Following his family’s naval tradition Sir William Holburne (1793 – 1874) was just eleven years of age when, as a midshipman, he took part in the Battle of Trafalgar.  After the untimely death of his elder brother, William inherited the family’s Scottish estates and fortune and, together with his three unmarried sisters, settled in the genteel spa resort of Bath.

It is thought as an antidote to the horrors of his early life at sea, William dedicated his adult life to collecting objects of beauty, amassing priceless and somewhat eclectic collections of porcelain, glass, furniture, bronzes and paintings – including some by Turner, Gainsborough and Stubbs – all of which were eventually gifted to the city.

In 1916 the stunningly ornate Grade 1 listed eighteenth century Sydney House Hotel was purchased to accommodate William’s collection and was to become The Holburne Museum. Although the interior was substantially altered by architect Sir Reginald Bloomfield when it became the Museum the original high, wide façade was retained. In 2007 the Museum was closed for three years during which time the exhibits were cleaned and restored to their original glory and the building was expanded, refurbished and renovated. The £11.2m building works also included architect Eric Parry’s much discussed and admired three-storey glass and ceramic extension designed to provide a number of intimate state-of-the-art galleries and visitor café. 

The main original part of the building now houses two magnificent galleries of majestic proportion; including what was once the ballroom of the Sydney House Hotel and now known as  “The Ballroom Gallery”

The Museum’s Curator Amina Wright is on record as saying: “The central displays in our Ballroom Gallery are deliberately extravagant” and include silverware, porcelain and china collections housed in glass cases; bronze statuettes sited on each of the window ledges  and oil paintings hanging alongside the room’s monumental windows and floor-to-ceiling balcony doors. With windows to three sides, The Ballroom Gallery is light and airy, capturing the sun throughout the day, presenting perfect viewing conditions but is potentially detrimental to the sustainability of the room’s exhibits. To help alleviate this hazard and to provide much needed added security, main contractor Sir Robert McAlpine consulted  with the UK’s leading secondary glazing specialist, Selectaglaze. With a wealth of experience within Listed and historic buildingsRoyal Warrant Holder Selectaglaze was uniquely placed to understand the very special nature of The Holburne’s requirements.

In order to protect the exhibits from the harmful rays of the sun, Selectaglaze proposed a single hinged casement to each window incorporating Anti-UV glazing. And to provide an acceptable level of security the windows incorporated a multi-point locking system accredited to “Secured by Design”.  Other design considerations included a paint finish to match the surrounding décor and maintenance of clean lines through the use of flush hinges and a flush lock. The finished result is secondary glazing which blends imperceptibly with the Ballroom’s monumental sash windows with no additional sight lines to mar the spectacular views of this stunning Georgian city. 

Additional advantages were gained through the high level of sound insulation afforded by a double window system and the inclusion of a low emissivity coating to the glass which markedly reduces heat loss – an important factor for building owners and managers wishing to reduce energy usage and so manage costs and environmental impacts. 

Since the Museum’s re-opening in May of this year the refurbished Ballroom Gallery has proved so popular it is now available to hire for weddings and corporate events. 

Selectaglaze has produced a wide range of literature, including test results, all of which are available free upon request from 01727 837271; email: enquiries@selectaglaze.co.uk or visit the company’s comprehensive website: www.selectaglaze.co.uk