Vision

“Our vision is to provide precisely what is required for the Abbey to better serve the city for the rest of this century. The building work will greatly enhance the experience of everybody who comes here: it will enable us to do much more and, in particular, help improve our activities in the local community.

”While the Abbey may superficially appear changeless, it has always adapted to the times. Successive generations have made changes because the Abbey is at the heart of city life and it is now time for this generation to create a fresh footprint.”

Edward Mason, Rector of Bath Abbey

“We are open seven days a week, welcoming thousands of visitors who comprise both tourists and local residents. The Abbey remains a place of worship for many and is an integral part of the city for many more. It is a place where people congregate in times of crisis as well as celebration. It is a major performance venue and civic amenity and has an expanding choral tradition that draws out the talents of children throughout the area. It has a significant collection of archives and artefacts, and holds a responsibility to care for and make these available for future generations.

"All this creates a strain on the fabric of a magnificent medieval building, a strain we must ease if the Abbey is to continue meeting the needs placed on it by its many visitors, a thriving congregation, as well as the local community.”

Charles Curnock, Footprint Project Director

Four values will guide any future development:

• Solutions must be integrated. It will be vital for the Abbey and its buildings to operate coherenty.
• Solutions must honour the beauty and architectural significance of the mediaval Abbey and the historical and cultural context in which the Abbey is situated
• Solutions involving spaces must offer the possibility of flexible and multi-purpose use, bearing in mind the changing needs from one generation to another
• Solutions must be long term – with a view to a hundred years of use