Conservation & Heritage Issue 50 Winter 2025/Spring 2026 - Flipbook - Page 100
grounded in respect for context and attention to detail. Often,
the back-of-house spaces in heritage buildings present valuable
opportunities for beneficial conversion. Implementing
sensitive, strategic retrofits can consolidate functions
whilst reclaiming space for public use thereby, enhancing
both the visitor experience and significance of the heritage
site. Additionally, it is possible to achieve contemporary
standards for environmental control, accessibility, and visitor
experience in Grade I listed buildings through thoughtful
retrofit that integrates technical requirements carefully
within the historic fabric.
A Layered Institution
The Holburne now layers Harcourt Masters’ original
1795 building, Blomfield’s 1915 alterations, Eric Parry
Architects’ 2011 extension, and the 2025 retrofit. The
recent interventions have enhanced the museum’s capacity
to display its collections to 100,000 annual visitors, while
respecting Bath’s UNESCO World Heritage setting. The
2011 extension enabled touring exhibitions that support
financial sustainability and the 2025 galleries allow display
of major loans. Together they show that conservation and
growth can align—investment expanding programming and
strengthening public offer. The Holburne presents a story
of how incremental change can sustain civic and cultural
purpose, showing that conservation thrives when it embraces
careful evolution.
Above, view of new first floor gallery
photography by Dirk Lindner for Eric Parry Architects
The door onto the main staircase was closed for
environmental control, however, the panel was replaced to
include glazed areas—allowing visual permeability from the
stair hall whilst ensuring the climatic stability required for
Old Master paintings. This represented a careful balance
between environmental control and preservation of historic
character.
Conservation and Continuity Through
Incremental Change
The two projects by Eric Parry Architects demonstrate that
heritage conservation is not a single act, but an ongoing
dialogue—between past and present, use and significance,
restraint and intervention. The 2011 works addressed the
museum’s capacity and long-term sustainability, while the
2025 galleries took a more nuanced approach, activating
underused spaces and restoring rooms to their original
purpose.
References
Eric Parry Architects (n.d.) Holburne Museum, Bath. Available at:
https://www.ericparryarchitects.co.uk/projects/holburne-museum/
(Accessed: 2 October 2025).
Eric Parry Architects (2025) Press Release: Holburne Museum Schroder
Galleries. London: Eric Parry Architects.
Heathcote, E. (2015) Eric Parry Architects Volume 3. London: Artifice
Heathcote, E. (2011) ‘Holburne Museum, Bath’, Financial Times, 13 May.
Holburne Museum (n.d.) History of the Holburne Museum. Available at:
https://www.holburne.org/about/history (Accessed: 2 October 2025).
As Eric Parry has noted, the Holburne is “one of the star
attractions within the extraordinary cultural heritage
and cityscape of Bath” (Eric Parry Architects, 2025). Eric
Parry Architects’ phased engagement has fostered both
institutional memory and design continuity, ensuring that
history is respected, thoughtfully preserved and built upon.
This long-term collaboration illustrates how conservation
architecture can evolve iteratively, balancing heritage values
with contemporary needs to create a cohesive and adaptable
institution.
Written on behalf of Eric Parry Architects, October 2025
Material Sustainability & Heritage Practice
The 2025 project embodied principles of environmental
responsibility that are increasingly central to architectural
practice. By working within existing envelopes, restoring
rather than replacing historic fabric, and improving
performance through measures such as secondary glazing, it
adopted low-carbon strategies that minimise the embodied
energy of new construction. The approach reflected a
growing recognition that the most sustainable building is
often the one that already exists.
Several principles from this scheme may have broader
relevance for heritage practice. Contemporary architecture
and heritage conservation can coexist harmoniously when
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Above, view of Blomfield’s top floor gallery refurbished in 2011
photography by Paul Riddle for Eric Parry Architects
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