Bath Preservation Trust unveils new events and activities at its museums

Bath Preservation Trust has sprung into action with an exciting new programme of events and activities at its museums No.1 Royal Crescent and the Herschel Museum of Astronomy.

New features coming soon include a Georgian “Wardrobe” with a bespoke wall mural, a series of conservation talks by leading experts, and a programme of stargazing events and astronomy lectures.

In line with the continuing cultural appetite for historical romance, No.1 Royal Crescent is poised to ramp up the fun this spring with a new Georgian dressing room (or “Georgrobe”), providing an opportunity for people to fulfil their Bridgerton dreams by dressing up in Regency-style costumes and accessories. Visitors can pose against a newly-created bespoke pop-art style mural of the city of Bath - designed by local artists Jason Dorley-Brown and Emma Taylor at Jet Pictures, and printed and installed by Minuteman Bath - to create the perfect reel or TikTok.

The sponsor of the mural is Bath’s leading independent letting agent, HomeLets. The artists’ mural cleverly assimilates HomeLets’ branding into the design, along with key local architectural landmarks and organisations such as the Royal Crescent, the Cross Bath and Bath Abbey. This quirky, colourful and detailed mural presents a unique vision of Bath in a stylistic blend of “old and new” that reflects the architectural development of the city itself over time, appealing to both long-time residents of Bath and new visitors to the city. The Georgrobe is due to launch on 1 April 2023, just in time for Easter. It will be free for Museum visitors to enjoy, and also open to the public with a voluntary donation.

No.1 Royal Crescent is also introducing an exciting programme of talks as part of its overarching theme for 2023, “Conservation in Action." These include: “Harpsichord Concert & Conservation with Cesar Hernandez”; “Book & Paper Conservation with Edmund Bayntun-Coward”; and “Painting Conservation with Helen Malone” – full details on these talks can be found here.

Meanwhile, the Herschel Museum of Astronomy is launching its Dark Skies campaign, which draws attention to the effects of light pollution – not just for astronomers but also on people living in urban conurbations and local wildlife. The Herschel Museum is partnering with Bath Astronomers and Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution to deliver a packed events schedule of stargazing sessions and talks. Younger stargazers will be able to enjoy the wonders of space with the return of the popular planetarium shows created in partnership with the University of Bath last year, plus free craft workshops in the holidays. 

Claire Dixon, Director of Museums for Bath Preservation Trust says: “Experiential leisure is a huge ongoing trend in our sector, and our new Georg-robe at No.1 Royal Crescent taps into this, giving visitors the chance to physically engage with the fashions and architecture of historic Bath, whilst also shining a spotlight on local artists. Our star-gazing sessions at the Herschel Museum also enable visitors to get hands-on, and to really engage with the story of the Herschels in a tangible way: looking up into the heavens from the very spot in which William Herschel himself was standing when he discovered the planet Uranus through his homemade telescope."

“Conservation underpins much of what we seek to achieve across our organisations, and this theme has been very influential to our programme of activities and events this year. I’m thrilled to be inviting visitors to “see behind the curator’s curtain” and showing them the various battles that we fight behind the scenes to conserve and protect historic objects and fabrics. It also enables us to look more widely at the conservation work across our museum and explore with audiences how we look after the important buildings and collections in our care, as well as the environment in which they sit. I hope our visitors will enjoy being invited behind the scenes but also reflect on how our behaviours can make conservation more challenging, encouraging everyone to consider the ways in which they can help.”  

For more information about Bath Preservation Trust’s jam-packed programme of educational events, family activities and conservation projects (including times and dates) plus their host venues, visit the Bath Preservation Trust website.