Churchill House in Bath is to be demolished (hmmm) as part of the Southgate redevelopment (yeah) which will have major construction works in central Bath for the next four or five years (boo) but probably eight years (ahh well).

(images taken from francisfrith.com.)

As far as I know nobody has complained about the Southgate Centre being knocked down to make way for something new expect those sad at the loss of a Somerfield supermarket which has no intention of coming back. I have nothing more to say about that. However there are many protestors against the impending demolition of Churchill House, also part of the redevelopment. Whereas the almost levelled Southgate Center was a dire 1970s soulless and brutalist (I think) arcade, the georgian style Bath stone Churchill House has class and style, even though it has been derelict for years.

Southgate Center
The top left of the old photographs above shows Southgate as it was in 1904. Part of the area was demolished to make way for a mini mall no doubt part of the mater plans bring Bath into the modern era. “Built 1971-72; almost 5 acres of the Georgian and Victorian Bath were cleared to build a modern shopping complex. Described at the time it was built as “an abortion” nothing kinder has been said about it since” (Southgate, Bath, Flickr group). Sadly the buildings have not fared well, have been home to crappy shops, and have the reputation as Bath’s most hated building.

Churchill House
The Churchill House site had housed a late Victorian coal-powered electricity generating station, from which the original engine shed survived. The power station was expanded and redeveloped in the 1920s and 1930s when the office areas were extended, forming a good example of neo-Georgian municipal architecture prevalent at the time. The nearby Avon House and adjoining terrace, the Forum and the Halifax building are all of a similar age to Churchill House.

Churchill House Campaign
A campaign, started in 2001, to save Churchill House (their website) from demolition has often made local news and caught the public’s attention. From stunts like two protestors scaling scaffolding currently surrounding the building (March 28th) to public marches (Sunday 25th March had 600 people apparently) the campaign can be happy it has made itself heard. Over 11,000 have signed their petition which is a staggering 10% of the Bath population (approx.).

Yesterday I was distracted by their latest public march on my way to Victoria Park for a BBQ for which I was more than fashionably late.

It was interesting and I have to admit I really don’t know much about the whole redevelopment. Their wild exclamations seriously undermined their standing in my opinion: “Save Churchill House, save Bath!” and “If they knock down Churchill House what next? The Royal Crescent?! The Circus?!”

Shown below is their proposal for keeping Churchill House and also keeping the approved bus layout. See website for more info. I quite like it but importantly it shows it can be saved.

They were moved on from The Guildhall due to a wedding and so marched through town to Churchill House chanting “Save Churchill House!” They broke up shortly after arriving at Churchill House.

Southgate Redevelopment
The £350m scheme comprises of a new shopping complex and transport interchange.

The long awaited regeneration of Bath’s SouthGate will create a new retail quarter in Bath, with a mix of new shops, leisure facilities, restaurants and homes, all served by a modern public transport hub and set within a series of newly designed streets and public squares.

Phased construction of SouthGate will take approximately four years, during which time Multi Development together with joint venture partners Morley, will work closely with Bath & North East Somerset Council to minimise disruption and ensure that the City remains open and accessible for residents, visitors and businesses. (southgatebath.com)

Eight new buildings provide loads of shops, 90 new homes of which 23 will be assigned as affordable, basement car park. There will be open spaces (piazza they say) with tree planting and a modern integrated transport hub linking rail and bus services. Nothing extraordinary. The glass and metal tower replacing Churchill House, shown in the movie still below, has been dubbed by critics as the “busometer” for its similarity to gas storage silos not unlike the ones planned for demolition in Bath as part of another redevelopment.

Watch their fly-through movie (42Mb, click on image):

I hope you agree that the video’s modern backing track with a mix of jazz, wailing vocals, piano and electronic samples is as inappropriate as the scheme itself.

Also see the ground floor plan.

With regards to Churchill House apparently the orginal plans incorporated the facade of Churchill House. Furthermore there has supposedly been pressure to replace Churchill House so at least one modern building appears in the scheme, which would, apparently, make shopping chains and unqualified councillors happy.

Demolition of the Southgate Center started at 8am, 27th of March 2007. By moving the current bus terminal to a nearby car park they have taken 1 year off the construction time.

