Restoration - The Story So Far

Ever since the Baths closed in 1993, we have been working to save this beautiful building. Check back here regularly for all the latest news on our restoration efforts. The story starts at the bottom of the page with the latest information at the top.

LATEST NEWS - July 2010

Restoration Phase 1+ has been completed, the scaffolding has been taken down, and the Gala Pool has been officially handed back to the Trust from the contractors! The new roof looks fantastic, and huge thanks must again go to William Anelay Ltd. for all their fantastic work on the project. We can now include the Gala Pool in our guided tours once again and we have a fully watertight and insulated roof there.

As for the next phase of restoration, planning is ongoing. We have certainly come a long way, but there is still much work to be done! We expect the remaining restoration work to take place in stages over a long period of time as funding becomes available. It is still our overall aim to re-open the Turkish Baths and a swimming pool to the general public. As we work towards this, we are seeking to maximise the other benefits that the building can provide – for heritage interpretation, educational and arts activities and also as a local community venue.

Our immediate priorities are to improve the facilities for all visitors to the building. We are hoping to carry out a full refurbishment of our toilet facilities next winter and we are also investigating the feasibility of providing at least some heating in the building so that we can use it all year round – updates will be posted here as soon as they are available!

To see how you can help our restoration efforts, see How To Help.

Restoration Phase 1+

Restoration Phase 1+ has been taking place since autumn 2009 and is now almost complete. This latest phase of restoration work involves the renovation of the roof of the Gala pool including replacement of all the slates, timber repairs and new glazing. It has cost around £1million and is the next step towards the full restoration of the building. We are planning further work but no timescales just yet!

Restoration Phase 1

Restoration Phase 1 took place between March 2007 and July 2008, and involved vital external restoration and structural work to the front block of Victoria Baths. Contractors William Anelay Ltd. encased the building in scaffolding – including a temporary roof – to carry out these much-needed repairs. The clock tower was removed and sent to Houghton's of York for restoration, whilst Design Lights of Bolton brought our stained-glass windows back to life. Thanks go to all those involved in this stage of the project, and the results – both internal and external - look truly stunning!

Waiting and waiting for restoration to begin..

Despite winning the BBC's Restoration in 2003, it would take several years before the prize money could be spent. Put simply, there was a mountain of preparation and bureaucracy to overcome. There were plans to be drawn up, surveys to be completed, and approval to be sought. With so many interested parties – the Victoria Baths Trust, the Restoration Fund, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Manchester City Council, to name but a few – it seemed as though final agreements might never be reached. A particular sticking point was the involvement of an external developer; the ultimate use for Victoria Baths was still in doubt, and many of the proposals seemed unsatisfactory. However, the Trust stuck to their guns, and set out a plan to reopen the Turkish Baths and at least one of the pools.

After 4 years of planning, work was finally able to get underway on March 19 th 2007 – almost exactly 14 years after the Baths were closed.

The Restoration Win!

In  SEPTEMBER 2003  Victoria Baths captured the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people throughout the UK and won the BBC's landmark series Restoration . Victoria Baths received a massive 282,018 votes. As a result of the win, the Heritage Lottery Fund earmarked £3million and the BBC's Restoration Fund raised nearly £500,000 for the restoration of the Turkish Baths at Victoria Baths. Subsequently, English Heritage also awarded the Baths a grant of £450,000 towards the first phase of restoration.

For a personal account of the Restoration Final visit BBC My Manchester

Urgent Works 2002

In 2002, the Trust proposed that the Baths could be restored as a Healthy Living Centre, but lottery funding was rejected.

However, thanks to funding from English Heritage and the A6 Partnership, a £256000 programme of emergency work was carried out. This involved patching the roofs, providing ventilation to the building, and dealing with dry rot. Such work was vital in saving the building from falling even further into disrepair.

A bit of history

Ever since the building closed in 1993, local people have been campaigning to save Victoria Baths and return it to public use. The Friends of Victoria Baths and the Victoria Baths Trust were both established by local residents with the aim of re-opening at least one of the swimming pools and the Turkish Baths for everyone to use.

Volunteers from the Friends and the Trust have themselves carried out a great deal of work at Victoria Baths – clearing out rubbish from the building, keeping it as clean as possible and making it safe for public access. Over the years, the Friends and the Trust have gradually opened up more and more of this extensive historic site for public access.

FOR MORE DETAILS OF HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED see the Friends page.