1 The Old House, The Hill, Freshford

1 The Old House is a Grade II mid-18th century house situated within the Freshford conservation area, Bath Green Belt, and Cotswolds AONB. It forms part of the setting to the Grade II mid-18th century former coach house attached at the rear of the building. This application specifically affects the coursed, squared rubble boundary wall along the roadside of The Hill and Station Road; whilst historically associated with The Old House as part of its domestic infrastructure, it is Grade II listed in its own right and therefore maintains an independent historic and aesthetic significance.

The Trust is supportive of the principle of repairs to the boundary wall, and the maximum reuse of historic fabric. However, we would emphasise that the proposed means of stabilisation should be finalised as part of the application prior to a decision, and would recommend that options 1 and 2 are considered with regards to the proposed invasiveness of works and resulting harm to historic fabric, with the least detrimental option selected for assessment by the LPA.

Furthermore, with particular focus on section 1 of the boundary wall (Visual Inspection Report), it is unclear as to the proposed wall support’s interaction with the south-west corner wall of The Old House. It is unclear from the provided drawings as to whether the proposed support would be free-standing or structurally require tying to the wall of the building; we would strongly recommend this is clarified for the benefit of the LPA before this application can progress further due to the potential impact on two Grade II heritage assets.