bradford on avon design guide

The Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust was formed in 1964 to restore a late medieval Priory Barn, in Bradford on Avon. Later in the 1960’s the Trust merged with the Bradford on Avon Preservation Society, which had been formed in 1959 to save the cottages of Tory and Middle Rank, then scheduled for demolition and replacement with flats. Since then the Trust has undertaken several more restoration projects. It continues to review planning proposals, making representations to the planning authority and others to try and ensure that Bradford’s special character and appearance are preserved.

The initial idea of a design guide for the Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust came from the planning application review panel which passes comments on current planning applications each month. The panel does find itself giving out the same comments and tackling repeated issues of poor design, inappropriate materials and the loss of important historic local features.

It was decided that instead of a constant negative response the Trust give advice on how we as a community should look after our built heritage. The aim was therefore to provide a user friendly, informative and helpful guide to what makes the town so individual and an attractive place to live and work

The principal elements of the booklet are:

-   A brief architectural and social history of the town

-   Advice on the approval process with planning and listed buildings

-   Local building materials. This covers external walls and wall finishes including the use of local stone and how it should be laid and pointed, roofing and roof materials including Pan-tiles, limestone slates, well slates and other terracotta roofing. This is followed by a sections describing the window joinery and glass including the history of window design over the last four centuries and how this has made its impact on the town. A description of local features to doors, door cases, porches, chimneys, hard landscaping and shopfront design is also included. Finally there is a section on useful links to other heritage organisations who give helpful advice and a glossary of architectural terms.

The Guide was  launched at the medieval barn in Bradford on Avon in March 2020 and copies are available through the Trusts website https://www.bradfordheritage.co.uk