Bath Fire Station
Just published - a 24 page tabloid with a selection of photos and accompanying text of my favourite brutalist buildings in Bristol.
Designs for Bath Fire Station were initially led by architect Alfred J Taylor, until his death in 1938, and completed by his daughter Molly Taylor. It opened in 1939, just in time to put out the fires of the Baedeker Raids of 1942.
There are few modernist buildings of distinction in Georgian Bath. This is a rare example of a female architect designing any building, particularly such a prominent one, in the pre-war era. Given this architectural significance, it's disappointing that this fire station is being demolished.
The 20th Century Society argued it should be saved and applied for it to be listed. However, as of March 2026, the fire crews have vacated the building and fences have been erected around the station in preparation of its demolition.
These exhibition boards explaining why it will be demolished and have been summarised by Claude AI:
“The existing station has serious problems. Modern fire engines barely fit through the narrow openings and constantly scrape the building sides. The structure shows signs of instability with ongoing movement and cracking. Energy costs are high - the station uses 25% of the entire fire service's annual energy. There's no outdoor space for breaks and office areas are too small.
The new station will feature six appliance bays instead of the current cramped arrangement. A key focus is contamination control - "firefighters are more than 6 times more likely to contract certain illnesses such as cancer" as stated in the exhibition materials. The design separates dirty, possibly contaminated and clean zones to protect crew health.
Construction should start in winter 2025 after planning approval. The station sits within Bath's UNESCO World Heritage Site and conservation area.”
Molly Taylor also designed the art deco, Grade II Listed Kilowatt House on North Road in Bath. While Pevsner’s book on Bath ignores the Fire Station, it describes Kilowatt House is “Bath’s only Modern Movement house”. Her father’s practice didn’t want to be associated with anything so modern and so Molly Taylor designed this under her own name.
