reviewing and improving, with the aim of preparing pupils for senior school and beyond. A key element is the Pre-Senior Project Qualification, undertaken in Year 8. Pupils choose a subject based on their own interests and work with a staff mentor to research and develop their ideas before presenting their work through a written project, exhibition and presentation. The PSB will sit alongside Millfield’s existing Brilliance Curriculum, which creates cross-curricular links between subjects and topics from Years 7 to 13. Deputy Head Academic Amy Newman said the programme would give pupils opportunities to “explore what interests them, challenge themselves and develop the confidence to learn independently”. millfieldschool.com

Bath educator launches screen-free brain-building club for children A Bath-based educator and mum of three has launched a new weekly brain-building club to help children develop the thinking and problemsolving skills that matter both in and beyond the classroom. Friday Brain Building Club (FBBC) was created by Joey James, a Cambridge graduate with an MA in Education and more than 15 years’ experience in education. Frustrated by the choice between traditional worksheets that can feel like extra homework and an evergrowing number of screen-based activities, Joey set out to create something different. “As a teacher and a mum, I wanted to create something children would genuinely enjoy doing – something that gets them thinking hard without feeling like homework,” says Joey. Designed for children aged 7–9 (Simple) and 9–11 (Stretch), FBBC delivers a printable sheet every Friday morning, combining activities to develop literacy, numeracy, verbal reasoning, deduction and logic. Knowledge and skills are deliberately revisited and connected over time, helping children retain what they learn while building curiosity, confidence and independent thinking. “My children are desperate for their Friday Brain Building Club sheet

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to arrive each week. The other day, my son casually used one of the Words of the Week in conversation — it was brilliant to see the learning really sticking. And for the cost per month, it’s an absolute no-brainer.” (Isobel, mum of three, Wiltshire) FBBC also has a social mission: for every subscription, activity sheets and pencils are donated to schools supporting disadvantaged children. Families can try FBBC free for 30 days, followed by £4.99 per month. Find out more at: fridaybb.com

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Sixth Form Open Evening Thursday 22nd November 5.30pm - 8pm

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

beautynotebook It’s never too early to snap up the best beauty advent calendars that sell out sooner rather than later every year. So, we’ve shared our perfect picks for the countdown to Christmas, which also deliver huge savings on the products waiting behind each door...

L’OCCITANE £99 (worth £192) Bring a touch of Provence to December with L’Occitane’s limitededition Classic Advent Calendar. Behind its 24 doors is a tempting selection of skincare, body, haircare and fragrance treats, featuring some of the French beauty house’s bestloved collections. Discover favourites including Almond Shower Oil, Verbena body care, Shea Butter creams and Immortelle skincare, alongside hand creams, soaps and haircare. With plenty of travel-sized treats to discover, it’s a lovely introduction to the L’Occitane range – or an indulgent festive countdown for established fans. uk.loccitane.com

ANTHROPOLOGIE £98 (worth £400) Behind 24 beautifully illustrated doors, Anthropologie’s limited-edition Beauty Advent Calendar is packed with 25 treats, including an impressive 17 full-size products. Expect skincare, fragrance, haircare and body favourites from names including L’Occitane, PHLUR, Floral Street, Neal’s Yard, Hair Syrup, ESPA and Beauty Works. British-Filipino illustrator Nephthys Foster has created the vibrant keepsake design, making the calendar almost as tempting on the outside as it is within. Exclusively available at Anthropologie. anthropologie.com

SPACE NK £275 (worth £1,200)

JO MALONE £375 (worth £595)

The Space NK 2026 Beauty Advent Calendar is a mustbuy. Jam-packed with 35 beauty icons, including 26 full-size favourites from the likes of Augustinus Bader, REFY, Hourglass and more, with no repeated products from 2025. Whether you've been desperate to try the new Medik8 PDRN serum or want to upgrade your makeup bag with must-haves from Charlotte Tilbury, with some doors containing more than one product, every morning in December is guaranteed to feel magical. spacenk.com

Roar into a holiday of charm and cheer with this luxurious trunk – which doubles up as an advent calendar. Seek out a scented surprise each day throughout December. Hidden inside crackers, ornaments and stockings are miniature seasonal favourites – including timeless colognes, candles and bath & body treats – with a 30ml fragrance waiting to be revealed on the 25th. A jubilant present for someone extra-special, or a deserved treat to keep for yourself. jomalone.co.uk

LIZ EARLE £79 (worth £203) THE WHITE COMPANY £195 (worth £336) Consistently five-star reviewed and a sell-out every year, this iconic Advent Calendar returns for 2026. From the front door to the top floor, The White Company has filled this townhouse-inspired calendar with a carefully curated selection of favourites, as well as some new exclusives and even more full-sized products. Inside each of the 25 drawers is a little moment of joy for the day – whether that’s a candle to light or a scented bath and body treat to enjoy. And yes – that’s 25, not 24 (they think Christmas Day deserves a present, too). thewhitecompany.com

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Embark on a luxurious escape for the senses this festive season with the muchcoveted Liz Earle 12-Piece Beauty Advent Calendar (available from John Lewis) featuring the special-edition fragrance Mandarin & Nutmeg and plenty more to discover. Products include the Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, 100ml; Cleanse & Glow Transforming Gel Cleanser, 30ml; Smooth & Glow Exfoliating Tonic, 50ml; Skin Repair Light Cream, 15ml; Instant Boost Skin Tonic, 50ml; Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion, 50ml and much, much more. johnlewis.com

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AUTUMN SOIRÉE THURSDAY 15TH OCTOBER 1.00PM - 6.30PM Enjoy dedicated private consultations with our expert therapists exploring our extensive range of beauty, advanced aesthetics and wellbeing treatments. Discover new treatments, ask questions and enjoy personalised advice in a relaxed, friendly setting, whilst indulging in complimentary bubbles and canapés. A P P O I N T M E N T O N LY PLEASE CALL TO BOOK. We look forward to welcoming you

No.1 Argyle Street, Bath BA2 4BA | Tel: 01225 466851 www.theorangerylaserandbeautybath.co.uk

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DENTAL & DENTURE CLINIC NEW PRIVATE DENTIST APPOINTMENTS NOW AVAILABLE

Routine Check Ups Crowns/Veneers Hygienist Appointments Teeth Whitening Denture Experts Free Denture Consultation Georgina Saunders Dentist

Call to book an appointment! 01225 311 681 @ info@jbdental.co.uk

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www.jbdental.co.uk

Georgina takes a holistic approach to dentistry and has a particular interest in Periodontal disease.

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Promoted content

Premium Intraocular Lenses in Cataract and Lens Surgery: An Interview with Consultant Ophthalmologist Adam Ross

n the evolving ﬁeld of cataract and lens surgery, premium intraocular lenses (IOLs) have revolutionized how patients experience vision correction. We sat down with consultant ophthalmologist Adam Ross to discuss these advanced options, including toric, trifocal/spiral, and extended depth/enhanced monovision lenses.

Thank you for joining us. To start, could you briefly explain the role of intraocular lenses in cataract surgery? Absolutely. In cataract surgery, the natural lens of the eye, which has become cloudy, is removed and replaced with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL). This lens restores clarity to vision and can be tailored to correct refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Premium IOLs go a step further by offering additional benefits, such as reducing the need for glasses and providing enhanced visual quality. What are premium IOLs, and how do they differ from standard lenses? Standard monofocal lenses correct vision at a single distance, usually either near or far, so patients often need glasses for other tasks. Premium IOLs, on the other hand, are designed to improve focus at multiple distances or correct specific vision issues like astigmatism. Options like toric, trifocal, and EMV lenses are tailored to individual needs and lifestyles, significantly enhancing visual outcomes.

