Fairfield House, Bath

{{Short description|Villa in Bath, England}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox Historic building

|image=Fairfield House, Newbridge, Bath.jpg

|caption=

|name=Fairfield House

|location_town=Bath

|location_country=England

|architect=James Wilson

|client=

|engineer=

|construction_start_date=c1840

|completion_date=c1850

|date_demolished=

|cost=

|structural_system=

|building_type=Two storey ashlar villa

|style=Italianate

|size=

}}

Fairfield House, in Newbridge, Bath, England is a Grade II listed building. It was the residence of Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia, during the five years they spent in England (1936–41). Following his return to Ethiopia, he donated it to the city of Bath in 1958 as a residence for the aged.{{NHLE |num=1395932 |desc=Fairfield, 2, Kelston Road |grade=II |accessdate=9 January 2012}}

The Italianate two-storey house was built around 1850, probably by James Wilson, on Kelston Road in the northwest outskirts of the city.

The house has significance to the UK Rastafari movement because it was bought in 1936 by Haile Selassie I after the death of the previous owner Mrs Campbell-White, following a short stay at the Bath Spa Hotel, while the house was renovated.{{cite web|last1=Haber|first1=Lutz|title=The Emperor Haile Selassie I in Bath 1936 - 1940|url=http://anglo-ethiopian.org/publications/articles.php?type=O&reference=publications/occasionalpapers/papers/haileselassiebath.php|publisher=Anglo-Ethiopian|accessdate=29 August 2016}} He lived in the house with his family and staff for five years.{{cite web|title=About Fairfield House|url=https://houseofhismajesty.com/about/|publisher=The House of His Majesty|access-date=29 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924051217/https://houseofhismajesty.com/about/|archive-date=24 September 2016|url-status=dead}} The renovation provided a large double drawing room with two fireplaces, and a dining room with pantry.

The rooms for Haile Selassie to meet contacts and supporters included a 'telephone room' or small office and the morning room. There were five principal bedrooms with rooms in the attic for servants. 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.{{cite web|title=Haile Selassie|url=http://www.last.fm/music/Haile+Selassie/+wiki|publisher=Last FM|accessdate=29 August 2016}}

In 1943 it was used as a home for babies evacuated from Chippenham. Haile Selassie gave the house to the City of Bath in 1958 during the visit when he was given the Freedom of the City.

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.{{cite news |url=http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Emperor-Haile-Selassie-s-gift-elderly-big-drain/story-14335078-detail/story.html |title=Emperor Haile Selassie's gift to elderly too big a drain on council funds |date=7 January 2012 |newspaper=Bath Chronicle |accessdate=9 January 2012}}{{cite web|title=Welcome to Bath Ethnic Minority Senior Citizens Association|url=http://bemsca.com/|publisher=Bath Ethnic Minority Senior Citizens Association|accessdate=29 August 2016}}

In 2014 a community group, Friends of Fairfield House, were negotiating a Community Asset Transfer in order to preserve and develop the house.{{cite web|title=Visit to Fairfield House |url=http://www.citypulse.io/event/2210938/community-culture/bath/visit-to-fairfield-house/15-nov-14 |publisher=City Pulse |access-date=4 March 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402142029/http://www.citypulse.io/event/2210938/community-culture/bath/visit-to-fairfield-house/15-nov-14 |archive-date=2 April 2015 }}{{cite web|title=Community Assets Transfer Programme|url=http://democracy.bathnes.gov.uk/documents/s24273/|publisher=Bath and North East Somerset|accessdate=4 March 2015}}

In 2019 a Community Interest Company was established to support the running of the house as a community asset.{{Cite web|url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/11901221|title=Fairfield House Bath CIC|last=|first=|date=|website=Companies House|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=20 November 2019}}