Extensive repair work is now complete at the small belvedere (viewing tower) which sits above a Grade II* listed Greek Revival Regency period villa in Bath. Our client, who has lived at the property for over twenty years, commissioned our heritage experts to secure relevant permissions for and define the repair work needed to conserve the belvedere’s future.
About the building
The belvedere sits above an attached grange and forms part of the Grade II* listed house originally known as Montebello. Designed by architect Henry Goodridge, the villa was extended at least three times in the Victorian period, with the belvedere added last to house water tanks and provide a landmark feature after his trip to Italy. The building is part of a notable group of Italianate villas on Bathwick Hill and is highlighted in local character assessments because the tower is a visible landmark. Given the building’s prominence, the careful repair of the belvedere was crucial.
The repairs to the belvedere were needed because the roof and the top parts of the tower were in poor condition and had started to fail, creating a risk of collapse and falling stonework.
Condition and causes of failure
The lead roof had been failing for decades. The lead sheets were badly distorted, split and coming apart at the joints. Flashings were lifting and the grade of lead used in construction was too thin for the roof design and exposure, meaning rain could blow underneath.
Due to this water ingress, the timber roof structure below had suffered extensive rot and insect attack, especially where timber touched stone or stayed damp for long periods. Rusting nails had also caused some rafters to split.
The most serious issue was in the stone eaves around the top of the tower. The corbel brackets and entablature panels were fixed with iron cramps which, over time, had rusted and expanded, forcing the stone apart. This caused cracking, spalling and movement, particularly at the corners where the stonework is cantilevered. By 2024, the damage had become critical and some stones could be removed easily by hand.
Iron dog cramps in the doubled arches had also rusted and expanded, cracking and forcing apart the surrounding stone. The single arches, which did not contain iron cramps, remained in good condition.
Repair work
Working alongside a team of local craftspeople, we:
- Replaced damaged lead roofing
- Replaced rotten and failing timber roof structure
- Dismantled the top three courses of stonework, removing the old iron fixings, and rebuilding the stonework
- Repairing and replacing damaged corbel brackets using new Bath stone cut to match the original profiles
- Removing damaged stone and expanding iron cramps from the arches on the north-west and south-west sides, installing new keystone sections and pinning others, and repairing the remaining arch stones
- Re-pointing the stonework with lime mortar and re-bedding stones using hydraulic lime mortar, to match the original construction
- Replacing removed iron dog cramps and dowels with stainless steel ones
The work was carried out on a like-for-like basis, keeping sound historic fabric wherever possible. Mortar testing showed the original bedding mortar was a hydraulic lime mortar made with crushed furnace slag clinker, lime and sand, so repairs used lime mortars and hydraulic lime mortars to match.
Damaged stone was carefully removed and repaired. Rusting iron cramps were replaced with stainless steel fixings. The doubled arches were improved by introducing new keystones so the arches work by compression and no longer needed iron cramps. Cracks were pinned and repaired, and lime shelter coats were applied to protect and consolidate weathered stone.
Result
The completed repairs have stabilised the belvedere roof and stonework, removed the main cause of damage (rusting iron fixings), and helped conserve an important part of this Grade II* building. The work has put right extensive damage to the stonework, making the belvedere worthy of its place in the panorama.