Let’s delve into the different types. Could you tell us about toric lenses and their beneﬁts? Toric intraocular lenses (IOLs) are specialized lenses used to correct astigmatism in patients undergoing cataract surgery or refractive lens exchange. Astigmatism occurs when the cornea or lens has an irregular shape, causing distorted or blurry vision. Toric IOLs are available in monofocal, multifocal, trifocal and EMV designs, and their use depends on the patient's visual needs and lifestyle. How do trifocal/spiral lenses stand out compared to other multifocal lenses? These lenses allow patients to focus at three distinct ranges: near, intermediate, and far. This means activities like reading, working on a computer, and driving can all be done reducing the dependency on glasses. The design of newer trifocal/spiral lenses reduces the visual disturbances—such as halos or glare—that were more common with earlier multifocal IOLs. However, a careful examination and discussion about the pros and cons of these lenses is essential on an individual basis.

risks, including infection or lens misalignment. Additionally, some patients may notice halos, glare, or difficulty with night vision, particularly with trifocal lenses, though these symptoms often improve over time. Careful preoperative assessments and discussions can mitigate these risks by ensuring the chosen lens suits the patient’s eyes and lifestyle. Lastly, what advice would you give to someone considering cataract or lens replacement surgery with premium IOLs? Do your research and have an open discussion with your surgeon. Understanding the options, the beneﬁts, and any potential trade-offs is key. Make sure your choice aligns with your visual needs and lifestyle. With the right lens, cataract surgery can transform your vision and enhance your quality of life.

Premium intraocular lenses have ushered in a new era of vision correction, offering patients a range of customized solutions. With the expertise of specialists like Mr. Adam Ross, patients can navigate their options conﬁdently and achieve outstanding visual outcomes. ■ To make an appointment contact us today: 01225 220 295 Email: office@theeyeunit.co.uk www.theeyeunit.co.uk

You also mentioned extended monofocal lenses, or EMV lenses. What makes them unique? These lenses, bridge the gap between traditional monofocals and multifocal lenses. They provide a greater range of vision than monofocals without the compromises in visual quality sometimes associated with multifocal lenses. How do you determine which lens is best for a patient? It’s a personalised process. We start by evaluating the patient’s eye health, including the presence of astigmatism or other refractive errors. We then discuss their lifestyle, hobbies, and expectations. For example, someone who frequently reads or works at a computer might prefer trifocal lenses, while a patient who drives a lot and values distance clarity might lean toward Extended Depth or EMV lenses. If astigmatism is a factor, a toric lens can be incorporated into the plan. Are there any risks associated with these advanced lenses? Premium IOLs are generally very safe, but as with any surgery, there are potential

THE BATH CLINIC

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A GOOD WALK

The Halve

Lloyds Bank

The architecture and the making of Trowbridge In this month’s walk, Andrew Swift discovers another side to Trowbridge with a two and a half-mile circular route revealing grand Georgian houses, historic mills and reminders of the town’s remarkable industrial past.

xploring Trowbridge on foot may not seem that alluring a prospect. Lying at the hub of a network of busy roads, hemmed in by housing and industrial estates, you could be excused for thinking that it has little to offer. But first impressions can be misleading. Trowbridge has some of the grandest 18th-century buildings in the West Country, and one of the finest collections of 19th-century industrial buildings in England. Trowbridge grew up around a Norman castle. By the 18th century, it was one of the most important weaving towns in the country, with wealthy clothiers building ever grander townhouses. As the 19th century dawned, and steam power supplanted water, the 18th-century town was engulfed as vast new mills were built, the population boomed and other industries moved in to what became known as the Manchester of the West. The 20th century, though, saw a steady decline. The last mill closed in 1982 and in the early 2000s the town’s two biggest employers – Ushers Brewery and Bowyers Meat Factory – closed. Today, though, regeneration is in the air, with new businesses being established and former industrial buildings converted to housing. Given such a seismic history, it is hardly surprising that Trowbridge can seem more than a little disjointed. Despite this, it is one of the most fascinating towns in the West Country. The short walk described here is an introduction to just a few of its architectural showpieces and hidden corners. The easiest way to get to Trowbridge is by train. Leaving the station, head down the approach road, cross the main road at the lights and turn left downhill. A little further on, divert to the right to cross more pedestrian lights before continuing downhill. At the end of the row of buildings on your right, look through a gateway to see a view that encapsulates the town’s history over the past 300 years. Towering above an early 18th-century clothier’s mansion is

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Studley Mill, steam powered and built in the 1850s. It closed in 1970 and both buildings are now being converted to housing. Across the road was Bowyers meat factory, which covered a ten-acre site. It closed in 2007 and the site is now being redeveloped. As you carry on, fork right to cross a footbridge over the River Biss. The stone building on the far side is a blind house, whose history is outlined on a plaque. Turn right to walk along to a small brick building. This was a handle house, where teasel handles used to raise the nap on damp cloth were dried for re-use. Head back to the blind house and turn right up Wicker Hill, whose name recalls the time when there was a ditch here, defending the castle, with a wicker fence to stop people falling into it. It soon widens into Fore Street, with a row of Georgian townhouses on the left. The grandest – Parade House at No 70 – was built for a clothier around 1725, and Jane Austen is said to have called here on her way to Bath. It later became the head office of Ushers Brewery, which abutted it at the back. Ushers also built the Baroque-style building to the right of it in 1915. Facing you at the top of the street is ‘the grandest of all the clothier palaces’, dating from around 1730 and bearing more than passing resemblance to the central section of the east front of Dyrham House. It is now a branch of Lloyds Bank. Turn right and right again to find the entrance to the Shires Shopping Centre, which is wrapped round Home Mills, the last of the town’s mills to close. Part of the mill now houses Trowbridge Museum, which can be found by heading into the shopping centre. Entrance is free and it gives a vivid insight into Trowbridge’s history. Carrying on past the museum, you come to Boswell’s Cafe, housed in what was originally a chapel but later became the offices of Home Mills. Turn right past Greggs and, after passing the O2 shop, turn left and left again to leave the shopping centre.

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A GOOD WALK

Thomas Helliker’s Tomb

As you head down a ramp, you pass Stone Mill, dating from 1817, on your right. Carry on along Court Street, passing two more mills – Brick Mill and Castle Mill – before turning left along Mill Street. A left turn at the end leads up Castle Street, where a row of weavers’ houses with wide upper windows survives on the right. Castle House and Court House, further up, both date from 1796. At the top, if you look to the right along Market Street, you will see two prominent buildings by Bath architects on the right – the former Market Hall, by AS Goodridge, and beyond it, with an octagonal steeple, the Old Town Hall, by Major Davis. Carry on along Castle Street and, after passing the 17th-century King’s Arms, turn right through an archway into Red Hat Lane, where the footprint of Trowbridge’s castle keep survives in the line of the buildings on the right. The buildings on the left follow the line of market stalls set up outside it, which over time developed into permanent structures. At the end of the lane is another clothier’s mansion converted to a bank. It is flanked by two former inns – the White Hart on the right, and the George, dating from 1349, on the left. Turn left and carry on along an alleyway to St James’ Church, which possesses an extraordinary set of gargoyles. As you head to the left of the church, you will see a chest tomb ahead, flanked by two pines. The peacefulness of its location belies the terrible times it recalls, for this is the grave of 19-year-old Thomas Helliker, hanged for a crime he did not commit. Go through the gateway onto Church Street and turn right. At the end, turn left along Roundstone Street. Rodney House, set back on the right a little way along, dates from 1789, as does Polebarn House – now a hotel – on the corner of Polebarn Road. Just beyond it, Lovemead House – now the Conservative Club – was built for a clothier called William Temple around 1730. If you look to the left of it, you can see the redbrick workshops at the back where his weavers once toiled. Turn down Polebarn Road and after 250m turn left into Ashton Street, passing the former Castle Inn on the right. Beyond it, Ashton Street is cut in two by a busy road, so to continue you have to go down steps, cross and climb more steps on the other side. A little further on, turn left along Harford Street, and at the end continue along a path curving down to a subway. Once through it, turn

Lovemead House

left along Yerbury Street to see a row of three-storey weavers’ cottages built around 1793. Head back along Yerbury Street, cross the road ahead, turn right along the pavement and follow it as it curves round into The Halve, arguably the most eclectic and interesting street in Trowbridge, development of which started around 1780. Turn left at the end along Union Street. The two-storey Bath stone terrace on your left is Waterloo Place, its name handily pinpointing its date of construction. Just past it, if you look to the left, you will see the surviving section of Duke Street Mill. Carry on past Zion Chapel and St James’s Hall, and, when you reach Church Street, cross and turn right. On the right, you pass the Tabernacle, a complex of collegiate-style buildings centred on a Congregational chapel, closed in 2016 and converted to housing. Carry on across the end of Manvers Street and follow the road as it curves right. The redbrick buildings on your left are all that survive of Ushers Brewery. Carry on across the end of Back Street, but, before taking the next left along Conigre Square, look ahead to see two more grand 18th-century houses which once stood on the edge of the country. Turn left at the end of Conigre Square, and, after passing Back Street – where some as yet unrestored buildings survive – you will see a former coaching inn, the three-storey King of Prussia, on the right. Carry on across the bottom of Wicker Hill and turn right across the footbridge to return to the station. If you are in need of refreshment, Cesar’s Coffee and the Rose & Crown are both just past the turning to the station. The Rose & Crown also has a handy live train departure board. n

