[Stephen Bird leaving Bath Abbey with his honorary Freedom of the City award, back in May, 2022]
It is with great sadness that I have to report the death of Stephen Bird MBE, the former Head of Heritage Services in B&NES and the man who put the city’s historic assets on a business footing.
Until his retirement in September 2021, Stephen was responsible for the Roman Baths & Pump Room, the Fashion Museum at the Assembly Rooms, the Victoria Art Gallery and Bath Record Office.
In 2005, he established the Heritage Services division as a business unit within the Council, working to a five-year business plan and with a business model that transformed the Roman Baths into one of the country’s top heritage attractions and helped it achieve numerous awards.
It gave the unique attraction the financial freedom to make long-term investment in conservation, visitor experience and commercial development.
His more than forty years of service were recognised with both an M.B.E. in 2018 – for his services to museums, heritage and tourism – and, more recently, with the granting of an honorary Freedom of the City award.
Other career highlights include organising the Queen’s visit to Bath and North East Somerset in 2002 and working with Wessex Water and YTL on the free Three Tenors Concert in the Royal Crescent in 2003.
He helped organise the city-wide ‘Ring of Fire’ firework display celebrating the opening of the Thermae Bath Spa in 2006, and worked with the Britain-Australia Society in 2011-12 to install a memorial to Admiral Arthur Phillip, the father of modern Australia, outside the Assembly Rooms opposite the Bennet Street house where Phillip spent his final years.
His lasting legacy has to be the Roman Baths Clore Learning Centre and World Heritage Centre, which opened shortly after his retirement.
The Lottery-funded Archway Project, which created two educational centres in the heart of Bath, was his vision.
I received the following statement from the Leader of B&NES, Cllr Kevin Guy this morning. It is on behalf of the Council.
“It is with such sadness that we learned of Stephen’s death earlier this week. On behalf of the council, our deepest sympathies go to Stephen’s family, friends and former colleagues.
Stephen led the council’s Heritage Services with distinction for 41 years, before retiring in 2021.
He received an MBE in June 2018 for services to tourism and was responsible for the Roman Baths becoming part of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions in 1999.
He was a figurehead in that community for more than 20 years. Stephen left an incredible legacy and will be very much missed.”
I have received the following tribute from Tom Boden, who is the National Trust’s General Manager of the Bath Property Group. He writes:
“I first remember meeting Stephen back in 2006 when I began my heritage career as Education Officer for the Museum of East Asian Art.
Stephen was unfailingly supportive from that moment on, helping us develop our ambitions for the museum and offering invaluable advice for someone at the start of their career.
I know that there will be many across the heritage sector who will have benefited from his wisdom, generosity, kindness and humour over the years.
As you have said, he has left such a legacy through his commitment to the city, its heritage and its people, in so many ways.”
Thank you, Tom. I would love to include other tributes if they are forthcoming.
On a personal level, since Stephen’s retirement, we met for coffee on a regular basis to chat about Bath matters and his memories of being at the forefront of developing the city’s tourism industry.
Stephen was a gentleman, and a gentle man. Someone who cared passionately about this city.
A man with great intelligence and a wonderful sense of humour.
Outside of work, his long-distance walking abilities left me speechless. He was a member of the Long Distance Walkers Association, and I remember interviewing him shortly before he set off on a long-distance walk to raise funds for that new Clore Learning Centre opening alongside his beloved Roman Baths.
I will miss our chats.
Rest in peace, Stephen. You leave Bath a better city for all you have done. My thoughts are with your loved ones.
I am so sorry to hear this. I met Stephen after I returned to Bath in the 1980s and began to get interested in its history. I remember he was still an archaeologist then, when Simon Hunt was in charge of the Baths, and I went on a fascinating tour Stephen led in the lesser known parts of the Roman Baths. When I was chairman of the Mayor’s Guides, he was the council representative on the committee and although we had our disagreements at times, he was, by and large, a great supporter. That’s when we became friends, not just colleagues, and he was always a welcoming face when I attended council and history events. I will miss him. I can’t believe he’s gone.
I hope his legacy will live on. But one bit of it – the Phillip memorial – isn’t in place now. Are there plans to return it after the work on the Assembly Rooms is complete? If not, will it be placed somewhere else?
It’s now in Sydney Gardens Helen.
A true asset to our beloved City of Bath!
A true asset to our beloved City of Bath!
Shocked by this news. A good colleague when I worked for the Council, and he was always a stalwart supporter of the Museum of Bath at Work (where I’m a trustee). Such immense knowledge of history which we will all miss.
Stephen was a huge asset to the City and we, at the Mayor’s Guides, were proud and pleased to have his support. More than that he was a lovely man, extremely knowledgeable, a great communicator with a fine sense of humour.
On his retirement from Heritage Services he was made a Retired Mayor’s Guide ( despite never leading one of our walks) in appreciation of his service and support and so he could keep up to date with what we do.
It was really sad to hear of the death of Stephen Bird. As mentioned in the Bath Newseum tribute Steven achieved a considerable amount for Bath City over many years at the Heritage Services in the Council. I was privileged to be a colleague with him at the former Bath City Council and rather more briefly at the current Council. Although I worked in a different department I was involved in certain of his projects. I always found him most engaging, considerate, very professional and it was always a joy to be in his company, I will miss him.
Nigel Sherwen
A lovely man who made a huge contribution to both Bath and its heritage