Conclusion
I really don’t know anything about the project and therefore nothing about the pro’s and con’s, something most people should acknowledge before they too voice an opinion, but my ill informed opinion is that Churchill House should not be knocked down and its facade should be preserved. I am with the protestors to save Churchill House but for slightly different reasons.

Broadly speaking the protestors, from what I witnessed on yesterday’s protest march and have read on this bath.co.uk forum, seem against change and against modern architecture. I do like modern buildings and cite the Thermae Bath Spa as a fine example (which I also think compliments Bath’s architecture, shame about the mismanagement and possible maladministration). One of the protestors pointed out a spelling mistake on my (French Connection) T-shirt. It reads “tu es a bit of alright.” The short and old lady told me “all right is two words by the way. Your T-shirt is wrong.” I was polite in suggesting that my T-shirt mocks the Englishman’s often pigeon French and so informal spelling is appropriate. I wanted to go on about the changing use of language generally and that clarity in communication is surely more of a concern than yesteryears grammar usage but she had other ideas and told me about her travels and late husband.

I think the whole redevelopment is not only not fulfilling the ‘brief’ but ironically doing the opposite. As I understand it the reason for the major redevelopment is to further encourage tourism and maintain it for the future (Bath is in competition with other cities you know), and Bath’s attraction is largely its architectural heritage. So yes Bath should make the most of that and not repeat the ‘sacking of Bath‘ that occurred in the 1960s and 70s to make way for the likes of the Podium but Bath councillors should not (try to) make more georgian architecture. I do not like fake architecture such as mock this, mock that, mock georgian. The new georgian styled buildings of the redevelopment will be steel and/or concrete framed, maybe with curtain walling, and have wafer thin Bath stone decorative cladding. This is because the Georgians used methods and styles appropriate of their times. We cannot build as they did as we have far better equality (labour is expensive) and have health and safety (not cheap either). The impressionist’s images and redevelopment video show massive columns sitting above vast ground floor glass fronts.

The columns carry no weight or sit on huge transfer structures (more likely), either way the design is not following georgian facade principles or construction techniques. What we have here is a bloody theme park. It may as well be made of plastic, in fact why doesn’t Bath council go the full hog and employ people in costume for a really authentic experience? Tourists coming to Bath on the train to see beautiful architecture etc first see the arsehole end of the city (namely the Southgate Center). Instead of celebrating the genuine georgian buildings in Bath the Southgate redevelopment will subtract from the heritage, not add to it, it will dirty the image of what is a georgian Bath building.

I suggested that tourism is the main reason for the redevelopment, the brief if you like, but I should say that a considerable improvement on the city’s transport system is high on the list as well. Transport and tourism are interlinked. The redevelopment seems to make great improvements especially for buses: there is a large bus terminal with ample dropping off areas. Why could the skin of Churchill House not be home to the bus terminal? Would it not be one of the nicest bus terminals around?

Perhaps the “tin and glass monstrosity of a bus stop” will at least pave the way for more modern buildings of our age to be built in central Bath.

What would I do? I would knock down the Southgate Center (maybe with dynamite as that seems fitting). I would encourage modern buildings but only those which compliment Bath’s heritage and not compete with it. The Thermae Bath Spa is tucked away and yes it is bold but it is also simple and plain in overall appearance and in detail. Any modern building would have to built to last: short term sustainable credentials sacrificed for, also sustainably worthy, longlivity. It is tricky to know what would work. I don’t see metallic looking buildings as suitable. I am drawn to building georgian styled buildings from brick as it is an affordable choice of construction for today’s age and is a legitimate material for the style (georgian houses were built in brick too). Red brick would somehow clash. Perhaps glass buildings and with colour too? I am thinking along the lines of Sauerbruch Hutton Architects (cheers Robin).

Further Reading

• Southgate redevelopment
• Save Churchill House
• Southgate, Bath (Flickr group)
• ‘Preserving Bath’ (BRLSI lunch time talk from The Bath Preservation Trust)
• Tearing down the most Hated Building in Bath (thisisbath.co.uk / The Bath Chronicle)
• BANES Southgate Background PDF 1
• BANES Southgate Background PDF 2
• BANES Southgate Background PDF 3