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The birthplace of Bath Oliver biscuits is revitalised by interior designer Patrick Williams into a striking home and 21st-century emporium

- HANNAH NEWTON

It could be viewed as something of a miracle or, perhaps, just blind good luck that a city council supports an independent business over a global chain in 21st-century Britain. Yet, six years ago, Patrick and Neri Williams were handed the keys-above a multitude of rapacious developers - to breathe new life into a building in Bath that has functioned as a shop since 1739, and was also the birthplace of Bath Oliver biscuits.

As a member of SPAB (the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings), The Georgian Group and The Victorian Society, Patrick takes history seriously. In his work as an interior designer, specialising in period buildings, this obsession ensures his personal maxim, 'the building is the client', can flourish, keeping his vision firmly rooted in the past. 'Forty percent of my childhood was spent mixing lime render and laying floors,' he explains. During the summer holidays, his parents employed their young family in the restoration of their 18th-century French farmhouse, named Berdoulat. Today, the home Patrick shares with his Turkish/Bulgarian wife, Neri, two young daughters, Wren and Bonnie, and their Bedlington whippets, Elizabeth and Moon, echoes this legacy.