32 Grosvenor Place, Bath

32 Grosvenor Place forms part of a monumental Grade I late 18th century terrace of townhouses situated within the Bath conservation area and World Heritage site. It originally formed the initial phase of works around the proposed Vauxhall Gardens, now Kensington Meadows, by John Everleigh, and remains evidentially significant of a speculative Georgian leisure enterprise. The current site to the rear of the building provides a shared access to car parking for 32-33 Grosvenor Place and access to the garden. The primary boundary treatment in this area is coursed or rubble stone walls and significant amounts of green planting and mature trees; timber fencing is used on the Ringswell Gardens residential terrace but this is almost exclusively limited to the boundaries of modern development.

We note that a mix of boundary treatments are proposed on this backland site, with the extension and repair of the existing stone boundary walls and the addition of new metal railings and timber featherboard fencing to delineate the new parking area from the retained garden. These new insertions would be clearly visible from Ringswell Gardens, and would be further revealed by the proposed removal of vegetation along the roadside.

The Trust are resistant to the use of timber fencing within the urban setting of the conservation area, and we feel its use would be out of character with the defined material character and appearance of the backland setting of a Grade I terrace. The mix of railings and timber boarding provide a confusing mix of boundary types across the site in an area where boundary treatments remain fairly consistent in scale and materiality. We therefore suggest that a single boundary type is chosen to maintain a visual congruity with the setting of a listed terrace. This could provide a positive opportunity for the inclusion of further boundary planting, behind which a timber fence could be acceptably concealed.

If metal railings are deemed appropriate within this location, we recommend that further detailed drawings are provided of the proposed design, materiality, and finish.