Bath’s world-famous Fashion Museum will have to find a new home by March 2023, after the National Trust, who owns the Assembly Rooms, invoked a break clause in the lease to B&NES Council.
The Assembly Rooms in Bath | Photo © Bath Venues
The National Trust has announced plans to take over the running of Bath’s Assembly Rooms and transport visitors back to Georgian Bath from March 2023.
In a statement, Bath & North East Somerset Council said: “The Assembly Rooms has never been owned by the local authority. The council has been a tenant of the building since 1937 when the National Trust awarded a 75-year lease. A new lease was awarded in 2012 for another 15 years.
“The Fashion Museum has been housed in the Assembly Rooms since 1963 and has developed substantially to become one of the top 10 fashion museums in the world.
“Its collection of more than 100,000 items is Designated under the Government’s Designation Scheme which identifies collections of national / international pre-eminence held in non-national museums.
“This makes it a truly world-class museum. Because the National Trust has invoked the break clause in the lease at the Assembly Rooms, the council must now find a new home for the Fashion Museum.
“The council is disappointed that the National Trust has deferred making its decision to invoke the break clause until so far into the term of the lease. It leaves barely four years in which to find a new home for the museum and its world-class collection.
“The council is also concerned at the effect that losing access to the Assembly Rooms will have on many community and cultural groups that have used it as a venue for many years.”
The National Trust plans to produce an immersive experience for visitors that will transport them back to Georgian society, as well as exploring the role the rooms can play in the life of the twenty-first century city.
Working with creative partners, partner organisations and with the local community, the National Trust will use the next four years to develop an exciting and relevant future for the building.
The Trust will draw on research and historical records to ensure the full story of the Assembly Rooms is told and can be enjoyed by visitors.
Tom Boden, National Trust General Manager for the Bath Portfolio, said: “We hope to work closely with our many friends and partners in the City to develop our plans for the Assembly Rooms. Bath benefits from a wide range of high-quality museums and visitor attractions, and we want to complement and support their existing offers.
“This is a hugely exciting opportunity to bring this important building to life. It will allow the National Trust to develop new experiences in the centre of Bath, telling the stories of the Georgian city in a building that was the heart of its social scene in the late eighteenth century, and making these relevant to today.”
Income generated by the Bath Assembly Rooms will help support conservation work at other National Trust places nearby, including 500 acres of countryside.
Bath & North East Somerset Council has provided the following additional information:
When will the closure happen?
The Fashion Museum will not close immediately and the rooms are still available to hire. Dates have not been set yet. B&NES Council will keep visitors, staff and the groups who use the Assembly Rooms updated.
What is going to happen to the Fashion Museum?
Despite this set-back, the council sees it as an opportunity to find a more suitable home for the Fashion Museum in the city of Bath.
It is an opportunity to build on the museum’s excellent partnerships with other museums, the fashion industry and schools, colleges and universities, including the current partnership with Bath Spa University, and enable even closer co-operative working between the museum and the university’s fashion and textiles course.
What will happen if you can’t find a new location?
If the council cannot find a suitable new home for the Fashion Museum, the collection will be put into temporary but appropriate storage.
However the council will do all it can to continue to provide access to this world-class collection of historical dress, maintain the museum’s profile and continue its engagement with a wide range of audiences.
How will this impact on the Council’s finances?
The council has to prioritise its resources towards core services, which means protecting and caring for the most vulnerable in society. However it also takes its role as a custodian of important heritage assets very seriously.
The council is looking into options to achieve a sustainable future, both financially and environmentally, for the Fashion Museum.
How else are the Assembly Rooms currently used?
The Assembly Rooms are accessible to the public free of charge during daytime opening times, when the spaces are not hired out.
The traditional use of the building for public assembly takes the form of a wide range of activities including dance classes, festivals, concerts, conferences, university graduations, dinners, parties and weddings.
The council is aware of the disruption that will be caused to organisations that currently use the Assembly Rooms and will work with them to suggest alternative locations.
