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Victoria Road Swimming Baths

JKC

JKC

Deleted Upon Request
I cannot find a sub section for the baths so I will post it here and Rod then can then move it.....I am not a swimmer, these days I cannot even float....straight to the bottom, but I came across these two photo's on ebay before xmas....I did put a bid in but the price shot over £10 for each, way out of my league.....but I did ask the person who brought them if I could have a copy of them both, so that I could send them to Rod for the main site, I cannot remember if I did or not.....anyway here there are, and I would like to thank Ian Gordon for allowing me to show them.
 
John, found this postcard to go with ya pics,baths on the right O0
 
Great photo many a happy Sunday morning spent here just after the War with my Dad & Uncle Jim who learnt me to swim :)
 
Many happy day for me to Alf, with the upper thomas st smimming teams & that free pass we got for swimming, I think it was two streches of that big pool. I used to like the little pool at the back used by most schools in the area.
spent many a saturday night watching the water polo from the balcony (That was before we had  a TV).
all our family learnt to swim in Victoria Road & that included my Nan, Grandad & Mom & Dad.
 
Neat Drawing of Victoria Road Baths which opened on 5th Oct 1892. A wooden floor could be layed over the baths in the Winter months so it could be used for gymnastic training.
 
The First Class Bath had a gallery which could accommodate a few hundred spectators
 
John the pictures are on the Aston mainsite, unfortunately they cant be viewed right now, the site is undergoing a lot of work. I'll see what I can do to make em viewable. AND praps upload the other picciess too
 
I well remember going there from school every week- that was Aston grammar, which had a gate almost opposite the back entrance to the Baths in Albert Road. I hated swimming after an experience in Kingstanding Baths when I was six, and was a bit sickly too, so I usually had to join the 'wallflowers' as the teacher called us, sitting on the balcony over the changing cubicles, where we had to read improving books. That was from about 1946 I think. I started at the school in 1944, and I don't think they let us schoolkids in at that time.
Peter
 
ALF DO YOU REMEMBER THE SMALL POOL THAT WAS BEHIND THE DOOR AT THE BACK OF THE DIVING BOARDS.THAT THE POOL WE DID OUR TRAINING IN UNDER MR MILNER OUR SPORTS TEACHER FROM UPPER THOMAS ST.
 
Do you know I cant for the life of me remember diving boards at Victoria Road, praps they had been removed? I do however remember the seemingly huge one at Woodcock Street. Might they have been praps able to be taken down and stored? It's funny how memories of some things fade, while other things seem as fresh as yesterday

Ive now made the older updates and added the above to the Aston Mainsite. Does anyone have Woodcock street Baths pictures?
 
Rod, I bet your younger than me they did take the boards down in the later years.
that board at Woodcock St, WAS LIKE JUMPING OF LEWISE'S. I only did it once had soar feet for weeks! :idiot2:
G.E.C Witton used to hold there annual Swimming Gala at Woodcock St Baths.Have still got the pewter tankard I won back in the 50s :angel:
 
Victoria road swimming baths.

:D Look what I've foung among all my old photo's. I used to swim for them coached by Kenny Williams. I used to train at coached by Bill Eggison. Kent street on a Wednesday and Woodcock street Saturday mornings. Bye for now. Jean. :D
 
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My old coach in his younger days.

:D Bill Eggison when he was in the Upper Thomas street swimming team. :D
 
Jean you have some real treasures. My Dad used to swim there so did his brothers and sisters. I have seen a photo of my aunt posed in a simmilar setting I must ask my cousin if I can have a copy. Keep up the good work Jean!
 
Aston swimmin club.

:D
JKC said:
Here is the 2nd photo.
Click to expand...
Hi. I went into a pub at Water Orton the other day called the dog. They have a great photo on the wall of an Aston mens team. I used to swim there from 1956/60 and won the ladies cup three years on the trot. Kenny Williams and Jack middleton coached me and I had the privilage of early morning teaining free in the smaller pool. Bye for now. Jean. :D
 
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I was a member of the swimming club at Victoria Road Baths in the mid-1950's. The star, if I remember aright, was Graham Williams, who I think may well have been on an Olympic Team. I also remember Roger Perks, who was a terrific swimmer. The small pool behind the deep-end of the main baths was supposedly for "warming-up", but it seemed to me always a few degrees colder than the main bath.

I also remember getting on to a junior team for an event held at Woodcock Street Baths, which to me seemed about five times the size of Victoria Road, and rather scary....

Does anyone know when Victoria Road baths closed down?

Big Gee
 
Swimming club.