Distance: 2.5 miles Accessibility: All on paved surfaces, although with two short flights of steps on Ashton Street

Andrew Swift’s books on walking in and around Bath can be found at www.akemanpress.com | All photos provided courtesy of Andrew Swift

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A bespoke wine cellar makes clever use of the vaulted basement of this Georgian house, designed by Clair Strong Interior Design

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Photography credit: Nick Smith, nicksmithphotography.com

HOMES & INTERIORS

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HOMES & INTERIORS

The return of craftmanship. Why handmade is having a moment In an age of mass production and instant availability, something rather different is happening in our homes. We are seeking out the maker, the artisan and the craftsperson, and rediscovering the pleasure of things made slowly and thoughtfully. Katherine Raderecht explores the new appreciation for traditional skills and the enduring appeal of the handmade.

here was a time when the things in our homes were made because they had to be. Furniture was built for a particular room, curtains were sewn rather than ordered ready-made, chairs were repaired rather than replaced and building materials were chosen as much for their longevity as their appearance. Then came the age of convenience: flat-pack furniture, massproduced kitchens, machine-printed fabrics and interiors that could be transformed at the click of a button. Now, however, we seem to be falling back in love with the handmade. From bespoke joinery and hand-finished kitchens to carved stone, decorative plasterwork, traditional upholstery and hand-block printed fabrics, craftsmanship is finding its way back into our homes. And in a city like Bath, where Georgian and Victorian buildings provide a daily reminder of the skill of previous generations, perhaps it is no surprise that the appetite for things made well is particularly strong. Craftsmanship is becoming important again because people are looking for interiors with a sense of permanence. There’s a real desire for things that have been thoughtfully made, rather than simply bought to fill a space. A hand-finished surface, a piece of bespoke joinery or a beautifully made piece of furniture brings something that mass production can’t: individuality, character and a sense of connection to the home.

Why craftsmanship matters again Part of the attraction is undoubtedly a reaction to the sameness of mass production. When the same furniture, lighting and accessories can be bought by thousands of people, there is something reassuringly personal about owning an object that has been made by hand. It might not be perfectly symmetrical, and the ﬁnish may carry tiny variations, but those imperfections are evidence of its making and, increasingly, those subtle imperfections are part of what makes them desirable. There is also a growing appreciation of the story behind an object. Knowing who made something, where it was produced and what materials went into it gives it a signiﬁcance that is difficult to replicate with something mass-produced. For Malachi Bogdanov of Bath Contemporary Art Fair, that sense of individuality is central to the growing appetite for handmade ceramics and craft. “People want objects with individuality and a story behind them. There’s something very Bespoke hallway storage by Woodhouse & Law, combining practical storage for boots and coats with beautifully crafted joinery

The return to craftsmanship isn't really a return to the past. It is a desire to make our homes feel less disposable – and more like our own

Image courtesy of Woodhouse & Law

Clair Strong, of Clair Strong Interior Design, has noticed the same shift. “Clients are increasingly appreciating the quality and longevity of crafted goods, particularly in contrast to mass-produced furniture and furnishings. There’s a growing understanding of the time and skill involved in making something by hand – whether it’s a hand-knotted rug, a bentwood chair or a beautiful handblown glass light. These pieces may cost more, but they can become an investment that stands the test of time.” Whether that means commissioning a kitchen from scratch or choosing a handmade ceramic for a shelf, the appeal is much the same. There is something about a crafted piece that gives a room a sense of character – you can see the skill and thought that has gone into it.

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HOMES & INTERIORS

Bespoke joinery has become increasingly desirable as homeowners look for ways to make the most of every centimetre. Rather than trying to make an existing room accommodate standard-sized furniture, cabinetry can be designed around the architecture – whether that means a library ﬁtted into an awkward alcove, a wine cellar built into the vaults of a period house or a kitchen where thoughtfully designed cabinetry becomes part of the architecture. The same is true of the bespoke kitchen. Once dominated by standardised runs of cabinetry, today’s kitchens are increasingly treated as architectural and decorative elements in their own right. Hand-painted ﬁnishes, solid timber, carefully considered hardware and individually designed storage all add to the feeling that the kitchen belongs to the house rather than having simply been installed in it.

“Perhaps that is the real appeal of craftsmanship: creating things that acquire more meaning, rather than less, with time.” Tina Bugg

Image courtesy of Annika Reed

Annika Reed’s Sunshine Masquerade wallpaper brings the character of traditional woodblock printing to a playful, contemporary design

different about owning a piece made by an artist, where you can see the hand and process behind it, rather than something produced in thousands. Increasingly, people are collecting craft for their homes as much as they are decorating them.” For Nick Woodhouse, of Woodhouse and Law, that individuality is increasingly important. He says clients are becoming braver and more open to schemes that genuinely reﬂect their personalities, rather than following short-lived trends. His studio advocates timeless, well-made pieces that can stay in a home for decades, combining traditional pieces with contemporary counterparts and retaining existing furniture where possible – perhaps by re-upholstering it – rather than automatically replacing it with something new. This is particularly evident in the growing interest in traditional crafts that might once have seemed old-fashioned. Hand-block printing, decorative painting, stone masonry and traditional upholstery are all skills rooted in the past, but they are being used in increasingly contemporary interiors. And craftsmanship does not necessarily mean creating a period-style home. In fact, some of the most interesting examples are where traditional skills meet modern design: a pared-back kitchen made by a cabinetmaker, contemporary fabric produced using an age-old printing technique. A contemporary bathroom can be transformed by the use of traditional materials and skills – a hand-carved stone basin, for example, can bring texture, character and a sense of permanence to an otherwise simple space.

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Tina Bugg, of Joel Bugg, sees this particularly clearly in Bath. “As one of the most used and sociable spaces in the home, there is a growing desire for the kitchen to feel less uniform and more connected to the people and architecture around it,” she says. Bespoke furniture can respond to the quirks and proportions of a particular building rather than starting with standard cabinet sizes. For Bugg, provenance matters too: knowing who made something, where it was made and the skills involved gives furniture meaning, while good craftsmanship allows it to be repaired, adapted and lived with for many years. In Bath, there is another material that has an especially strong connection with the idea of craftsmanship: stone. The city’s distinctive architecture is inseparable from its famous golden Bath stone, and there is renewed interest in both traditional stonework and reclaimed materials. Old stone carries marks, variations and a patina that cannot be manufactured, while using reclaimed material gives new work a sense of history from the outset. The same philosophy extends to the surfaces around it. Decorative plasterwork and traditional lime plaster are being rediscovered not simply for their visual appeal but because they work so naturally with older buildings. Rather than stripping away the characteristics that make a period property special, these techniques allow homeowners to repair, enhance and add to them using materials and methods that have stood the test of time.

The beauty of the handmade If architectural craftsmanship provides the bones of an interior, decorative crafts give it personality. Hand-painted furniture is one example. In a world where furniture is increasingly bought online and made to order, choosing something painted by hand feels more individual – whether it is an inherited piece given a new lease of life or a newly made cabinet ﬁnished speciﬁcally for a room. Vanessa Sayce, of Marmalade House Design, points to the versatility

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Image courtesy of Joel Bugg

HOMES & INTERIORS

A circular library handmade by master craftsman Joel Bugg, with curvedfronted furniture designed to follow the shape of the Georgian rotunda

of painted furniture, from soft French or Gustavian finishes that reveal the age and contours of a piece to brighter, more contemporary treatments. “Furniture painting brings to life pieces that either have practical or sentimental value, and allows them to live again with a fresh new look,” she says. “Painted well, old furniture can have a longevity and a place within the home that no new replacement could emulate.” Textiles offer another opportunity. Hand-block printed fabrics have a depth and subtle variation that comes from the process itself. Each impression is made individually, meaning that no two lengths are quite the same. Rather than seeing this as a flaw, we are increasingly appreciating the evidence of the hand. Designer Annika Reed begins her own fabric designs with traditional woodblock printing, carving and printing each design by hand before the finished pattern is digitally reproduced. She believes people are drawn to the “humanity, individuality and craftsmanship” of the process: the variations in pressure and registration, the texture of the ink and the small imperfections that make the original artwork feel alive. Digital reproduction then brings consistency and accessibility while retaining the personality of the hand-printed design – a meeting of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology. Traditional upholstery takes the idea a step further. An old chair with good bones can be repaired, re-stuffed and covered in a beautiful new fabric rather than sent to landfill. The result isn't just an old piece made to look new; it retains the character of the original while acquiring another chapter in its life. For Joanna Heptinstall, of the Traditional Upholstery School, that process has an emotional as well as practical value. Working with her hands, simple tools and centuries-old techniques to bring a piece of

furniture back to life is, she says, deeply rewarding. Chairs in particular can carry family history – the place where children were read to, a pet was nursed or someone curled up with a book. Restoring one preserves those memories while adding another layer of creativity and care. “It is incredibly hard to part with a beautiful family chair, even when it has become shabby and uncomfortable. That is why restoring is so important.”

