The long-awaited restoration project of Bath’s Sydney Gardens has finally got underway. The total funding secured to improve the historic park was £3.4 m with £2.7m of that coming as a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Financial assistance also came from Bath & North East Somerset Council.
The money is being used to restore historic buildings, invest in landscape and garden restoration works and create new play areas for all ages over a 3 year programme.
The pandemic has affected the scheduled programme and a great deal of cost has had to be taken out of the scheme to bring things in on budget – set in 2016.
I’ll be looking into what that will mean for the overall scheme early next month but in the meantime l am grateful to IronArt Bath – who are based near me at Larkhall – for the images they have let me use of the dismantling of one of the Edwardian toilet blocks.
The company has been awarded the sub contracting job of restoring the two Grade 2 listed iron WC’s – with Sally Strachey Historic Conservation given the main conservation works contract to work on larger structures like the Temple of Minerva and the Loggia.
The main works contract has been given to Edgar Builders who are setting up on site.
