Fairfield House

Fairfield House stands in Newbridge, a quiet corner of Bath’s northwest outskirts. The Grade II listed building was constructed around 1850 in Italianate style, probably by architect James Wilson. It overlooks Kelston Road, where horse chestnuts line the pavement and the hum of Bath’s traffic fades into the distance. The house has two storeys and a symmetrical front with tall windows and a central door. Its stone façade shows the wear of 170 years, yet the proportions remain elegant. A pair of chimneys rise above the roof, hinting at the warmth once kept inside. The house is important to the UK Rastafari movement because Emperor Haile Selassie I lived there from 1936 to 1941. He bought it after a short stay at the Bath Spa Hotel while the property was renovated. The work created a large double drawing room with two fireplaces and a dining room with pantry. Five principal bedrooms accommodated the emperor’s family and staff, while servants slept in attic rooms. Local people who were children at the time still recall him as a neighbour. In 1943 the house briefly became a home for babies evacuated from Chippenham. Today Fairfield House serves as a day centre for local groups. It houses the Bath Ethnic Minority Senior Citizens’ Association, Age Concern, the Ethiopian Coptic Church and a Rastafari church. The Friends of Fairfield House have worked to preserve the building since 2014. In 2019 a community interest company took over its running as a community asset. The interior still contains the double drawing room and dining room created for Haile Selassie. Visitors notice the quiet atmosphere and the sense of history in every corridor and staircase.