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
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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