Beaufort Lodge, 66 Claremont Road, Larkhall, Bath
Beaufort Lodge is a Grade II early 19th dwelling situated within the Bath conservation area and World Heritage Site. It forms half of a semi-detached back-to-back pair of dwellings, the other of which is the separately listed Grade II Beaufort House. Historically, the building was occupied as a single detached dwelling within an extensive garden setting as Beaufort House, but appears to have been subdivided by the late 20th century. As such, the principal façade of Beaufort Lodge is of a much simpler articulation in Bath stone ashlar with flat-set sash window openings, indicating its historical role as the rear elevation of Beaufort House. A bay window was added to the ground floor at a later date. The boundary treatment of the dwelling constitute a high coursed stone wall which follows the original line of Beaufort House’s historic garden setting; due to its height and location up against the pavement, it is a prominent feature within the streetscape and largely obscures the façade of Beaufort Lodge from public view.
In light of the Climate Emergency, BPT is generally supportive of the opportunity for energy-efficiency retrofits where this is coherent with the special historic and architectural interest of a listed building, and the wider historic environment.
The application proposes the replacement of an “existing galvanised mild steel window” which can be assumed to be a later, non-historic addition to the property and therefore of no material or historic value. The utility is further constructed out of reconstituted stone and appears to be a late 20th century addition. We are therefore supportive of the proposed installation of a higher-performance slimlite double glazed sash window with no loss of historic fabric. The utility is set back to the north and well-screened by high boundary walls, and alterations are therefore concealed from public view.
However, we recommend that further material details are provided, such as window elevations and sections, to ensure that a traditional construction and glazing bar profile are used in-keeping with the windows in the main body of the building. This is a positive opportunity to better integrate the utility and its fenestration with the main building envelope of Beaufort Lodge in detail and finish.
We further suggest that details regarding the proposed lime wash, such as colour, texture, and finish, are provided at this stage to ensure that this would sit comfortably against façade of listed building. Considering the incongruous use of reconstituted stone, the use of an appropriately-coloured lime wash seems an acceptable solution to appropriately mitigate existing visual harm to the setting of a listed building.
BPT is generally supportive of the principle of PV panels installed where this will result in negligible visual or material harm to a listed building. The proposed panels would be located on the inner roof slope, and would therefore be concealed in views of the building. We suggest that further material details are submitted regarding the proposed fixing and appearance of the panels to allow for a fully-informed assessment of the proposed works, and to ensure that the works are compliant with Policy SCR2 of the Core Strategy and Placemaking Plan.
The replacement of the garage with a proposed garden room seems largely acceptable, where this sits within the established footprint and height of the existing garage. Should the principle of timber cladding be considered acceptable, we strongly recommend that an untreated cedar cladding is considered, rather than the proposed “oiled vertical cedar boarding”, to allow the timber to weather over time to a more recessive grey colour. We have some concerns regarding oiled/treated timber, where this remains bright and brash in comparison with the more muted tones of Bath stone ashlar.