Context 152 - November 2017

C O N T E X T 1 5 2 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 7 23 Floorscape DAISY NELSON and SARAH RICHARDSON Bath Abbey’s geothermal floor The collapsing floor of Bath Abbey, with more than 8,500 bodies buried beneath it, is being repaired, stabilised and provided with a geothermally sourced underfloor heating system. Bath Abbey is well known as one of the most important buildings in the Unesco world heritage site, standing just metres from the Roman Baths and Georgian Pump Rooms. Its west front, with its ladder-of-angels relief, is a must on the tourist trail, and it is one of the most visited churches in England. As such it needs to withstand a high level of foot traffic, but the floor is not solid. More than 8,500 bodies are buried beneath it, and it is paved with 890 ledger stones. This has created longstanding structural and archaeological problems. Between 1863 and 1874 a major restoration by Sir George Gilbert Scott included works to stabilise the floor, laying a lime-based concrete float. Scott dealt with settlement issues, but recent investigations have shown that these works took little account of the underlying archaeology, as the distribution level in which the ledger stones were sitting was a lightly compressed granulated course which contained bone fragments.This layer extends a little over a metre below the floor level. Beneath it are the burials and failing voids. Scott had the current underfloor heating installed. This was a typical late-Victorian hot-water trench system of metal gratings releasing warm air which rises gently up to the high roof, and descends again once it has lost its heat to lightly chill the heads of the congregation in their pews. The Abbey is an important space for the modern city. Religious use is but a part of the many activities that take place in the building. Open to tourists daily except for services and special events, it is used for concerts, organ recitals and choral events, and for hosting ceremonies such as university graduations, and music and singing sessions for children. These uses put a strain on the internal configuration of the furniture and the strength Bath Abbey, one of the most visited churches in England (Photo: Jonathan Taylor)