Snow Hill photographed on a cold afternoon in January. (Image: Phoebe Hobbs)
For newcomers to Bath, their first impressions often involve marvelling at the grandeur of the weir, the majesty of Bath Abbey, the historic Roman Baths, and the city’s picturesque location in a stunning valley.
However, such descriptions only scratch the surface of what Bath truly is — in reality, it is one of the UK’s wealthiest yet most divided cities.
It boasts areas like Royal Crescent, known for its millionaire rows and being a ‘playground for the wealthy’, where property prices make living in the city an unattainable dream for many.
Yet, areas like Snow Hill paint a different picture of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This working-class enclave within an overwhelmingly affluent city, much like Twerton, is often spoken about less favourably.
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Bath is one of the most divided cities in the UK (Image: Artur Lesniak/Reach)
Snow Hill faces a triple threat of classism, xenophobia, and hostility towards the homeless. Berkeley House, a high-rise that provides short-term housing for individuals striving to regain stability after experiencing homelessness, towers over the area.
A Bath and North East Somerset councillor has expressed dismay at the council’s virtually powerless position to make much-needed improvements for Snow Hill, stating their capability is “down to zero”.
The stark contrast between the city centre and the outskirts showcases a grim reality for those living on the fringes — a longstanding issue, reports Somerset Live.
Recalling a conversation from 2020, a local shared that there’s stigma attached to living in a deprived area: “People judge you for living in a more deprived area. That even starts at school if you come from a poorer area. People look down on you and don’t think you can buy school uniform for your kids.”
She says that areas like hers, along with others outside the city centre, have been “left behind”. Five years later, nothing has changed, and there’s no indication it will anytime soon.
Cllr John Leach, a 68-year-old Liberal Democrat councillor representing the ward of Walcot, which includes Snow Hill, spoke frankly about the challenges in representing the area and the repercussions of Tory austerity on councils.
With a budget primarily allocated to child and adult social care, discretionary services suffer severe cuts and are effectively “cut down to the bone”, leaving negligible room for enhancement in areas with genuine needs.
Berkeley House on Snow Hill, Bath (Image: Bath Chronicle)
He told SomersetLive: “There is no spare money. Everything has been cut down to the bone and then has to be cut down further. So areas like Snow Hill, they have real needs. Our ability is absolutely down to zero to do anything at all helpful [for Snow Hill].”
“I mean, we are putting money into things like repairing the roads and we’re putting more money into trying to make neighbourhoods more attractive- street trees so there’s more greenery, for example.”
Born in Fulham ‘before it was gentrified’, Leach has clear memories of slum demolitions by builders in his neighbourhood, and sought to represent Walcot because “it’s a bit more down to earth” than other parts of Bath.
While canvassing, Leach encountered varied perspectives amongst residents: from pride over lifelong residence and family ties to law enforcement in the area – as in one case in Snow Hill – to transient young professionals simply ‘passing through’, like a young man working for a fancy consultancy firm in the area.
Royal Crescent in Bath is a ‘playground for the wealthy’ (Image: Getty)
However, winning trust isn’t always easy. Leach noted: “Some residents […] come from countries where local government has a bad name. So, you knock on the door, say ‘Hi, I’m your local councillor’ and they immediately step back. You might as well say ‘I’m from the local Mafia’.”
However, there is a varying narrative and this is not everyone’s view of Snow Hill. There are also the likes of Rowan, who has been a resident of Snow hill for the past 11 years, and has raised her daughter in the area since infancy.
As Chair of the Residents Association, Rowan has played a pivotal role in maintaining the community’s upkeep by coordinating clean-up initiatives and planting vibrant tulips and wildflowers for the neighbourhood.
Her depiction of Snow Hill starkly contrasts with common misconceptions, showcasing a welcoming, family-friendly environment boasting stunning city views, convenient access to central Bath, and a nearby Morrisons.
After living in the area for over a decade, Rowan has only had a singular neighbourly complaint, defying area stereotypes.
Her daughter shares her affection for their home, resisting any notion of relocating: “She loves it. She refuses to even consider moving. If we go past a fancy house, I’ll go ‘ooh! Wouldn’t it be nice to live somewhere like that? ‘. But she says ‘no’, she doesn’t want to move.”
Certain buildings within Snow Hill fall under Curo’s management, who describe it as a thriving community offering housing opportunities for families who might otherwise be priced out of Bath.
GV of flats in Snow Hill estate, Bath (Image: Photographer: Artur Lesniak/arturlesniak.com)
They said: “Snow Hill is a mixed-tenure neighbourhood of more than 300 properties, including privately owned homes and those owned and managed by Curo. It’s important in city centres to have a vibrant mix of housing, and Snow Hill is a thriving community providing lower-cost homes for children and families who would not otherwise be able to afford to live and work in Bath.
“This includes many people on lower incomes, such as key workers and people who run our essential local services. Snow Hill has a residents’ association, which encourages the local community to get involved in events each year. In the past, the association has set up a forest school and a regular gardening club for children and adults, as well as a project to harvest the wildflower meadows planted across the estate.”
“In Bath, house prices have reached 19 times the average annual income, making the city the joint third least affordable in the UK. Meanwhile, the latest figures show there are currently 5,872 families on the waiting list for social housing in BandNES. We need more affordable homes in Bath to ensure that living and working in BandNES is attractive and accessible for all.”
When the subject of unkind comments towards Snow Hill are brought up, Cllr Leach identified the three-headed monster of classism, xenophobia, and anti-homeless sentiment, rearing its head.
Berkeley House – the towering high-rise that has come to symbolise the area – offers some short-term accommodation for people who are getting back on their feet after experiencing homelessness.
Bath City Centre – a view from Berkeley House, Snow Hill, Bath. (Image: Photographer: Artur Lesniak/arturl)
It’s possible that when people make a casually disparaging remark about Snow Hill, it’s often just a veiled comment aimed at the working class, immigrants, and the homeless.
However, Leach believes there’s more to the town’s reputation than meets the eye. He said frankly: “It’s relatively run down, it’s not the nicest.”
According to the Indices of Deprivation (IoD), Bath and North East Somerset as a whole remains one of the least deprived local authorities in the country, with deprivation levels decreasing over time.
The report stated: “However, within some areas, inequality is widening and deprivation remains significant. There are now two small areas within the most deprived 10% nationally.”
It also revealed that “approximately 12 per cent of children in Bath and North East Somerset were living in poverty in 2017/18, increasing to approximately 19% when housing costs had been taken into account.”
The report further highlighted that “there are wide variations in the child poverty figures across different wards and LSOAs in Bath and North East Somerset”.