Bath & North East Somerset Council has granted planning permission for the development of Fashion Museum Bath in a former post office in the city centre’s historic Milsom Quarter.

The museum left its former home in Bath’s Assembly Rooms in 2022, with plans to move to a more central location and develop a larger space to display its collections. 

The design proposals for its new home will see the Grade II-listed former Old Post Office on New Bond Street in Bath redeveloped as a courtyard building with a public garden at the centre.

As well as restoring the building, the designs will offer accessible galleries providing more than double the floorspace of the museum’s former home in the Assembly Rooms.

Located at the corner of a busy junction with Northgate Street, the museum’s plans include public realm improvements, such as the creation of a new city square and improved public space to create a greener setting for visitors.

Construction is expected to begin in winter 2027, ahead of its target opening date of December 2030.

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The London-based studio 6a architects – which is also working on Tate Liverpool’s 2027 redevelopment – has been appointed to the project. Its designs include changing the ground floor of the post office building to create a public foyer with a café and shop, centred around a courtyard garden designed by Sarah Price Landscapes.

A bright, modern building interior with large windows, an open staircase, and a person sitting on a bench by the windows. Two people are seen talking in the background near a glass wall. The space is filled with natural light.
Design visualisation of the proposed foyer area

The designs also focus on creating new entrances to improve visibility and movement through the space. Two principal gallery floors will house the collections, with changing exhibition spaces designed by JA Projects, which recently completed work on the new V&A East Museum.

A bright, modern classroom with large windows showing trees outside. Children of diverse abilities interact, including a child using a wheelchair. Tables hold art supplies, and a mannequin stands at the center.
Design visualisation of learning spaces that open into the new courtyard garden

Outside, retractable fabric awnings above windows and doors will manage sunlight and control temperature.

The project has received £20m from Bath & North East Somerset Council; £1.75m from the West of England Combined Mayoral Authority, building on an earlier grant of £1.5m; and £768,000 from the The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Further funding related to the museum’s collection has come from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Arts Council England.

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Councillor Paul Roper, the cabinet member for economic and cultural sustainable development at Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “Securing planning permission for Fashion Museum Bath is a landmark moment for our city.

“This project is about much more than a new museum: it is a transformative investment in Bath’s cultural future, bringing new life to historic buildings, creating inspiring spaces for learning and creativity, and ensuring that this world‑class collection can be enjoyed by generations to come. It is what this city, local authority and the West of England region deserve.”

Tom Emerson, the founding director of 6a architects, said: “The museum will bring people and fashion together, showcasing an extraordinary collection with energy and excitement, and create new spaces for learning and nature. The transformation of the former Post Office will continue Bath’s legacy of outstanding architecture with a museum designed for today and for future generations.”