Bath Assembly Rooms were designed in the 1700s as a place for gathering, dancing and performing. When they first opened, the Rooms’ events were widely praised for their inclusivity and for the welcome they provided not just to the societal elite, but for people from across the social spectrum. This reputation was legendary, and is what has driven The National Trust’s vision to bring the Grade 1 Listed building back to life, restoring its Georgian splendour and spirit of diverse assembly.
Bath Assembly Rooms’ appointed us to work with themselves and a wide range of local community groups to transform the outside spaces associated with Bath Assembly Rooms, namely the Western Forecourt and the Southern & Northern Courtyards. Our brief was to curate a co-design process which evolved designs for these public spaces to provide an exciting, welcoming and appealing first impression for visitors arriving at the site and for the benefit of the wider public and nature within Bath. The ambition of the project is to create a friendly and inspiring set of outdoor spaces that offer places to rest, gather and connect – for all to use.
Through our work, we have sought to address the important and challenging issues we face in society now – loneliness and isolation, climate change, the rising cost of living, and the digital divide.
Tackling these are a key part of our project objectives – from the perspective of improving the welcome, providing thoughtful seating, planting and services and how this could play an important part in changing this culture.
The co-design process has involved working with community partners and targeted groups across Bath, as well as extensive street consultation and engagement sessions with local residents and businesses to feed into the designs as they have evolved.
The concept designs include the Western Forecourt, at the main entrance to the Assembly Rooms, historically known as the ‘Court for Chairs’, where visitors arriving by Sedan Chair would be dropped off at the door. The new design creates a ‘Court for All’ – an active arrival space which can be flexible to accommodate large gatherings of visitors and passers by, at the same time as providing green spaces for people to rest and to connect – a place of ‘Assembly’.
A new ‘Welcome Garden’ has been designed in the Southern Courtyard. This space was home to Miss Shackell’s Florist in the early 1900s, which has inspired our designs for a garden which celebrates the Georgian’s passion for plants, flowers and the seasons.
The south-facing ‘Welcome Garden’ uses a vibrant palette of sun-loving plants to make an inviting first impression for visitors arriving from the centre of Bath, with modern cultivars making reference to many of the plant species that would have been celebrated during the Georgian period and sold in Miss Shackell’s florist shop.
The Northern Courtyard space has been designed as a ‘Reflection Garden’ – a calm, shady garden space, surrounded by verdant planting. A space to encourage people to spill out from the building and enjoy some time away from it all.
It has been a real joy for us to be involved in this project, working alongside Bath Assembly Rooms and local communities, to help shape spaces that we hope will become a much-loved part of the City of Bath.