Built to last Ultimately, the return to craftsmanship is about more than aesthetics. It reﬂects a change in how we think about what we bring into our homes. The most beautifully made object isn't necessarily the most expensive one. Its value may lie in the skill involved, the quality of the material, the fact that it was made locally, or simply the knowledge that it was created to last. That philosophy can be seen in the smaller details too: handmade glass, forged metal railings and curtain poles, bespoke lighting, traditional sash windows and individually made hardware. These may not always be the ﬁrst things noticed in a room, but they contribute enormously to how an interior feels. They give a building texture, depth and a sense of permanence. And perhaps that is why craftsmanship feels so relevant now. We have become accustomed to being able to replace almost anything, almost instantly. The appeal of the handmade is that it asks us to slow down. To choose carefully. To repair rather than replace. To value the person who made something as much as the thing itself. The return to craftsmanship isn't really a return to the past. It is a desire to make our homes feel less disposable – and more like our own. n THEBATHMAG.CO.UK | OCTOBER 2026 | ThEBATHMagazinE 91

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HOMES & INTERIORS

Homenotebook Gothic Whimsy... Practical Magic 2 has rekindled our affection for the Owens sisters and the deliciously dark aesthetic of the 1998 cult classic. So what better time to invite a little romantic, gothic whimsy into the home? Look to the night sky, mysticism, botany and astrology for inspiration, creating bewitching spaces guaranteed to awaken your inner witch or wizard just in time for spooky season.

Cat-titude Limited Edition Ceramic Collectible Meet the black cat you’ll happily allow to cross your path. Divine Savages’ deliciously eccentric Cat-titude ceramic is hand-finished in glossy black with shimmering eyes, a gold bow tie and – naturally – its own cocktail glass. Created with British sculptor Jo Grogan and ceramic makers 1882 Ltd in Stoke-on-Trent, only 75 numbered pieces exist. A wickedly stylish familiar for maximalist interiors. £220. Find it on: divinesavages.com

Radiant Sun Mirror Add a little dark glamour to your walls with this golden sun mirror from Tillius. With its sculptural rays and burnished finish, it has just enough celestial drama to cast a spell over a hallway, bedroom or gallery wall. Crafted from resin and measuring approximately 19.5cm across. £22.99. tillius.co.uk

Coeur Brass Filigree Casket For trinkets, treasures and perhaps the odd secret, Lila Rasa’s heart-shaped Coeur casket has an irresistible touch of gothic romance. Clear French bevelled glass panels are framed with ornate brass filigree, creating a vintage-inspired home for rings, earrings and precious keepsakes. Beautifully decorative, with just a hint of the mysterious. £30. homefrontinteriors.co.uk

Girl With an Emerald Earring by Pat Kelley A mysterious gaze, a flash of emerald and more than a hint of old-master intrigue give Pat Kelley’s portrait an alluringly enigmatic quality. Printed using archival inks on fine art paper, the piece is finished with a decorative gold-bead frame for an appropriately decadent touch. Made in the UK and measuring 35 x 43cm, it brings a little dark romance to the gallery wall. £238. anthropologie.com

Rockett St George Look of Love Beaded Eye Cushion Keep an eye on things with this deliciously dark cushion from Rockett St George. Soft black velvet, a playful bobble trim and a beautifully beaded eye picked out with shimmering gold accents give it plenty of glamorous gothic appeal. Its unusual circular shape adds to the drama – perfect for casting a watchful gaze over your sofa, bed or favourite chair. £35. next.co.uk

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Set of 2 Petiole Framed Art These botanical art pieces from Gallery Direct feature detailed illustrations of plant petioles and foliage. The delicately rendered designs evoke a timeless, elegant feel. They come as a set of two, each in a small rectangular metal frame with an integrated hanging loop that adds a unique finishing touch. £31.20. marksandspencer.com

b c f bath carpets and flooring

Lakeland Herdwick Silverhow Cameo

Simply beautiful flooring

Visit our Showrooms: 4 Kingsmead Street, Bath, BA1 2AA 01225 471888 Flooring@bathcontractflooring.co.uk For your Home: www.carpetsandflooringbath.co.uk For your Business: www.bathcontractflooring.co.uk

CARPETS | VINYLS | DESIGN FLOORING | RUGS | COMMERCIAL

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Vintage furniture, given a new lease of life jeffosbo@hotmail.com |

07875 129964

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HOMES & INTERIORS | BATH’S BEST SERVICES

Changing rooms Our A/W guide features all our favourite trades and services to help spruce up your home. Whether it’s a small decorating touch or an ambitious major project, this directory has a treasured range of expert services to make all those home, interior and garden ideas become reality.

WOODHOUSE & LAW 4 George’s Place, Bathwick Hill, Bath BA2 4EN Tel: 01225 428072 Web: woodhouseandlaw.co.uk Woodhouse and Law are a full-service interior and garden design company, working from their showroom and studio on Bathwick Hill. Founded in 2009 by Nick Woodhouse and John Law, the team takes pride in developing stylish, individual and creative schemes across the residential and commercial sectors. Alongside their collaboration with the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, the Woodhouse and Law studio is currently working on a number of projects across the city of Bath, and further afield, including London, Somerset, Devon and Dorset.

AVONVALE CARPETS

THE BATH FRAMER

37 Kingsmead Street, Bath BA1 2AA Tel: 01225 427057 Web: avonvalecarpets.co.uk

14–15 Walcot Buildings, London Road, Bath BA1 6AD Tel: 01225 920210 Web: thebathpictureframer.co.uk

Your choice of flooring is vital in transforming any room and the range of options can sometimes overwhelm; fortunately, Avonvale Carpets is on hand to assist. It has served homeowners and businesses throughout the city of Bath and Wiltshire for over 50 years, providing an excellent choice of flooring, in-depth expertise and perfect fitting. An independent, second-generation family-run business, Avonvale Carpets uses professionallytrained fitters and deals directly with major manufacturers, offering customers a great selection of quality flooring solutions that is second to none – LVT, natural, stain resistant, vinyl, wood, wool and tailor-made options too. You’ll be amazed at the variety on offer in the shop, located just off Kingsmead Square. Pop in and see.

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The Bath Framer, owned by Kelly, is a friendly boutique picture framers that has a beautifully quirky front of house and an amazing naturally lit workshop. Both are a joy to work in and to visit for customers wanting to see how frames are created. Since opening, the business has gone from strength to strength, building a client list of local residents and businesses based in Bath, Bristol and beyond. A bespoke framing service, tailored to suit all individuals’ needs runs alongside a gorgeous selection of cards, gift wrap and stationery.

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BATH KITCHEN COMPANY 3 Queen Square, Bath BA1 2HA Tel: 01225 312003 Web: bathkitchencompany.co.uk Established in 1990, Bath Kitchen Company is an award-winning, well-regarded family business based in Bath. With vast experience, the company takes pride in its close attention to detail and its understanding of what each client requires. Whatever an individual client’s tastes, the team will find a bespoke kitchen that strikes a perfect balance between aesthetic and practical requirements. Consequently every kitchen is unique, beautifully designed and perfectly functional. Handmade using premium materials and to the highest standards, a beautiful kitchen can be carefully crafted to make the most of available space, existing features and the latest technology. Whether designing for Bath’s oldest private homes or cutting-edge city apartments, the principle is the same – Bath Kitchen Company will create a place that enhances your lifestyle. Book an appointment to see the Bath Kitchen Company’s impressive new studio at 3 Queen Square.

