History Timeline

When it opened in 1906, Victoria Baths on Hathersage Road, Manchester, was described as "the most splendid municipal bathing institution in the country" and "a water palace of which every citizen of Manchester can be proud." Not only did the building provide spacious and extensive facilities for swimming, bathing and leisure, it was built of the highest quality materials with many period decorative features:- stained glass, terracotta, tiles and mosaic floors.

Victoria Baths served the people of central Manchester for 87 years and established themselves in the affections of all those who used the facilities.

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1897

Planning the build

The plan to provide Baths to serve the three wards of Longsight, St Luke's and Rusholme was first considered in 1897 by the Baths and Wash-houses Committee of Manchester Corporation and in 1899 the site was purchased.

Front Elevation Plan
1902

Under construction

In 1902 Mr Henry Price was appointed as the first City Architect of Manchester and became responsible for the Victoria Baths building project. Building commenced in 1903 and a commemorative terracotta coat of arms was installed in the Males 1st Class / Gala pool.

Under construction, c.1903
1906

Completion

By the time the Baths had been completed, the cost had risen to over £59,000, more than double the usual price of building a public baths. But the council were clear in their justification for the expenditure - they had indeed created a "water palace".

Males 1st Class entrance
1906

State of the art plant

The Galloway boilers were installed in 1906 along with the sand filters for filtering the well water. These boilers produced the hot water and heating for the building and were fired by stokers who shovelled the coal by hand into the furnaces.

Galloway boilers
1906

Turkish Baths Suite

The Turkish Baths suite at Victoria Baths was one of several built by Manchester Corporation. It contained three hot-rooms, a shampooing room, a douche (shower), Russian bath (steam room) and a Rest room. Lots of info on Victorian Turkish Baths from www.victorianturkishbath.org
1908

Water Polo and Swimming

Manchester boasted many leading swimmers in the early 1900's including Rob Derbyshire who lived at Victoria Baths as his father was the superintendent. Rob was a very successful swimmer and water polo player, competing in four Olympic Games.

Victoria Swimming Club Water Polo Team
1922

Mixed Bathing

Mixed bathing was introduced in Manchester with great caution in 1914, and by the 1920s sessions at Victoria Baths were held every Sunday morning enabling families to swim together for the first time.

Mixed bathing c.1922
1930

Progress in Water Treatment

The treatment of pool water progressed over the years and aerators were introduced to freshen up the water so that it could be re-used. By 1930 Victoria Baths had a chlorination plant which controlled the bacteria in the water.

Aerators freshened the water
1933

Sunny Lowry swims the Channel

The Channel swimmer Sunny Lowry (b.1911 - d.2008) began her swimming career at Victoria Baths. She succeeded in swimming the channel on her third attempt in August 1933, becoming the fifth British woman to swim the channel.

Swimming the Channel
1934

John Besford wins the Eagle Trophy

The Olympic swimmer John Besford trained at Victoria Baths. Besford infuriated Hitler by winning the 1934 European 100 backstroke title. Hitler had commissioned a magnificent 1cwt bronze eagle trophy on the assumption that German favourite, Ernst Kuppers, would win.

John Besford with the Eagle trophy
1938

Zilpha Grant travels to Australia

Zilpha Grant first swam at Victoria Baths with her school, St Paul's, Withington. She was taught by Mrs Eleanor Redfearn and encouraged to join South Manchester Swimming Club. Zilpha went on to win a silver medal in the freestyle relay at the 1938 Empire Games, Australia.

Zilpha Grant with some of her trophies
1946

Dance

The Gala Pool was floored over during the winter months and used as a venue for dances, particularly in the post war years. In the 1950s music was provided by the likes of Percy Pease, Phil Moss and other local bands.

Phil Moss Orchestra at Victoria Baths.
1947

Courtship

Like so many other romances that began at Victoria Baths, Beatrice Hooley and Bill Ramsden met on a blind date at one of the popular dances. The courtship blossomed, they married and went on to have a beautiful baby boy, Russell.

Beatrice Hooley and Bill Ramsden, c.1947
1950

Bowling at the Baths

In the 1950s, bowls became a popular activity, making use of the Males 1st Class / Gala pool when it was covered over in the winter months.

Bowls match c.1950
1952

The Botham family

Mr Frank Botham was the Superintendent at Victoria Baths between 1945 - 1960. Roy, his eldest son, and Jean, his youngest daughter, were the first brother and sister to swim in the same Olympic Games in Helsinki, 1952.

Roy teaching Jean the front crawl
1986

Sports hall conversion

The Council renovated the Males 2nd Class pool and converted it into a sports hall. The pool was covered over and then used for five-aside-football, badminton, netball and basketball.

Boarding over the pool, 1986
1991

Swimming World Champion

James Hickman has had a long and successful swimming career spanning three Olympics, three Commonwealth Games and many World Championships. The Bax Shield that he won in 1991 is held in the Victoria Baths Archive. James is a patron of the Friends of Victoria Baths.

James Hickman, c.2004
1993

Campaign against closure

Local residents tried to prevent the closure of Victoria Baths but the council couldn't justify the expense of keeping it open. So the building closed on 13th March 1993. The Friends and the Trust were formally constituted later that year.

Marching against closure