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Glory years are coming back to historic baths

Laura Thistlethwaite
10/ 4/2008

THERE is a certain romanticism to Victoria Baths – perhaps it is the stunning building itself, or a hundred years of memories which echo around its tiled walls.

During last weekend’s open day, social history, art and architecture were combined to pay true respect to the heritage of the Hathersage Road pools.

Stepping inside the doors of the grand structure to see 600 people enjoying art, music, dancing and tours of the splendid building, there was a beaming sense of civic pride as those who remembered the baths in their heyday joined visitors, tourists and guests for a huge celebration of regeneration work.

Since Victoria Baths won the BBC’s Restoration Programme in 2003, a dedicated team of experts have spent close to £4million refurbishing parts of the building.

The monthly open days have been steadily growing in popularity, with the latest drawing more than 600 visitors.

Included in the bargain £1 entry fee, visitors are given a guided tour, provided by one of the Friends of Victoria Baths.

Our guide told us how the baths was not only a swimming pool, but social place offering a rare opportunity for impoverished Mancunians to actually have a bath and do their own laundry.

It revealed just how much history and affection there still is for the old building, which was once the hub of the Longsight community.

There were three pools at Victoria Baths, a first class male pool, second class male and a female pool. When they were first opened in 1906, they were heated by tonnes of coal stoking huge boilers. Fresh water would be pumped in to the first pool, where it would sit unchanged for around three days. Bathers could pay a higher charge on a ‘clean day’, or they could wait until the third ‘dirty day’ and pay a reduced rate.

Unfortunately for the women, they never got to swim in clean water, having to make do with the twice-used men’s water. According to the Friends of Victoria Baths, it made a loss and never made money. But they say it was never intended to, being a necessity for the good of public health and improvement instead of an enterprise.

Over the years Victoria Baths has seen a number of famous swimmers train in its waters, attracting legends such as Sunny Lowry, one of the first women to swim the Channel in 1933.

Amongst the displays around the central pool (which was turned into a sports hall in the 1980s), are other notable celebrities who have championed the baths, including Chorlton’s Barry Gibb who is pictured on his Now Voyager album cover in front of one of the pools.

In recent years, the Turkish baths provided the perfect setting for an eerie 1970s pathologist’s lab, during the filming of BBC’s Life on Mars and featured in Prime Suspect.

Victoria Baths now often features artistic exhibitions to boost attendance. Sunday’s event featured installations by university students, which were dotted around the building and innovatively placed inside the cubicles of changing rooms.

Homage was also paid to the baths’ dance hall days - with a swing band and dancers dressed in 1950s clothing -– when, to boost winter funds, the pool was covered over to play host to bands and music.

I missed out on the traditional Manchester meal, comprising of ’Tater Pie and mushy peas, which swiftly sold out to hungry guests.

But, in spite of the upbeat vibe about the place, it was sad to see just how much things have deteriorated in the years it was left empty since its closure in 1993.

Finally progress is slowly being made and, after five years, it is expected the first phase of work will be finished in May or June. It includes the restoration of the front of the building, including its magnificent stained glass window, Turkish baths and entrance hall, which are all currently off-limits to the public and are hidden by scaffolding and panels.

However, I detected a tinge of sadness in our guide’s voice as a member of the public asked what would happen to the rest of the building once the current stage of restoration was over and she responded it was a possibility parts could be made into a hotel or apartments,

Uncertainty still surrounds the project, which now lies in the hands of Artisan Ship Canal Developments, a company comprised of the baths’ owners Manchester City Council, Peel Holdings and Artisan.

They say they are committed to keeping at least one pool and the Turkish baths open for public use, due to the Heritage Lottery money which has been spent on restoration. But, at present, there are no definite plans for the rest of the building.

One thing was made certain during my visit - people still care so much about the baths. It wasn’t just an opportunity to have a look around; it brought back a sense of community too.

Members of the Friends’ group nattered as they sold tea and cake, children ran around playing, budding photographers revelled in each other’s shots of the unique structure, and a broad mix of young and old enthused as they shared memories about school swimming lessons and galas they attended there as children.

But even for those, like myself, who never had the chance to visit the baths before its closure, it was clear to see the passion conveyed by the volunteers who devote so much time to fundraising and sharing its story.

The next open day, featuring a table-top sale and children’s trail, will take place on Sunday, May 4, from 12 noon until 4pm. For more information, visit www.victoriabaths.org.uk or telephone 0161 224 2020.