Architectural Heritage Fund backs restoration of Jacobs Wells Baths
Trinity Community Arts has secured a significant boost for the restoration of Jacobs Wells Baths through a £350,000 Capital Grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF). The award will support essential repair works now underway on the Grade II listed former bathhouse, forming part of a wider programme to bring the building back into safe public use.
The new investment builds on AHF’s earlier £78,000 Development Grant, which helped shape future plans for the site. Together, these grants form a critical foundation for Trinity’s phased approach to conserving the building, preparing for public reopening, and enabling new cultural and community uses. Both grants were awarded through the AHF's Heritage Revival Fund, which is delivered in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Historic England.
Recent progress on the restoration has included bringing the historic Pump Room into public use for the first time in its history. Further works underway will stabilise key structural elements, address long‑term maintenance issues and support the development of Trinity’s Phase 2 delivery plan, which has also received match funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Alongside the physical repair works, Trinity has begun activating previously inaccessible areas of the site, including the old pool boiler room, through artist‑led interventions as part of the new Art of the Possible pilot program. This creative activity is helping shape and envision future plans for how the building might be used once restoration is complete.
The AHF’s continued support is a major step toward Trinity’s goal of safely reopening Jacobs Wells Baths for community use.
Trinity’s wider renovation and engagement programme is supported by a range of funders and partners including the National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players, The Nisbet Trust, John James Foundation, Society of Merchant Venturers, Historic England, Pilgrim Trust, Bristol City Council, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Centrica Energy and Trinity’s individual donors and sponsors.
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