Victoria Lodge, Weston Road, Lower Weston

Victoria Lodge is a Grade II Victorian residential dwelling, formerly a shop, situated in the Bath conservation area and World Heritage site. The single storey kitchen wing is of particular historic and social interest to the streetscape of Lower Weston, due to the surviving classical shopfront of a Victorian plantsman, on which the remains of the painted sign are still visible.

The Trust is strongly supportive of plans to replace unconsented uPVC windows with timber-framed slimline sash windows in a style appropriate to the age and appearance of the overall building. We feel that this will enhance the appearance of a listed building, as well as its aesthetic contribution to the Bath conservation area.

We are additionally supportive of sensitive sustainability retrofits, where deemed appropriate, to improve the thermal efficiency and performance of the building in light of the current Climate Emergency. We maintain that the replacement of non-historic windows in a design contemporary to the age of the building is suitable as part of a wider ‘whole house’ approach.

We would suggest that a detailed profile of the existing timber windows are submitted as part of this application. Whilst we appreciate the existing windows are modern, we feel that the current use of slim glazing bars as shown in the photos provided are complementary to the public appearance of the building, particularly the street-facing Victorian shop front. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have the measurements of the current windows provided to better measure against the proposed slimline alternatives as to any changes in glazing bar thickness.

The Trust acknowledges this scheme’s potential to establish a precedent for the installation of windows with higher energy efficiency within Bath’s listed building stock, and feels that this could be a positive case study for the sensitive eplacement of non-historic single glazing with slimline equivalents. It could additionally provide an invaluable opportunity to monitor the thermal and acoustic efficiency of the windows, before and after, whilst also observing any additional repercussions such as changes in humidity levels. This information could then be used to more accurately assess the suitability of slimline installation within other historic buildings in Bath.