HELP NEEDED!! The Bath House in Crews Hole was built in the mid 1700s by William King and associated with his Glassworks, as such it is one of the few remaining structures in the area with links to its industrial history. The Bath House (which features copper slag blocks) is listed and the garden is mentioned as its setting – see https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1202182
Back in 2007 I visited the site with Will Harris and he and others put together an application to have the listing upgraded to Grade II*. This was rejected, but the listing was updated with information we had put together, notably the description of the garden written in the 1830s by Elizabeth Emra, the Country Parson’s Daughter.
The woodland in front of the Bath House, including the garden is now for sale. The Bath House itself is not part of the sale, but the garden provides the access to it. While the site is protected from development in planning terms, we are concerned that new owners may attempt to get permission for development and may cause damage if they carry out any ‘clearance work’ or similar.
I am pleased to say that, with the support of Friends of Troopers Hill, the charity Protect Earth are hoping to buy the site. They would protect the site and facilitate visits in the future. They have launched a crowdfunder – https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-blackswarth-road-wood-crews-hole – can you help please? Thank you, from Rob Acton-Campbell.