7 St George’s Place, Kingsmead, Bath

7 St George’s Place forms part of a Grade II late 18th century residential houses, several of which now with retail ground floors and shopfronts, situated within the Bath City-Wide Conservation Area and World Heritage Site. The terrace is made up of a modest 3 ½ 2-bay form with a pair of windows per floor. Nos. 7 & 9 have retained a domestic treatment at ground floor level, though No. 7 features a double sash window at ground floor level. The roofscape is generally characterised along this stretch of terrace by the use of double Roman clay pantiles, though the wider streetscape features a mix of pantiles and natural slate.

The proposed redecoration works to repaint the joinery white would generally be in keeping with the character and appearance of the conservation area and the joinery treatment of adjacent listed and unlisted buildings. The use of an off-white paint rather than brilliant or pure white, is more commonly used in Bath, and has a softer appearance against the natural colour palette of Bath stone.

The proposed cleaning works across the first and second floors to address existing pollution staining and reinstate a stone finish and patina in keeping with the appearance of the wider listed terrace. We recommend a suitably sensitive approach to cleaning to ensure against an overcleaned appearance.

The proposed remedial roof works to replace the existing double Roman clay pantiles with natural slate is generally acceptable, where it can be demonstrated that the existing roof finish is of limited significance to the special and architectural interest of the listed building. Whilst we acknowledge that the roof treatment of the existing terrace is predominantly clay pantiles from at least the 1930s onwards, there is a historic reference for the use of natural slate across terraces in the immediate area, and as such would be in keeping with the character and appearance of the conservation area, as well as the material integrity of a listed building.

Where any stripping works to the roof are being undertaken, this could be a positive opportunity for the installation of roof insulation, or upgrading of any roof insulation already in situ, to improve the thermal efficiency of the building.

Proposals would also include the repair and like-for-like replacement of the existing sash windows, where these are indicated to be in a poor condition and poorly fitted to their window reveals. The existing windows across the front elevation have already been replaced with double glazed sash units, and any alterations to these windows would not constitute any loss of or harm to historic fabric.

Where it is proposed to replace a number of single glazed windows across the rear elevation, there is currently insufficient information to assess any proposed change to this part of the listed building. No existing and proposed rear elevations have been supplied, and there is a lack of detail regarding the appearance and age of the windows as existing. From several close-up photographs provided within the Condition Report, these appear to be 2-over-2 timber sash windows and therefore likely a later 19th century addition, but it is unclear as to whether this assessment may be applied to all windows across the rear elevation. Where it is proposed to replace single glazed sash windows with double glazed equivalents, we strongly recommend that close-up sections of the proposed units are provided to ensure that an appropriate glazing thickness, fenestration, and glazing bar profile have been selected.
We maintain that a slimlite double glazed sash of 14mm thickness is preferable to a standardised 24mm unit.