Code:
:wave: Hi big gee. It was Kenny Williams who swam in the olympics. He was older than me and when he retired he took me under his belt. In later years we got back together to form a two men and two women relay team. [masters] There was myself Margaret Kingscott John Badham and Kenny Williams. We went on to win in the final at Warley baths. Do you remember Jack Middleton. He also swam in the olympics years before. Backstroke [crawl] was his stroke. I used to walk home with my hair soaking wet. Didn't have money for a car in those days. My dads friend Mr Jordon from Yewtrea road was secretary at the time. Do you remember Kathy Beachamp?. She was still recreational swimming when I was coaching at Wyndley up until eight years ago. Bye for now. Jean. :sleepy:
 
Hi Jean.

What year are you referring to, please? I don't remember the other names you mention, so I wonder if we're talking about the same time-frame.

I could swear that the Olympic swimmer I recall was called Graham - same name as me!

I had to give up swimming because my eyes had a bad reaction to the chlorinated water of public baths.

Big Gee
 
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Victoria Road Baths in the War

Hi Does anyone remember the Baths being turned into a first aid post during the war. My Dad - Alex Hitchman, is keen to find out any information he can. He remembers it was un by a lady called Mrs Childs and it was known as first aid post no 6. He would love to know if anyone has any memories of this.
 
Hi jean,
When I seen you had put your membership card up I thought ah I was wondering whether or not you may have witnessed my older ext sister
Whom went there regular against our parents approval ad she used to have fitts and was always drowning in the water and they had to jump in and save her
But according to your card you was way after her time she was there in the fifths we always had victoria cop shop to fetch my parents to the baths or the hospital
But then she stopped going to the baths eventualy then it was the turn of the trams getting off having first
But also looking at the card emblem the squirrelll on top looked like an An sells menus card Squirrel I have got alotlfold An sells blanked menus cards
I also have volumes of old pub ledgers where it was kept in the records daily testing before selling by licences going back to 1800/1900s
When beers was a penny apint and they used to draw it off from kegs the old tradional ales but yes I thought the squirrel on the front of your card reminded me of them best Wishes And give my regards to pete Alan,,,,,Astonian,,,,,
 
Hi Alan yes the swimming club was sponsored by Ansells Brewery. Their medals had the Squirrel logo on too. Sorry it didn't up load.
 
Hi jean,hope you and Pete are well and that you let the good new year in well
Thanks for telling me that bit of info, Because I never knew that bit at all because I never went swimming there only because
I could not swim, until later in my life I have no fear of water
My oldest sister was the swimmer whom always had the city in the baths and must have been saved by the life guards most weeks
But we had to go the Victoria road bathing baths they was huge and very deep with the biggest bras taps you ever seen
I used to go to wood cock street for swimming with the Ickneild street school every week
Have a good day jean, best wishes Alan,,,,,,
 
Big Gee said:
I was a member of the swimming club at Victoria Road Baths in the mid-1950's. The star, if I remember aright, was Graham Williams, who I think may well have been on an Olympic Team. I also remember Roger Perks, who was a terrific swimmer. The small pool behind the deep-end of the main baths was supposedly for "warming-up", but it seemed to me always a few degrees colder than the main bath.

I also remember getting on to a junior team for an event held at Woodcock Street Baths, which to me seemed about five times the size of Victoria Road, and rather scary....

Does anyone know when Victoria Road baths closed down?

Big Gee
Click to expand...
Big Gee said:
I was a member of the swimming club at Victoria Road Baths in the mid-1950's. The star, if I remember aright, was Graham Williams, who I think may well have been on an Olympic Team. I also remember Roger Perks, who was a terrific swimmer. The small pool behind the deep-end of the main baths was supposedly for "warming-up", but it seemed to me always a few degrees colder than the main bath.

I also remember getting on to a junior team for an event held at Woodcock Street Baths, which to me seemed about five times the size of Victoria Road, and rather scary....

Does anyone know when Victoria Road baths closed down?

Big Gee
Click to expand...
Hi Big Gee,
Roger Perks here. I’d love to find out who you are particularly after your mention of me in your post. I live in Australia and have done so since 1970.
I hope this post gets to you.
Rog
 
Hi Big Gee I too was a member at that time and it was Kenny Williams who was the star and he coached me along with an older man who too was in an earlier Olympic games. Will think of his name and post it later. Mind gone blank at the moment. We all got together in our fifties and formed a team and won a gold Masters medal just beating a team from the Midlands. It was a two men two women team. We did our teachers/coaches course together too. Ken is related to our Dave Baths wife. We used to train in the small pool and yes it did appear to be cooler than the big one.
 
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