JOEL BUGG FURNITURE & SPACES Tel: 01225 583520 / 07779 236242 Web: joelbugg.co.uk Joel Bugg Furniture & Spaces designs and creates elegant, bespoke fitted furniture and interiors, which are architecturally thought through to seamlessly fit and suit your property. Joel and his team offer a fully managed service from initial space planning and concept designs, using teams of skilled cabinet makers in their manufacture through to final installation. They will also recommend, source and provide lighting, flooring and other finishing touches as required. Their expertise spans all interiors from kitchens and bathrooms to libraries and boot rooms, and as well as working directly with clients they work collaboratively with architects and interior designers to deliver a truly tailored solution.

TR HAYES 15–18 London Street, Walcot, Bath BA1 5BX Tel: 01225 465 757 Web: trhayes.co.uk TR Hayes is the region’s largest furniture retailer and has been proudly serving Bath for over 110 years. Family-run and known for quality, choice and personal service, its extensive showrooms offer furniture for every room, including sofas, chairs, dining, living and bedroom furniture, as well as a wide selection of beds and mattresses. Discover leading brands including Vispring, Stressless and Ercol, alongside a choice of classic and contemporary designs to suit a variety of styles and budgets. The specialist made-to-measure curtain and blind department also offers an extensive selection of fabrics, blinds and shutters. With friendly, knowledgeable staff on hand to offer expert advice, plus dependable aftersales care, TR Hayes is a long-established name you can rely on for quality furniture and exceptional service.

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HOMES & INTERIORS | BATH’S BEST SERVICES

DUNSDON BARN Dunsdown Lane, West Littleton, Wiltshire SN14 8JA Web: dunsdonbarn.com With joined-up thinking by three of Bath’s most-loved independent homes, interiors and exterior businesses, Dunsdon Barn is a destination showroom for Boniti, with its beautiful stone, porcelain and timber flooring products; the brilliant kitchen designs by Ben Argent - with working kitchen displays on show, and Coopers Home Appliances for a fabulous range of the highest quality kitchen appliances - including AGA, Everhot, La Cornue, Lacanche and Smeg as well as Fisher & Paykel, Miele, Bora and many more. The showroom space has been completely re-imagined and all three businesses are well-known for offering the highest standards of customer service, care and can work together to provide excellent delivery and fitting by skilled craftspeople. Conveniently located just a few miles north of Bath near Dyrham Park and J18, and with free parking, Dunsdon Barn is the perfect place to start your next dream project.

LOLA SWIFT INTERIOR DESIGNER & COLOUR CONSULTANT Tel: 07971 106546; Email: lola@lolaswift.co.uk Web: lolaswift.co.uk Lola Swift offers a creative and comprehensive design service, effortlessly blending style with practicality. She brings personality, colour, and texture into every home, ensuring each space is both beautiful and functional. Whether you’re moving house or refreshing a room, Lola makes the process seamless, designing schemes that reflect your taste and budget.

CLAIR STRONG INTERIOR DESIGN

Photography by nicksmithphotography.com

2 Walcot Buildings, London Road, Bath BA1 6AD Meetings by appointment. Studio: 01225 426905 Mob: 07855 797311 info@clairstrong.co.uk Web: clairstrong.co.uk Clair and her experienced team at Clair Strong Interior Design Ltd provide a full range of interior design services for both residential and commercial projects. Established over 20 years ago, Clair works with a trusted network of professionals and trades to offer a complete interior design service for projects of all types. From city centre apartments and shops to large family homes and hotels, her portfolio includes contemporary projects through to listed Georgian properties. The company ethos is to take a collaborative approach with clients, working with them to create spaces that meet their needs, improve their lives, and exceed their expectations. Call or email Clair to discuss your project.

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MARMALADE HOUSE DESIGN Tel: 07733 263844 Web: marmaladehousedesign.com Marmalade House Design is an award-winning, professional furniture painting and design company, based in Bath. It specialises in French and Gustavian finishes that include the layering of colours, distressed paintwork and lime-washing as well as gilding, colour-washing for ageing and waxing services. The focus is all about colour and style and how that fits into a customer’s home. The team of trained interior designers also offer a design and styling service that brings together the client’s style and aspirations for change. For those who prefer to do everything themselves, the company also offers popular training courses on how to paint furniture to professional standards, and the use of colour within your home. Run by Vanessa Sayce, Marmalade House Design is an established, friendly company that has its clients’ interests at heart, whatever changes they would like to make, and at whatever scale.

PIETRA WOOD & STONE The Old Filling Station, 400 Ham Green, Holt, BA14 6PX Tel: 01225 783527/782408 Web: pietrawoodandstone.com With more than 25 years’ experience, Pietra Wood & Stone offers an extensive selection of quality flooring and wall coverings from its showroom in Holt, just outside Bradford on Avon and only a short drive from Bath. The range includes natural stone and porcelain tiles, engineered wood flooring and luxury vinyl tiles (LVT), with knowledgeable staff on hand to offer advice for projects large and small. Among the latest additions is Bjelin Woodura, a new generation of engineered wood flooring combining the beauty of real wood with impressive durability. Water-resistant, FSC-certified and three times stronger than traditional wood floors, it is particularly well suited to hard-working areas such as kitchens and utility rooms. Whether you’re building, renovating or simply refreshing a room, the Holt showroom is open six days a week.

BEN ARGENT KITCHENS Dunsdon Barn, West Littleton, Wiltshire SN14 8JA Tel: 01225 892270 Web: benargentkitchens.co.uk Award-winning creators of beautiful bespoke kitchens. Ben Argent Kitchens is a local independent company run by Ben and Emi Argent, who have been designing and hand crafting timeless, sophisticated kitchens since 2011. Every design detail you see has been meticulously refined. Every function and material application has been imagined with the most in-depth level of consideration. And every kitchen has been installed with the highest level of precision and finesse. Their beautiful showroom is conveniently located near M4 J18 with plenty of free parking. Please contact them to arrange a viewing.

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SELBY LANDSCAPES Tel: 01225 571350 Web: selbylandscapes.com Selby Landscapes is the leading landscape gardening company based in Bath with an excellent reputation for crafting beautiful and enduring outdoor spaces. Selby Landscapes offer a turn-key solution to your landscape requirements including landscape design and construction, garden design, planting and garden maintenance. Frequently working alongside other garden designers in the Somerset region, as well as offering an in-house garden design service, every garden project Selby Landscapes create, from city courtyards to large country gardens, is crafted to give a lifetime of pleasure.

HOBBS MARBLE & GRANITE Radstock Road, Midsomer Norton, Bath BA3 2AA Tel: 01761 412934 Web: hobbsmarbleandgranite.co.uk Hobbs Marble & Granite specialises in the fabrication of kitchen and bathroom worktops in granite, quartz, marble, limestone and slate. A natural stone worktop brings an unrivalled unique beauty to the heart of your home. Whether you choose the rich tones of granite or one of the many colours of quartz for contemporary style, a professionally fitted work surface from Hobbs Marble & Granite will give you a stunning finish to your kitchen or bathroom. You are welcome to visit our showroom just outside of Bath to view the wide selection of materials and our friendly and knowledgeable team are on hand to discuss your requirements.

COOPERS HOME APPLIANCES 13–15 Walcot Street, Bath BA1 5BN And at: Dunsdon Barn, Dunsdown Lane, West Littleton, SN14 8JA Tel: 01225 311811 Web: coopershomeappliances.com For many years, Coopers has been a standout feature in our Best of Bath guides and it’s easy to see why. With over 70 years of experience, Coopers is an award-winning independent kitchen appliance specialist known for quality, expertise, and a carefully curated range that includes both leading brands and more distinctive choices. With spacious showrooms in the centre of Bath on Walcot Street and at Dunsdon Barn which is just north of Bath near Junction 18, customers can explore an extensive selection of range cookers, refrigeration, laundry, dishwashing, built-in appliances, and small appliances. Coopers offers something increasingly rare: a genuine hands-on experience, allowing you to see, touch, and compare appliances before you buy. The team regularly hosts demonstrations and events, often working alongside other local specialists, creating a welcoming and informative environment. Knowledgeable, approachable, and competitively priced, they also provide expert delivery and installation support to make the whole process seamless. With outstanding customer service and an emphasis on personal attention, Coopers makes buying home appliances a genuinely enjoyable experience. It’s independent retail at its very best.

