History
In the early part of the 1890s, the land on which the Recreation Ground now lies on, and the North Parade land were part of the Bathwick Estate, which was owned by the Forester family. In 1894, a lease was granted by Captain GW Forester to the Directors of The Bath and County Recreation Ground Company Limited. This lease allowed work to be carried out on the land which would make it suitable for cricket matches, lawn tennis and archery tournaments, football matches and all other outdoor sports. As part of this work, a cricket pavilion was started on the north side of the ground. The first Bath rugby matches were also played on the ground in 1884. Three years later, the ground hosted its maiden first-class cricket match, with Somerset County Cricket Club hosting the Gentlemen of Philadelphia as part of the Bath Cricket Festival. The company's lease was extended for a further 21 years in 1908, at a rent of £100 per year. Fourteen years later, the land was conveyed to The Bath and County Recreation Ground Company Limited for £6,050. The company then conveyed the North Parade Land, including a building which was used as an ice skating rink, to Bath Artcraft Limited for £2,500.
A new lease was granted to Bath F.C. in 1927, allowing them the use of the land on the west side of ground, along with a Grand Stand, a New (North) Stand and a Pavilion, for a term of 25 years. Six years later, the lease was surrendered, and a new lease granted for 50 years. During the same year, the Grand Stand was replaced with a new West Stand. This West Stand was significantly damaged during the Second World War. Rebuilding of the stand, at a cost in excess of £12,000 was met by the War Damage Commission in 1953–54. The 'Club Room' building was erected in 1954, to the west of the North Stand, and during the same year a lease was granted to allow a tennis club to use the north east corner of the ground. In 1956, the ground was conveyed to the Mayor Aldermen and the Citizens of the City of Bath (the Corporation) for £11,155.
Bath F.C. surrendered their 1933 lease, and were granted a new 75 lease in 1973. In 1974, both the Recreation Ground and the North Parade Land were transferred to Bath City Council, who erected a Sports and Leisure Centre on the south side of the ground the following year. In 1995, Bath F.C. were granted a further 75 year lease. Doubts over the legal effect of the 1956 Conveyance were settled in 2002, when the High Court declared the land to become a charitable trust, with the council as the sole trustee. Following this decision, the Charity Commission raised issues over the use of the land, questioning the legality of the leisure centre, which does not comply with the use of the land for "open air recreation", and the dominant use of the ground by Bath Rugby to the detriment of wider uses.
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