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Grove Lane Swimming Baths, Handsworth

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This brings back memories and the cold concrete floors you use to shiver like crazy when you came out thats was in the late 70's
 
We made sure that we learnt to swim a length so we could go for free!
The cool water made us hardly!
Happy days.
I was curious about the turkish baths , but never did try them.
Lovely photo, Topsy
Lu
 
When I went to Birchfield road school I can remember that swimming lessons were compulsory in the 1950s . We were marched up to the bus stop by the Crown & Cushion and the teacher would pay the fair to Grove Lane Baths with tokens witch looked like plastic buttons. and occasionally we used to go to Kingstanding Baths.
 
excellent photo even thou I am no where near that old, the picture looks in mint condition great
 
The picture show the first class bath. This had separate changing rooms. The second class bath next door had no such refinements - you changed behind a communal curtain. For this reason, male and female swimmers used the second class bath on alternate nights. The good old days! willey
 
#6 Smashing picture Carolina. I Personally was terrified of water from a bad experience at Victoria Rd Baths as a child.
 
That's a smashing picture. I was also terrified of water Topsy, I could sort of swim about ten yards, but then I was so exhausted. I used to go occasionally to Grove Lane, but undressing behind those doors used to terrify me more than the water - I had the feeling that as the door did not completely cover the cubicle, everyone could SEE! I never did any better whatever swimming pool I went to until I was 59 - then I had lessons and found out I was doing everything right except the breathing!
 
I wonder if anyone has a photograph of Grove Lane Swimming baths? I don't expect it is there anymore. The changing cubicles were up overlooking the pool. My friends and I used to go regularly in the school holidays. I remember the woman in the ticket booth asking whether we didn't have homes to go to!! There used to be a large tree (well large to me, whose roots I used to stand on whilst waiting for the bus home. I have a feeling it was on the corner of Selborne Road, but I might be getting mixed up here - it was a LONG time ago! About 1960. I wonder if the tree is still there?

I went swimming recently, and is it just me, or do they have the water temperature several times warmer nowadays? I remember Grove Lane's water seemed freezing to me.

Mary
 
Hi Jennyann, Much appreciated, thanks. The photo is just how I remembered it. The girls changed upstairs and boys down.

Mary
 
We used to go to Grove Lane Baths once a week for swimming lessons with school in the early 1950's. But also used to go on a Sunday morning with my sister as well. I can remember standing on the balcony talking to the boys on the diving board, and then into the cafe afterwards for a hot Bovril!
 
Grove Lane Baths opened on the 28th of January 1908 and offered first and second class swimming baths, suites of first and second class private baths for men and women and Turkish bathes designed in the appropriate eastern style.

The first class swimming bath which had a spectator gallery was fitted with a floor and in the winter months used for social purposes.

Phil
 

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Lovely pictures, thanks. I remember the cafe, I used to lust after Horlicks but it was too expensive. My tipple was Oxo. I burnt my tongue and it seemed to sting for months!

Mary
 
Grove Lane Baths Inside.jpgA picture of inside - how I remember those changing rooms. We had bovril plus a packet of cheesettes to dip in.
 
What a lovely picture of the old swimming baths. I only lived in Antrobus Road so the baths were easy to get to.Spent many happy hours with friends swimming and also having the weekly bath as we had no bath in those days. Also the hot drink of cow and gate at the end of our swimming session was something to look forward to.
 
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