Milford Mercury | Local News, Sport & Entertainment

Shock at historic Bath House destruction

From the Milford Mercury, first published Thursday 13th Jan 2005.

ONE of Neyland's oldest and most historic buildings has been illegally destroyed.

The Bath House had stood in the town since 1864 and, despite falling into disrepair in recent years, had always been an impressive sight on the haven.

But over Christmas the Bath House - near the town's yacht club - was reduced to a pile of rubble.

Councillors in the town fielded several phone calls from worried local residents and visited the site to find it totally flattened.

The Mercury understands that developer Alan Brookes had permission to develop in the grounds of the Bath House but not to demolish the property itself.

A council spokesman told the Mercury: "Pembrokeshire County Council can confirm that the Bath House building in Neyland has been demolished without consent.

"Though not a listed building, it was historically an important and significant feature of the town and located within a conservation area.

"The authority's enforcement officers have already spoken to the developer and are currently determining a future course of action.

"The council views the demolition of a building within a conservation area without the appropriate consent as a criminal offence under the Planning (listed buildings and conservation areas) Act 1990."

The unique design of the Bath House meant the tide would come in and flood the basement where people could enjoy the water. Although built as public baths it was soon converted to a Victorian Villa and by 1878 even had its own croquet ground.

Town mayor and local historian Simon Hancock described the demolition as "a terrible, terrible loss for the community."

Cllr Hancock added: "The Bath House could have been restored and the condition it was in does not distract from the importance of the building to the town.

"An architect and I looked around the building in 2003 and the walls and the essentials were in good shape, this is a very serious situation.

"The loss of the Bath House robs Neyland of a fine historic building, one of the last links between us and the vibrant enterprising early 1860s when Neyland was a new railway community."

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