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Moseley Road Baths

Virusman26

Virusman26

master brummie
Hi all,

Anyone of the area will know the history, but for those not sure, here goes.......

Moseley Road Baths opened on October 30th 1907 at a cost of £32,924. It is the oldest of only three Grade II* Listed swimming baths currently operating in Britain (those at the privately-owned RAC Club in London and The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace being the other two). Moseley Road is a window on a lifestyle that was common to millions of Britons at the turn of the 19th century.

In 2007 it featured on the Victorian Society's list of the ten most endangered buildings in Britain. In 2008, only the smaller pool is operational, the Gala Pool and 'slipper' baths having closed for safety reasons in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
Its future is now very much in doubt with calls to transfer ownership from local authority control and convert the building, or at least large parts of it, to uses unconnected with swimming or fitness. The option of a replacement baths in the Balsall Heath district seems unrealistic, for reasons of both finance and a shortage of available land. Yet Moseley Road Baths is a large building, with much unused and vacant space that has the potential to be converted to uses complimentary to the primary purpose of swimming.

Thanks to editorialgirl from flickr for aranging the visit. This was official and all above board for a change!! LOL. I tried the same thing 18 months ago with no success, so I was glad to finally get in there! Can't get over the fact it's only been shut for 4 or 5 years!!!!!



thanks for looking, hope this brings back some memories for some of you!

Neil
 

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Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

Thanks for the photos what a waste of a beautiful Building
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

What fantastic photo's Virusman, you have done this building proud! I can almost smell the chlorine when looking at the pictures of this magnificent building. I know it is to be saved but for what I wonder.
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

We should do everthing we can to preserve this in its entirety,it should not be allowed to go the same way as Victoria Rd,Woodcock St,Saltley etc,ect.
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

Thanks for posting these photos. What beautiful building. Hopefully,it will be able to be used again.
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

Thank you so much for these great and interesting photos. I only went there once and that was to watch my Brother, sister and Dad go swimming. I was younger and not allowed to go at that time as my parents said it was too deep for me. Funny really because apart from my Dad I ended up being the only real swimmer in the family.

Chris/Pom :angel:
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

hi virusman
like the rest of us whom appreciated you down loaded the pics i would also say a big thank you for giving me a moment
of reflection of my memories of this building its a crying shame that its future is deemed i can truly imagine the full cost of any restoration towards this building [ the baths ] and why the the city
will pass it to the private sector as they have been doing for years
its entirely understanding give the knowledge of knowing the past history of the decline of what a brilliant envoiroment of this area
did hold in the latter years gone bye that was ,
i recall the area as a young lad as fully tree lined area
through out the area balsall heath . and in the sixty,s the decline started and it went very rapid .then they renamed the area as mosely .and marching through the sixties into the seventies the rot had settled and then the council decided to to reclassifyed it as edgbaston to get rid of the old stigma of the name balsall heath
and the jazzie name of moseley and then they had to redevelope the areby getting rid of the red light section of the old varna rd .princess rd and the surroundings streets
then getting back to the baths on mosely rd owing to the decline of
its clientele of the familys moving on the patronage use fell dramatic
i recall my last visit to those baths at moseley rd was in the year
of 1955 . and i must admit it was a in need of a make over them
the swimming baths pool had loads of tiles missing off the bottom
of the pool and the walk ways was bad as well
as you climbed out you would clutch at loose broken tiles to climb out i did not go again
i either went to old wood cock st or the momument rd
to think of the condition as i have seen on your pics its a crying shame i can take thre guesses as to what they will do with it
have a nice day everybody , best wishes astonian ;;;
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

i learnt to swim there i would go there every day after school Clifton rd and i would be in the school garla that was held there every year, nice to see the photos of the old place thanks for putting them on.
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

Thank you so much for sharing these photos with us, Virusman. They brought back such good memories of swimming lessons there, but how sad such a stunning building has fallen into such disrepair.
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

Thankyou for the photos,what memories it brought back.
Both my Husband,Daughter,Brother in Law & myself learned to swim there,in the 60's.Our Teacher was a lovely lady whose name was Mrs Yates.
Jemina
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

I really can't get over the fact that this main pool was used up until only 5 years ago!!! The second class pool in the main building is still well used, and looks to have been kept in good condition. I really hope they return it to it's former glory, but why would they do that?! One pool is enough in the eyes of certain folks, and like many of you already think, it will be sold off for the private sector gits, who will probaly tranform it into office space that they then can't sell!!!

Cheers for the feedback on the photo's, I'm really glad they can stir up some good memories for some of you!!
Neil

P.S if you are interested, here is the full set, way to many to post on here!!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8776781@N02/sets/72157621868017687/
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

well done you neil...brillient job...i can only hope that this building will again be used for what it was intended for....another one to keep our eyes on...

cheers..

lyn
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

Virusman thank you for those lovely photo's. Brings back memories as I used to run a life saving class there many years ago before working with the schools programme. My twins were in a tv series filmed there namely My twin and I and if I can find the video out I will try and post some of it. Loved working there but is was the journey from the other side of the city that I didn't like. I agree far too many of these lovely buildings have gone forever. Jean.
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

Yes, Mrs Yates did a superb job of teaching swimming, Jemina. I had quite forgotten her name until you mentioned it.
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

Jemima and Bordsleyexile was she a tiny lady. I knew her as Rose and she taught mainly the schools when they came for their weekly lesson?. A Mr.Brian Gill was the manager in the seventies. Jean.
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

What I remember of Mrs Yates she was a tall slim Lady,and probably in her 50s/60s.

We used to have our lessons of an evening.

Happy Days

Jemina
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

Oh it wouldn't have been rose jemima as she was four feet eleven and only taught the schools but she too was lovely. Jean.
 
 
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

I think these might have been the baths that I used to go to in the 1950's on a monday night for the Seven Street swimming club,it was somewhere in that direction off the Bristol Road. Don't know why the club was called Seven Street. I wondered if anyone else would remember going to the club.
Sorry, I may have the wrong swimming baths, it may have been at the Kent Street baths that the club met.
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

Pam I used to train there on Wednesdays with a Bert Owen. Dorothy Holland's family used to run the club and if you would like to pm me with your e.mail I will forward her e.mail to you as she still has all the information and a few people on the forum were in the club too. Jean.
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

I used to go swimming with my old primary school around 1992 - 1994. We had to share two people to each cubicle (to change into our swimming wear).
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

Jean, Many thanks for your reply, I don't think I need to contact Dorothy Holland, I didn't go to the club for very long I stopped when I started work in 1957. It seems such a shame to let all the old buildings fall into ruins. Regards Pam
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

My photos were from two years ago. I haven't been that way recently, so can't remember if scaffolding is still holding it up.

I remember swimming in the "1st class Men's Bath" in the early to mid '90s (see my earlier post #23).

I've added the photo to the link you gave above.

 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

Went to school at Moseley School of art, for three years in the late 40s, There was a church next door that was bombed during the war.was rebult. Used the baths many many times, I understand that a muslim group owns the school building and another group is trying to have it renovated. John Crump OldBrit in Parker,Co USA
 
Re: Moseley Road Baths, August 2009

Brings back memories when I took life saving classes there. My twins were in the documenty My twin and I there and ended up rescuing someone during the shoot. That was cut of course. What a lovely large photo Ellbrown. Jean.
 
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