Bath Hill development wins award
Bath Hill achieves a Build Quality Award from Bath & North East Somerset Council for works to a Listed Building, Whitecroft Developments Ltd now move through to the Regional Awards this summer.
The Bath Hill Development completed in October 2013, all properties at Bath Hill, Keynsham BS31 1ET are now sold.
Once again, the town of Keynsham has provided the perfect backdrop for a conversion and new build development. With a 33 Million Pound regeneration of the High Street in Keynsham set to complete August 2014, Keynsham is a fantastic location to invest in.
Bath Hill School before the conversion
The Bath Hill development consisted of the conversion of a listed Victorian, Gothic Revival School into 7 homes, ranging from 1 to 3 bedroom properties, all self-contained with a ground and first floor. Intermediate floors were added to the original double height scissor trussed spaces. Listed Consent was obtained to replace all windows with metal ‘slim light’ double glazed sections with horizontal bars and trefoil details as envisaged by the original architects Gabriel and Hirst. The bath stone elements of the external elevations have been cleaned and repaired, the Blue Lias stone has also been repointed and repaired. Communal and private gardens have been finished with Indian Sandstone as part of a professionally designed landscape scheme. Additional railings as required to complete the project have been installed and match the profile of the original sections of railings (which have been refurbished and are still in place).
The specification and finish was to the usual Whitecroft standard, with Porcelanosa tiles and sanitary ware, high quality carpets, oak flooring, granite work tops and integrated appliances all as standard at no additional cost. Design elements favoured by Whitecroft in previous developments were also evident, within the conversion areas of double height voids have been used over the living areas in the larger homes, exposed roof trusses re enforce the historic fabric of the building throughout the whole conversion. Bespoke staircases have been installed in all the conversion properties with the profile inspired by the original staircase which remains in the original School Master’s house. Bath Stone window transoms and mullions, fire places and arched doorways have also been restored within the property adding to the sense of history and gothic revival design.
Completed exterior of the award-winning Bath Hill School development
The new build scheme provides a terrace of 4 properties with accommodation on 3 floors. The artisan cottages are externally finished with Pearl Grey render and Bath Stone to compliment the Blue Lias and Bath Stone on the original school building. Smooth Blue Plain tiles have been used for the roof to add interest and confirm the colour palette. The specification and standard of finish is high in the new build as with the conversion, although the specification is more contemporary with crisp clean lines and a maple wood used throughout, the cottages have a Scandinavian quality. As with the conversion, work tops are solid granite and appliances are included as standard, the carpets are a cream velvet, sanitaryware and tiles are Porcelanosa.
We are delighted to have been awarded the Local Authority Building Control Award for Build Quality Works to a Listed Building by Bath and North East Somerset.
It has been a privilege to work on Bath Hill School and to have been entrusted with the heritage of Keynsham, to deliver quality homes at the very heart of the town. We will continue to learn from the craftsmanship and design of listed properties and use these experiences to inspire our new build designs.