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HOMES & INTERIORS | A/W 2026 GUIDE

NOAD ROOFING LIMITED Bolwell Buildings, 1 Claverton Street, Widcombe, Bath BA2 4LE Tel: 01225 941 949 / 07885 278910 Web: noadrooﬁng.com Noad Roofing Limited is a family-owned business based in Bath, proudly serving the community since the 1920s. With four generations of experience, they are known for quality craftsmanship and exceptional customer service. They offer a consultative approach, providing free pre-installation inspections to ensure your needs are met. Services include roof repairs, complete replacements, leadwork, roofing carpentry, and personalised projects tailored to each homeowner. Fully insured, they use only the best materials, guaranteeing both the materials and their workmanship. they are committed to giving back to the community that supports them.

CATRIONA ARCHER INTERIORS Tel: 07823 884945 Web: catrionaarcher.com Catriona Archer Studio offers support, guidance, and peace of mind for projects both large and small, taking a flexible, hands-on approach that works for you and your budget – From full renovations, room makeovers that works for you and your budget – from full renovations and room makeovers that work with your existing belongings to one-off consultations. Twin sisters Bettina and Catriona Archer each bring 25+ years of experience, fresh ideas and practical design solutions to help you create a space that works beautifully for everyday living.

KELLY MARIE

KITCHEN INTERIORS

Photography by Pete Helme

8 Pulteney Terrace, Bath BA2 4HJ Tel: 01225 481881 (Mobile: 07796 554466) Web: kellymariekitchens.com Kelly Marie has more than 15 years experience in the kitchen design industry. She has had the pleasure of working on many luxury kitchen projects in the Bath area and now owns her own unique and creative business based on a constant list of word-of-mouth recommendations. Her technical designs with intrinsic creativity allow spaces that are functional yet beautiful. With a vast portfolio of luxury German kitchen projects, Kelly works with each client’s budget, providing personalised attention throughout the design process. Kelly believes that it is all about the little details and her approach combines purposeful variations of colour, textures and finishes. The careful selection of these elements endow the home with a sense of harmony, while reflecting the individual style of the client.

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DREAM DOORS BATH 10 Silver Street, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1JY Tel: 01225 282172 Web: dreamdoors.co.uk/kitchen-showrooms/bath Dream Doors Bath is a one-stop shop for beautiful kitchen makeovers. Visit the Bradford on Avon showroom and meet owners and kitchen designers Lorraine and Malcolm to discuss your ideas for your dream kitchen. From concept to completion (and beyond) they are there to oversee every part of the process. There’s a whole spectrum of services and options available from simple door swaps or worktop replacements that will revitalise your old kitchen quickly and cost-effectively or go for a full transformation with the design and installation of a completely bespoke new kitchen. All Dream Doors products and kitchens are made to measure, and there’s a wide selection of styles and finishes to match every taste, so whatever your preference Dream Doors will have the perfect solution. Lorraine and Malcolm enjoy a great ‘Checkatrade’ rating for their highly personalised service too, overseeing every part of the process and making sure customers are kept informed throughout the installation and are always satisfied with the end results.

BONITI Dunsdon Barn, Dunsdown Lane, West Littleton, Wiltshire SN14 8JA Tel: 01225 892200 Web: boniti.com Run by Giles and Simon Lunt, Boniti is a high-quality interiors and exteriors business. The showroom is a destination for all things natural stone, porcelain, and timber flooring. Boniti offers expert restoration and professional installation services, ensuring every project is completed to the highest standard. For large and small projects, the Boniti team are masters of their profession and it shows in every detail. The showroom is easily reached from J18 just off the M4.

GARDEN REQUISITES Tel: 01225 851577 info@garden-requisites.co.uk Web: garden-requisites.co.uk Based near Bath, Garden Requisites creates beautifully crafted, handmade products for the discerning garden, from wall trellis panels, porches, and door canopies to window boxes, planters, arches, troughs, and fireguards. Specialising in woven wirework, each piece is made locally to order, combining traditional craftsmanship with elegant, enduring design. Alongside standard sizes, bespoke designs can be created in solid steel or wirework, with commissions supplied throughout the UK and worldwide. Established over 20 years ago, Garden Requisites is dedicated to creating pieces that are made to last. Hot-dip galvanised steel provides exceptional durability and longevity, requiring minimal maintenance and reducing the need for replacement. Beautifully made and designed to endure, each piece offers a considered and sustainable addition to the garden. For further information, or to discuss a bespoke commission, please get in touch.

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BATH CARPETS AND FLOORING 4 Kingsmead Street, Bath BA1 2AA Tel: 01225 471888 Web: carpetsandﬂooringbath.co.uk Supplying and fitting flooring throughout the South West since 2004. Bath Carpets and Flooring (BCF) offers a wide selection of carpets, all made from a variety of different materials including wool, polypropylene, nylon and sisals. With the combined experience of more than 100 years, the team’s extensive knowledge and expertise puts you at ease as they match your needs with the perfect flooring solution. BCF pride themselves on only giving impartial advice and hassle-free measuring and estimating, so there will never be any sales pressure or confusion. As the city’s largest Karndean flooring specialist, BCF’s luxury vinyl tile showroom will give you the freedom to create impressive floors, and with showrooms over two floors offering an even greater selection of homely carpets, vinyls, LVTs and modern rugs, the only limit is your imagination. Commercial flooring from all leading manufacturers is also available through Bath Contract Flooring Ltd. So if it’s flooring for your home or your business BCF have got it covered.

HOUSE OF RADIATORS 22 Wellsway, Bear Flat, Bath BA2 2AA Tel: 01225 424199 Web: houseofradiators.co.uk House of Radiators sells traditional and designer radiators that can be off-the-shelf sizes/finishes or bespoke sizes and colours - including a colour-matching service for many popular paint ranges including Little Greene, and Farrow & Ball finishes. This popular, family-run business opened its Bear Flat showroom in 2011 and not only sells to Bath areas but throughout the UK and overseas. Following a major re-fit, there are over 100 radiators on display and due to increasing popularity the traditional cast iron and column radiator range has expanded. With over 50 years’ experience in the heating and radiator industry they offer a friendly and high level of customer service. This is key in helping customers choose the right radiator for their home that will not only look amazing but will heat their room and do its job. Because the team work with leading manufacturers and distributors in the radiator industry, there’s always something to suit all budgets and styles. Locally the company are able to offer an at-home consultation where they’ll measure up and work out the correct heat requirements and size up radiators accordingly.

NEWMANS JOINERY 6 Locksbrook Court, 88-89 Locksbrook Rd, BA1 3EN Tel: 01225 318378, Web: newmansjoinery.co.uk Newmans specialise in superior-quality, bespoke architectural joinery, handcrafted by a highly skilled team in Bath. With decades of experience, Newmans provide sympathetic solutions that enhance the character and integrity of your property, offering thorough attention to detail and craftsmanship. From the Bath workshop, the team deliver a full range of joinery services, handling projects of any size – from simple window repairs to extensive property refits. Having worked on an array of buildings across Bath, including its iconic Crescents, Georgian, Edwardian, and Victorian townhouses, churches, cottages, mews houses, and contemporary homes; Newmans’ dedication to quality has established a great reputation throughout the city and beyond. If you have a joinery project in mind, why not get in touch to discuss your requirements.

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HOMES & INTERIORS | BATH’S BEST SERVICES

GRAHAM’S CLEANING SERVICES Tel: 01761 433123 / 07989 302299 Web: grahamscleaningservices.co.uk Family-run Graham’s Cleaning Services has been keeping homes and businesses in Bath and the surrounding area looking their best since 1978. The experienced team offers traditional and Reach & Wash window cleaning, professional carpet cleaning, floor maintenance and a range of regular and one-off cleaning services. Their environmentally friendly Reach & Wash system uses purified water to clean windows, conservatories, solar panels and other hard-to-reach surfaces safely from the ground. Reliable, fully trained and committed to high standards, Graham’s provides a friendly local service tailored to each customer’s individual needs and schedule.

J & G CLEANING Tel: 07379 364 815 Email: gabi_grillo9@hotmail.com J&G is a professional cleaning company dedicated to keeping homes, agency properties, and offices spotless. They offer a range of services, including regular cleaning, deep cleaning, pre and end-of-tenancy cleaning, ensuring every space is left fresh and immaculate. Whether you need routine maintenance or a thorough one-time clean, the skilled team delivers high-quality results tailored to your needs. They take pride in their reliability, attention to detail, and customer satisfaction. With J&G, you can enjoy a clean, healthy environment without the hassle. Let them handle the cleaning while you focus on what matters most!

