9 minute read
SHOWCASE Explore this Gatsby-worthy home
by MediaClash
THE LEGEND OF HILL HOUSE You could live like Gatsby here, throwing endless parties where “men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the Champagne and the stars” By Clarissa Picot Showcase
We love a handsome detached Georgian villa, and few are more impressive than this one, enjoying a gloriously stately position above the city, and with intriguing details and features at every turn. It was designed and built by Henry Edmund Goodridge around 1825, a time of stock market panic, though that doesn’t seem to have impacted anyone involved with Bathwick Hill House’s creation too badly; indeed, this happens to be the very same year he created the Corridor shopping arcade too. Two years later he’d come up with Cleveland Bridge, and a little after that Beckford’s Tower.
Advertisement
But of all Bath, Henry perhaps loved Bathwick Hill the most, and he was behind many of the best Italianate
villas up here on the city’s southern slopes, including his own home – Bathwick Grange – right next door to this one, and Woodland Place, the six-house Regency terrace. They’re all impressive, but few rival the one we’re looking at here, a place that begs to be filled by a large family – and plenty of guests on occasion too. The reception rooms are all large and well proportioned, there’s a certain stoic elegance to the house’s square and symmetrical layout, and a striking eccentricity to its oversized chimneys.
On the ground floor there’s a dining room, drawing room, sitting room, kitchen and library, all built around a large stairway and entrance hall, with lantern lights and endless connecting doors, plus smaller spaces like loos and a breakfast room off to the sides. Below this, the lower ground floor has a gym, workshop, offices, a spa room, wine cellars and a giant billiard room, and on the top floor you’ll find four vast bedrooms with more than enough bathrooms, en suites and loos to go around, including a giant master bedroom suite. There’s also, on a mezzanine level, a little self-contained flat, with its own bedroom, bathroom, sitting room and kitchen. But if the house itself is impressive – and the views it enjoys, if anything, even more amazing, taking in the world-class combo of Prior Park, Widcombe, and Georgian Bath beyond – the pair of them are, if that’s possible, eclipsed by the grounds and what they contain. Large and handsome, they’re mostly spread out beneath a massive paved balustrade sun terrace, accessed by doors on three sides of the house. There’s a rose-lined avenue out here that leads to the pool house, an original Italianate garden building some 30m east of the main house which in recent years was completely redesigned by Watson Bertram & Fell, the award-winning architecture practice that’s worked on many of the region’s best hotels, ranging from the Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa to Eight, the bijoux townhouse hotel tucked away on North Parade.
Nowadays this building hosts a frankly amazing swimming pool and leisure complex, surrounded by sliding glass doors and Doric columns. It’s easy to imagine a Bitch-era Joan Collins co-hosting the most outrageous of pool parties here alongside her sister Jackie – though, we must confess, slightly harder to imagine either of them, tongs in hand, flipping the burgers at the built-in barbeque that’s been installed just outside.
And there are other buildings out here too: a double garage and a contemporary studio by the sweeping driveway, for instance, and an entire other house by the gated entrance. The Lodge House is a two-bedroom detached property with its own single garage, and recently refurbished so you can do as you wish with it. You could rent it out, house staff here, or – should you happen to know any burly ex-Marines with a nice line in short shorts and facial hair – put them up semi-permanently while they solve crimes, annoy your dogs, and wheelspin through your gravel in your bloomin’ Ferrari.
Fantastical? Sure. But then Bathwick Hill House is the sort of endlessly entertaining space that encourages you to dream.
HOUSE NUMBERS Bathwick Hill House Bedrooms 7 Billiard r oom Large Pool house Larger Interior Over 11,000 sq ft Outside Separate twobedroom Lodge House amongst extensive outbuildings Price £3,750,000 For more: Carter Jonas, 5 and 6 Wood Street, Queen Square, Bath, BA1 2JQ; 01225 747251; carterjonas.co.uk
Gap to narrow between buyer and seller expectations
Luke Brady, head of the SAVILLS BATH office predicts how the property market will shape up in Bath over the next five years
After three years of political deadlock, December’s general election result brought greater clarity in the Government’s Brexit position and decisive domestic policy. Since then, we have already seen more confidence in the property market and expect the clear parliamentary majority to provide the foundation for accelerated activity over the months ahead.
That said, we still face a backdrop of suppressed gross domestic product and wage growth alongside a slowing global economy. Meanwhile the UK’s trading relationship with the EU during the transition period still needs to be resolved. It is therefore likely that home movers will remain relatively cautious about their household finances, particularly in the second half of the year.
