Victoria Baths facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Victoria Baths |
|
|---|---|
Victoria Baths, Manchester
|
|
| General information | |
| Town or city | Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 53°27′36″N 2°12′58″W / 53.46°N 2.216°W |
| Completed | 1906 |
| Cost | £59,144 |
| Client | Manchester Corporation |
| Designations | |
|
Listed Building – Grade II*
|
|
| Official name: Victoria Baths with attached forecourt walls | |
| Designated: | 18 January 1983 |
| Reference #: | 1200808 |
Victoria Baths is a very special old building in Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, England. It's so important that it's called a Grade II* listed building. This means it's a historic place that needs to be protected.
The baths first opened to the public in 1906. It cost a lot of money back then – about £59,144 – to build such a grand place! Manchester City Council closed the baths in 1993, and the building was left empty for many years. However, a huge project to fix it up began in 2007. As of 2024, Victoria Baths is still on a list of important buildings that need care, called the Heritage at Risk Register.
Contents
A Look Back: History of Victoria Baths
Victoria Baths was designed by the city's main surveyor, T. de Courcy Meade, and his helper, Arthur Davies. The building work was watched over by Henry Price, who was the new city architect.
The baths officially opened in September 1906. The Lord Mayor of Manchester was there and called the building a "water palace." For 86 years, Victoria Baths was a busy place. It offered both important services and fun activities for people.
- What was inside?
- Private baths where people could wash
- A laundry area for washing clothes
- Three different swimming pools
- A special Turkish bath, which is like a hot steam room
- Later, a sauna was added too!
In the winter, the main swimming pool was covered with a floor. This turned it into a big hall where people could hold dances! In 1952, Victoria Baths was the first public place in the country to get an Aeratone, which is like a jacuzzi.
Amazing Design and Features
A lot of money was spent on designing and building Victoria Baths. At that time, Manchester was a very rich city. The outside of the building has colourful bricks and fancy terracotta decorations.
Inside, the main public areas are covered from floor to ceiling with shiny glazed tiles. Many of the windows have beautiful stained glass designs, adding to the palace-like feel.
Saving Victoria Baths: The Restoration Project
.jpg)
When Manchester City Council closed the baths in 1993, a group called the Friends of Victoria Baths was formed. They wanted to find a way to keep the baths open and run them themselves.
Even though they tried many times to raise money, it was hard to get enough to fix up the baths completely. However, work to stop the building from getting worse did start in 1998.
Winning the TV Show
In September 2003, something amazing happened! Victoria Baths won the first series of a BBC TV show called Restoration. People across the UK voted by phone for their favourite building that needed saving. Victoria Baths was chosen from a list of 10 important buildings that were falling apart.
Winning the show meant the baths received £3.4 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. They also got money from the phone votes. A month later, Prince Charles even visited the baths to celebrate the big win!
Challenges and Progress
The plan was to use the money to reopen the Turkish baths by 2006. Other parts of the building would be fixed later, costing around £15–20 million. However, there was a setback a year later. Experts estimated that fixing the Turkish baths would cost much more – about £6.3 million! The Heritage Lottery Fund asked for more details about the whole project before giving out the money for the first part. Final permission to start the restoration wasn't given until September 2005.
In September 2006, to celebrate the building's 100th birthday, the main gala pool was filled with water for the first time in 13 years!
The first stage of the restoration work began on March 19, 2007. This involved fixing the building's structure and making important repairs. This part was finished in September 2008.
Since then, Victoria Baths has been used for different events. In 2011, it was a place for filming movies, holding concerts, and showing art exhibitions. On April 16, 2017, the baths were even reopened for a special dance party!
