Bath Preservation Trust (BPT) campaigns for and promotes the conservation, sustainable enhancement and celebration of the unique historic built environment and amenity, green setting and global contributions of the City of Bath as a World Heritage Site. At our heart are the principles of informed advocacy, learning for all, and the provision of authentic heritage experiences at our four museums, through partnership working and online.

We believe Bath deserves excellence in design and contemporary sustainable development which is inclusive of all people, and improves social and economic opportunities without compromising our unparalleled built heritage and natural environment. 

We:

• Promote our commitment to sustainable development for Bath and demonstrate the value of heritage in a changing world
• Advocate and campaign for the total public realm, a healthy environment and a thriving living city
• Champion forward-thinking and appropriate sustainable architecture and design worthy of the World Heritage City of Bath
• Continue the successful innovative development of, and increased access to, our museums through careful growth and targeted promotion
• Encourage and enable Bath citizens to take an active responsibility for the future welfare of the city via membership, volunteering and support
• Provide opportunities for learning for people of all ages in all areas of our work, supporting personal wellbeing and social inclusion

Fundamentally, we are an organisation which seeks positive and constructive solutions to the present and future threats faced by Bath, its rural environs and the people, communities and businesses it supports. Working with expert volunteers, BPT comments on more than 200 planning applications each year and engages with B&NES Council and developers aiming to influence positive change. Informed advice is provided to homeowners about planning applications for historic houses and listed buildings.

BPT is also a major provider to the tourist economy, as we own and run museums and educational activities at No. 1 Royal Crescent, the Museum of Bath Architecture, Beckford’s Tower and Landscape and the Herschel Museum of Astronomy. Our museums and collections provide inspiring experiences, learning and insights from the past which help people deepen their knowledge through narratives expressed appropriately, knowledgably and equitably.

With more than 1,000 subscribing members, BPT was founded in 1934 to conserve the city’s unique architectural heritage and challenge unsustainable development. Our advocacy and campaigning work has saved hundreds of listed buildings from demolition, enhanced the public realm, and added value and improvement to new developments.