Fairfield House, Bath

Fairfield House
General information
Type Two storey ashlar villa
Architectural style Italianate
Town or city Bath
Country England
Construction started c1840
Completed c1850

Fairfield House, in Newbridge, Bath, England, was the residence of Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia, during the five years he spent in exile (1936–41). Following his return to Ethiopia, he donated it to the city of Bath in 1958 as a residence for the aged.[1]

Fairfield House was used as a care home until 1993, when new room size requirements made it unsuitable for such use. Since then it has been used as a day centre by a number of groups including the Bath Ethnic Minority Senior Citizens' Association, Age Concern, the Ethiopian Coptic Church and a Rastafari church.[1][2] In 2014 a community group, Friends of Fairfield House, were negotiating a Community Asset Transfer in order to preserve and develop the House.[3][4]

There are numerous accounts of "Haile Selassie I was my next door neighbour" amongst people who were children in the Bath area during his residence.

The house has significance to the UK Rastafari movement.

The house was built around 1840, and extended in c.1900, and has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Historic England. "Fairfield, 2, Kelston Road  (Grade II) (1395932)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "Emperor Haile Selassie's gift to elderly too big a drain on council funds". Bath Chronicle. 7 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  3. ↑ "Visit to Fairfield House". City Pulse. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "Community Assets Transfer Programme". Bath and North East Somerset. Retrieved 4 March 2015.

External links

Coordinates: 51°23′25″N 2°23′59″W / 51.3902°N 2.3998°W / 51.3902; -2.3998


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