VALUE EXPECTATIONS Bath’s prime property market has remained resilient since the referendum and over the last five years values have increased by 4.4 per cent. While this year will not be without its challenges, across the south of the country we are forecasting incremental rises totaling 16.5 per cent over the next five years, which is slightly higher than the UK average forecast. Growth will be slow and steady, and as such, balancing buyer and seller expectations will be critical to keeping the market moving.
The good news is that our analysis of the last three months of the year in the prime residential market revealed a narrowing of the gap between such expectations. Across the country, we found greater alignment as sellers accepted more realistic pricing. Notably, we also saw an increase in competitive bidding where newly launched properties were brought to market at the right price.
PENT-UP DEMAND The greater sense of urgency in the market is encouraging news for anyone who is thinking about marketing their house for sale in the coming months. More so when we consider the level of pent-up demand for property.
Many would-be sellers were put off entering the market last year, despite a steep rise in
FOR SALE
FOR SALE
FOR SALE
From left to right: properties for sale in Bath include Cleveland Walk (guide £1,850,000), Henrietta Place (offers in excess of £1,250,000) and Prior Park Road (offers in excess of £1,000,000)
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
From left to right: recent sales include a Grade II listed house on Sydney Buildings, a home on St James’s Square and a detached country property in Bowden Hill, Wiltshire
registered buyers and viewing activity. In Bath, not only did we experience a notable uplift in buyers registering with us last year compared with in 2018, we saw the highest number of viewings on record. The lack of available stock alongside the strong demand resulted in a large pool of frustrated buyers.
This pool is not about to dry up. In fact, across the UK we have seen new buyer registrations increase by around a third so far this year. Not only this but we are experiencing an improved level of commitment from interested parties.
CAPITAL MOVEMENT The prime property market in Bath has traditionally benefitted from a high-proportion of relocators from London. Last year however, we saw a number of prospective buyers, who were keen to make their move but unable to sell in the capital.
Since the start of January, our London offices are reporting strong levels of enquiries and viewings across all levels of the market. Agents operating in south west and west London note that the family house market is particularly active with sellers now more committed to make the move this year. Some are also beginning to see upsizers who would have traditionally traded up in the local area now considering a relocation to the commuter belt or further afield.
TAKING ADVANTAGE Early spring is traditionally a popular time to buy and sell, and we could well see a surge this year. Many will be looking to make their move early, and so sellers are advised to prepare now in order to take advantage. n
Peter Greatorex from THE APARTMENT COMPANY advises a proactive approach for Bath’s landlords…
Bath is fi lled with a wealth of rental properties providing valuable homes to people across the city. Whether a contemporary property overlooking the river, or a city pad right in the heart of the action, the area is blessed with wonderful variety. As a landlord, it can be easy to take your eye off the ball, but recent research shows that the cost of neglecting repairs to your rental property is signifi cant.
At The Apartment Company, we work closely with our landlords to ensure they keep their properties well-maintained. We always recommend a proactive approach when it comes to servicing utilities and safety features, and if issues arise they need to respond quickly.
No one can plan for the unexpected, and our weather often has a lot to answer for due to issues caused by storm damage. 365,000 rental properties are evacuated each year as a result of the most common of emergencies, plumbing, followed by electrical and gas faults. The cost of repairing even the most common issue sometimes goes far beyond the repair itself, as it can require rehoming your tenants while the work is undertaken, causing them stress and upset.
Tenants want to live in an apartment where they feel their comfort and safety is valued; when trust has been established they are more likely to want to extend their tenancy as they simply feel at home. Being proactive with regard to maintaining all areas of your property can also help to prevent some of these common issues, thus saving time, money and your reputation.
It is essential that you have the correct insurance in place to fully cover you should an emergency situation arise during the tenancy. It’s also important to double check that your tenants have content insurance and that it is renewed annually. This way, should something happen, your apartment and its contents can be replaced. By working closely with our landlords we can ensure that their properties and their tenants continue to have happy tenancies, and hopefully without any emergencies. If you have an apartment in Bath and want to know how we can support you to get the most out of your portfolio, contact our lettings team today. ■
For more advice visit our blog at www.theapartmentcompany.co.uk Sales: 01225 471144 Lettings: 01225 303870
AJ Removals
Removals - Storage - Shipping - Packing
Camden to Cairo?
Whatever you have, we'll help it go
International Shipping. Door-To-Door Services Part-Load & Single Item Deliveries Full Export Wrapping & Packing
www.ajremovalsbath.co.uk 01225 404060 enquiries@ajremovalsbath.co.uk
Unit 12 Stable Yard Industrial Estate, Windsor Bridge Road, Bath BA2 3AY
SOVEREIGN DAMP & TIMBER LTD
We offer a comprehensive service for all kinds of damp proofi ng, basement waterproofi ng, timber treatment and specialist replastering.
