10 Dafford’s Buildings, Larkhall, Bath
10 Dafford’s Buildings forms part of a terraced group of Grade II late 18th/early 19th century dwellings at 8-10 Dafford’s Buildings, situated within the Bath conservation area and World Heritage Site. It forms part of the indicative streetscape setting of a high concentration of Grade II terraced dwellings along Dafford’s Buildings that vary in age from late 18th century to mid-19th century. The terrace additionally backs onto the Grade II early to mid-19th century terrace at 3-34 Dafford’s Street and the adjoining Grade II Larkhall Methodist Church. The terrace is predominantly 2 - 21/2 storeys in height, stepping up to 3 storeys at the northernmost end, and displays some variety in façade width, articulation, and finish. A large number of properties have been painted, but the principal building material is Bath stone ashlar, albeit with some adjacent later builds in reconstituted stone, which is reflected in traditional examples of boundary walling in the area. The proposed focus of works is to the rear elevation of 10 Dafford’s Buildings where substantial later alterations include the replacement of sash windows with Crittall alternatives and addition of a single storey garage of indeterminate age to the rear. The site of the garage has historically been the location of what appear to be outbuildings from the 19th century; however, this footprint had notably changed by the mid-20th century, indicating that the existing garage is likely a post-war remodelling or reconstruction of previous structures on the site. The rear yard is visible from the private access route between the terraces at Dafford’s Buildings and Dafford Street; however, neighbouring development means that views are almost entirely screened from external viewpoints such as Eldon Place.
We support the replacement of the incongruous asbestos cement roof slates with a natural Spanish slate, far more in keeping with the appearance and material integrity of the listed building.
We have some concerns regarding the proposed replacement of the rear French doors and the resulting widening of the door opening in the rear external wall. Whilst the principle of upgrading the existing doors with double glazed equivalents is not opposed, the proposed French doors would out of keeping with the scale and character of the rear elevation, and would result in the unjustified loss of historic fabric from the external wall without demonstrating that harm would be appropriately outweighed by public benefit.
In light of the declared Climate Emergency, BPT is supportive of sensitive sustainability retrofits, where deemed appropriate, to listed and traditional buildings and within the historic environment. We recognise the urgency of reducing energy consumption and carbon production, as well as upgrading our existing historic housing stock to meet modern standards of living and thermal performance, whilst emphasising that an appropriate balance should be struck with sustaining the special interest and character of the listed building.
The existing rear windows are indicated to be later Crittall replacements and are therefore of low heritage significance. Replacement is therefore considered to be acceptable with very limited impact on historic fabric.
We welcome the opportunity to reinstate traditional-style timber sash windows with associated heritage gains to the appearance and integrity of the building and the wider terrace.
Whilst we are generally supportive of the principle of installing slimlite double glazing within this context, there is insufficient information available as part of this application to assess the proposed appearance, profile, and finish of the proposed windows, as well as details such as the proposed glazing bar profiles and measurements. We maintain that sections of both the existing windows and the proposed double glazed units should be submitted for suitable comparison, and to ensure that the proposed replacements are congruous with the traditional appearance and character of the listed building.