VINTAGE RETRO FURNITURE RESTORATION Tel: 07875 129964 jeffosbo@hotmail.com Jeff gives mid-century furniture a new chapter. Each piece is carefully restored, then thoughtfully reimagined for the way you live today. With a professionally sprayed finish in a colour of your choice, and selected legs, handles and other details, no two pieces are alike. Jeff can also reconfigure furniture to suit a new space or purpose, while retaining the character that made it special originally. The result is distinctive, practical furniture made to be enjoyed for many more years. Have a piece in mind, or an idea you would like to explore? Jeff is happy to discuss your project.

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HOMES & INTERIORS | A/W 2026 GUIDE

BEAU NASH BATH 28 and 31 Brock Street, Bath BA1 2LN Tel: 01225 261700 and 01225 334234 Web: beaunashbath.com Beau Nash Antiques curates a collection of silver & furniture for Bath homes, from its two shops on Brock Street, close to the Royal Crescent and the city’s Georgian heart. Known for medium and small pieces that suit Bath’s more modestly proportioned rooms, and for tracking down specific overmantel mirrors when home owners know exactly what they’re after. New arrivals reach both the silver and interiors collections every week, so a repeat visit rarely feels the same. Bath residents can also arrange a home trial, taking a piece home first to see exactly how it looks and feels in the room before deciding, no showroom guesswork required. Just ask Cynthia or Ron how it works. Shop opening times: Silver : Mon-Fri 10am to 5pm. Interiors: Mon-Sat 10am to 5pm

HEIDI HOLISTIC HEALING FIND CALM AND CREATE BALANCE Tel: 07776 255875 Email: heidi@heidiholistichealing.com Web: heidiholistichealing.com

Photography by Betty Bhandari

Moved in, but not quite settled in? Your home holds more than belongings; it holds energy. After a move, or over time, that energy can feel stuck or not quite right. Maybe you notice it in how you feel walking through your front door or into a certain room. Integrative Holistic Practitioner Heidi Lerner Rearden has over 25 years of experience harmonising people and places through Feng Shui, Energy Clearing, Reiki and Mindfulness Meditation. A former Management Accountant and HR Executive, Heidi knows how much your surroundings affect how you feel. She brings that understanding into every space she works with. Until the end of 2026, Heidi is offering a Home Energy Makeover for £275. If you’d like to go further, Feng Shui Consultation can be added for an additional £350. Come home to calm.

BATH RECLAMATION Tel: 07983 556 757 Web: bathreclamation.co.uk It was a sad day when Walcot Reclamation and Walcot Architectural Salvage had to move out of Bath, but the good news is that former manager Cary Morgan remains the owner of Bath Reclamation, based just outside Bath in Newton St Loe. Bath Reclamation stock and source all types of reclaimed materials, with a special focus on building materials such as Bath stone, ashlar, walling stone, paving, flooring, roofing and bricks. All other types of salvaged materials and salvaged items – from sleepers to curbs and resawn pine – are kept in stock when available. A visit to its helpful, new website is a must. Visits to the reclamation yard are by appointment only.

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HOMES & INTERIORS | BATH’S BEST SERVICES

LAURA CAMPBELL DESIGNS Tel: 07446 983 383 Web: lauracampbelldesigns.com Laura Campbell Designs creates bespoke window treatments and soft furnishings to your request with a growing library of fabric books and product samples in her studio at Farrington’s Farm. As an experienced seamstress producing traditionally made curtains, blinds, pelmets and cushions and supplying tracks, poles, roller blinds, bamboo blinds, fabrics and more, Laura Campbell Designs has extensive product knowledge with the highest standards. From start to finish, Laura will personally work with you to make sure your space looks just as you envisioned. Starting with a free local measuring service within 30 miles but with all locations considered and finishing with the option of excellent fitters installing your order. All orders are made to measure, new designs can be created. Please contact for a quote or to arrange a meeting.

No17 INTERIORS Tel: 07977 271503 Email: lisa@no17interiors.co.uk Web: no17interiors.co.uk No17 Interiors specialises in bespoke interiors for show homes, hotels and private residences. With a background in fashion and textiles, Lisa began working with a textile artist before joining a small interiors company. After relocating to Bath, she managed a successful interiors business for many years, before launching her own. Work ranges from custom-made window treatments, headboards and soft furnishings to full interior design services and installations, with each design carefully tailored to each brief and budget. The design process begins with an initial visit to discuss the project in detail, taking time to understand the client’s style, budget and preferences. From there Lisa develops furnishing concepts, sources samples and provides pricing - carefully incorporating the client’s vision and with the aim of exceeding expectations at every stage. “Working in interiors allows me to bring together my passion for fabrics and eye for design to create spaces that are both beautiful and functional. I love that no two projects are ever the same. Whether it’s enhancing a single room or transforming an entire home, I enjoy the challenge of turning tired interiors into beautiful, uplifting spaces. There’s real satisfaction in bringing a client’s vision to life and making the entire journey a smooth and rewarding experience.”

MANDARIN STONE 15–16 Broad Street, Bath BA1 5LJ Tel: 01225 460033 Web: mandarinstone.com Renowned for its comprehensive natural stone collection, Mandarin Stone has gained quite a reputation for its on-trend and beautifully designed porcelain. Ranging from tiles that cleverly mimic materials such as wood, concrete and marble to striking glazed and patterned tiles, the collection has endless surface design possibilities. Firmly established with over 37 years in business and with 17 inspirational UK showrooms, Mandarin offers dependable specialist knowledge as well as technical expertise. Almost the entire natural stone and porcelain collection is held in stock in the UK, so lead times are short.

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GARDENING

What’s in a name? Do Latin plant names leave you feeling bamboozled? You’re not alone, writes gardening expert Elly West...

t’s not unusual to find plant names confusing. The Latin can sound like gobbledegook and common names are many and variable. The same name can refer to entirely different plants, for example mock orange can refer to a philadelphus or a choisya, and some plants have a multitude of common names, often with regional variations. For example, Arum maculatum is otherwise known as lords-and-ladies, cuckoo-pint and jack-in-the-pulpit. Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia) in England are often called bluebells in Scotland. We may just get used to a Latin name, and then the powers that be decide to reclassify the plant and call it something else. Stipa arundinacea is in many of my planting schemes, but is now officially known as Anemanthele lessoniana. Autumn-flowering Sedum spectabile has become Hylotelephium spectabile, but the common names of ice plant or stonecrop are much easier to remember. I chat to many clients about plants in the course of my work, and the only thing that is very clear is that the naming of plants can be a minefield. Very rarely will I correct someone’s pronunciation (unless asked!) or question the common name that they have given a particular garden plant – after all, a common name is simply a nickname, so is it ever entirely wrong? And Latin is a dead language, so who knows how the Romans pronounced a particular word? My eldest son is in his final year studying linguistics at university, and is full of fascinating facts about etymology, which got me thinking this month about the wacky world of plant naming. The two-part nomenclature system is relatively recent and was introduced by Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century as a way to classify all living things, allocating them with a capitalised name to signify the genus, followed by a lower-case species, for example Fagus sylvatica, otherwise known as beech. Without needing to have studied Latin, many names hold clues to a plant’s appearance. Alba or album means white, rubra/rubrum is red, lutea is yellow, rosea translates as pink, argentea is silver, and purpurea is purple. 108 TheBATHMagazine | OCTOBeR 2026 | iSSUe 284

Places, shapes and whimsical images The Latin name can also give a clue as to what conditions a plant likes, for example palustris means from the marshes, sylvestris is from woodland, and maritima is from the coast. Plants with canadensis in the name are from Canada, canariensis means from the Canary Isles, chinensis pertains to China and plant names including japonica are from Japan. Other common species names that don’t need much explanation include gigantea (big), compacta (small), odorata (perfumed) and autumnalis (of autumn). Latin names can also describe the shape of the plants’ flowers or leaves. Cordata means heart-shaped, stellata is starry, pinnata is feather-like, trifoliata refers to plants with three-lobed leaves, and ovalifolia means oval. Many of the plants commonly grown in our gardens also have what’s known as the cultivar name. These are generally given by the breeders who have developed the plant and are usually in inverted commas, for example Rosa ‘Gertrude Jekyll’. These are often named after a person, or may be descriptive, such as Malus ‘Golden Delicious’ – a tasty goldyellow apple. Common names are perhaps where the fun lies though. Whimsical imagery is certainly conjured up by the name foxglove, monkey puzzle tree, fat hen, bear’s breeches or mother-in-law’s tongue. Before modern botany, people named what they could see, smell, taste, use and imagine, and these historic names often have interesting folklore attached. Forget-me-not, according to a medieval German legend, is named after the final words of a knight who was gathering these flowers for his lover, when he slipped into a river and was dragged down by his heavy armour. Other names may have come about because of the so-called medicinal properties of the plant. Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis) was thought to resemble a diseased lung with its spotty leaves, and was historically used to treat pulmonary infections.

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GARDENING

Our home city of Bristol has its fair share of plants named after the city. Weigela ‘Bristol Ruby’ is one of my favourite flowering shrubs for bees and butterflies, with an abundance of deep-pink flowers from late spring into summer. There is also an Origanum ‘Bristol Cross’, Gypsophila paniculata ‘Bristol Fairy’ and Hemerocallis ‘Bristol Fashion’. The Avon Gorge is said to be one of the top sites for rare plants in England, and is home to the Bristol whitebeam (Karpatiosorbus bristoliensis) and the rare and protected Bristol rock-cress (Arabis scabra). The city’s traditional floral emblem is the Maltese cross, also commonly called the nonesuch flower, Jerusalem cross or flower of Bristow, and formally known as Silene chalcedonica, previously Lychnis chalcedonica. This bright-red starry flower (pictured opposite) was introduced to Britain from Europe in the 16th century and is closely tied to Bristol owing to its historic status as a major port for explorers and traders. The bright red flowers were used to dye cloth to a colour known as ‘nonesuch red’, which is still the traditional colour of Bristol University’s academic hoods. n Elly West is a professional garden designer, working in and around Bath and Bristol areas. ellyswellies.co.uk

Plant of the month: Hylotelephium spectabile My memories of this autumn-flowering perennial go back to childhood and of using the tight, compact flowers growing in clusters as flowering bushes in my miniature garden creations for judging at our village autumn show. Although I’ve always known it as a border sedum, DNA analysis in recent years declared it is not closely related enough to the lowgrowing sedums of rockeries, green roofs and container gardens, so it’s been given its own new genus, Hylotelephium. The pink flower heads appear in summer as pale pinky-green buds that open to a deeper rich pink through later summer into autumn, often still going strong in November. The sturdy stems carry scalloped, grey-green fleshy leaves that are both heat and drought tolerant. The flowers stay standing into the winter months and give sculptural interest as they brown and die on the plant, sparkling in the sun when dusted with frost and cobwebs. Plants grow to around 60cm in height and spread, and prefer a sunny spot, where they will attract pollinators such as late-flying bees and butterflies. Prune the old stems back to ground level when they have completely died, in late winter or early spring before the fresh shoots emerge. Popular cultivars include ‘Autumn Joy’ and the dark-leaved ‘Purple Emperor’.

ELLY’S WELLIES GARDEN DESIGNS Turning your ideas into

beautiful spaces Elly’s Wellies Garden Designs will help you to maximise your outdoor space and tailor it to your individual needs. Whether you are looking for a complete redesign or just need advice on what to plant, contact Elly West for a free initial consultation.

ellywellies@gmail.com 07788 640934 www.ellyswellies.co.uk THEBATHMAG.CO.UK | OCTOBER 2026 | ThEBATHMagazinE 109

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PROPERTY

The Rise of the Personal Estate Agent By Peter Greatorex

In a traditional agency, the person who values your property may not be the person conducting the viewings, negotiating the offers or progressing the eventual sale. The personal-agent model turns that around. The person who sits in your home and explains how they intend to sell it remains closely involved in actually doing so. After more than 35 years in estate agency, I’ve recently structured my own business around that principle. My role is essentially very simple: I value and sell the properties. If you invite Peter Greatorex to value your home, I come to see you. If you instruct us, I remain personally involved in the strategy, viewings, buyer conversations and negotiations.

state agency is changing. Across the UK, experienced agents are stepping away from traditional branch models and building businesses around their own names, reputations and relationships. Increasingly, sellers seem to like it too. For decades, choosing an estate agent generally meant choosing a brand. Sellers looked at the familiar names on the high street, invited two or three firms to value their home and appointed one of them. Today, homeowners are increasingly asking a different question: who will actually be selling my home? That is helping drive the growth of the personal estate agent. Recent industry reports estimate there are now around 2,000 selfemployed estate agents operating in Britain, while eXp UK, one of the largest self-employed agency platforms, passed 1,000 agents this year. Other networks have also reported rapid growth. Perhaps most tellingly, even some of the bigger established brands are embracing self-employed, partner and brokerage-style models. The industry itself appears to recognise that the individual agent can matter just as much as the name above the office door. Technology has played a major part in making this possible. Rightmove and the other portals have transformed how people find property, while sophisticated CRM systems, targeted digital advertising, social media, professional photography and video mean a smaller independent business can now have much of the marketing reach and technology previously associated with a large branch network. But for sellers, I think the real attraction is less about technology and more about continuity and accountability.

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But personal certainly doesn’t mean doing everything yourself. Rather than building a large team of generalists, I’ve surrounded myself with specialists. Behind me is dedicated administrative and client-care support, professional home staging, PR and marketing expertise, photography and video, and specialist sales progression once a sale has been agreed. Everyone concentrates on what they do best, while I remain the person accountable to the client. It also means we don’t need to operate on volume. I’d rather represent fewer properties and know those homes - and the buyers interested in them - exceptionally well. For a market such as Bath, that feels particularly relevant. Georgian apartments, period townhouses, individual family homes and country properties don’t always lend themselves to a one-size-fits-all approach. They require local knowledge, judgement and, frequently, careful negotiation. Perhaps, then, the rise of the personal estate agent isn’t quite as revolutionary as it sounds. In many respects, it’s a return to old-fashioned estate agency: an experienced local agent whose name and reputation are attached to the service they personally provide - but now supported by modern technology and a team of specialists behind them.

4 Queen Street, Bath, BA1 1HE | 01225 263559 info@petergreatorex.co.uk | www.petergreatorex.co.uk

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Properties For Sale See our latest available properties Percy Terrace, Bath • Offers in excess of £750,000

A stunning end-of-terrace townhouse set within the highly sought-after Crest Nicholson Riverside Development. Immaculately presented throughout, the property offers light, versatile and beautifully arranged accommodation spanning four floors. Further benefits include no onward chain, a lowmaintenance landscaped garden and two allocated parking bays. Freehold. EPC Rating D. Council tax band E.

Bathampton • Guide Price: £550,000

A beautifully presented extended semi detached family home. The property provides spacious, flexible accommodation over two floors along with garden office with en-suite, parking and front and rear gardens. EPC rating E, Council Tax Band D, Freehold.

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Chilton Road, Bath • Offers in excess of £695,000

Bath • 2 Bed, 2 Bath, £2,500p/m

LET AGR EED

Experience luxury living in this immaculate apartment, finished to a high standard throughout with stunning fixtures, stylish interiors and exceptional attention to detail.

Bath • 2 Bed, 1 Bath, £1,700p/m An exceptional period family home that has flexible accommodation set over four floors as well as stunning views over Bath and beyond. Gardens. Residents on street parking. Freehold, EPC Rating D & Council Tax Band D.

Larkhall, Bath • Guide Price £600,000 LET AGR EED

A beautifully presented flat in a desirable location, featuring charming fireplaces, spacious accommodation, a generous private garden and attractive interiors throughout.

Larkhall, Bath • 3 Bed, 2 Bath, £1,850p/m

LET AGR EED

A stunning, individual residence, renovated to a high standard. Off road parking. EPC rating C. Freehold. Council tax band D.

ALEX WHITE

LISA H E AT H

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K AT E P R I S TO

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A most bright and spacious family home, with excellent access to Bath city centre and local amenities, this delightful property offers both convenience and comfort.

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01225 481010 | 0117 3291400 happytohelp@zestlovesproperty.com zestlovesproperty.com Bath Branch: 1a Mile End, London Rd, Bath, BA1 6PT

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The Bath Magazine October 2026