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Sparkhill Baths

ellbrown

ellbrown

ell brown on Flickr
Sparkhill Baths is to be demolished to be replaced by a new modern one. The old one dates to the 1930s.

Sparkhill Baths to be demolished and rebuilt

ONE of Birmingham’s last surviving 1930s swimming baths is to be demolished and replaced by a modern pool and fitness centre.

City council leaders decided the cost of repairing Sparkhill Baths would be too great and opted to construct a new building on the same site.

Health and safety officials shut the pool in July 2008 after a ceiling tile containing asbestos fell into the water.

Closer inspection revealed far more of the substance plus widespread corrosion.

An initial estimate to demolish and rebuild was about £13 million, but city leisure bosses are confident of reducing the cost to about £7 million.

A meeting of the city cabinet approved a tendering exercise, inviting private sector firms to bid to build and run the new centre on the Stratford Road site. A council spokesman said: “We have been out to the market place and we are confident significant savings can be made on the original estimate.”

City leisure boss Coun Martin Mullaney said a survey of Sparkhill Baths found “substantial structural deterioration”.

While the building could be refurbished, the cost would be as great as a new centre which would be cheaper to run, he added. The new centre will consist of a 25-metre pool, a separate learner pool, fitness suite, exercise studio and changing rooms.
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A very sad thing to happen to Sparkhill Baths,i spent most of my summer holidays there with my mates from school in the early 60s we all had free passes from our school .Great times happy days ,hope the new one brings as much fun to the public as the old one.
 
I keep seeing it from the bus to and from work.

In the mid 1990s, I went here with school for swimming. Usually we would go to Fox Hollies Leisure Centre (for boys), but on the odd occasion we went to Sparkhill (usually for the girls). Was when I was in Year 7 and 8 (1994 - 1996). Don't remember much about it though.

These days it seems to match with Sparkhill Library and Police Station.

They would all look nice in photos, but I haven't got around to doing Sparkhill (don't fancy taking photos in Sparkhill).

All I get on a search on Flickr is of Salma Yaqoob's photos Flickr search - Sparkhill Baths Birmingham

There is a few photos on here The Stirer - Sparkhill Baths (article from September 2009)

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As the site of Birmingham’s first Corporation swimming baths in Kent Street is bulldozed to create a car park, Steve Beauchampé asks that the city council save the impressive front block of its’ ‘sister’ pool in Sparkhill. ​
The call by the 20th Century Society to save the two-storey front block of the former corporation baths in Kent Street, off Hurst Street in Birmingham city centre, was somewhat belated. By the time that the Mail published their plea on September 18th, most of it had already been demolished (with the pool hall following a few days later). It merited saving too, but with the minimal protection afforded by its Locally Listed Grade ‘B’ status, and with the building having long passed into private hands, it was always likely to be a losing cause.
The location of Birmingham’s first public baths in 1851, the original Kent Street Baths (constructed to the designs of architect John Cresswell in a curious mixture of Queen Anne and Italianate style, using red brick and bath stone dressings) were demolished in 1930 (though the wall of an annexe added in 1914 - and used long after 1930 - remains), replaced three years later by Archibald Hurley Robinson’s imposing modernist design.
Comprising a single large pool with a diving stage set in a Proscenium arch, 68 private washing baths and a Turkish suite, Kent Street also served as the repair and maintenance depot for the city’s Baths Department, as well as its de facto headquarters.
Extensively damaged in an air raid on December 3rd 1940, Kent Street re-opened after World War II and served the residents on the southern side of Birmingham city centre until it closed permanently in 1977, a decision triggered by an ongoing fall in users as slum clearance led to a substantial drop in the population of central Birmingham.
In private hands - and with the swimming pool itself filled in - the building had several uses including as a car repair workshop and electrical goods showroom. Original fittings variously removed, covered by plasterboard or just left to rot, by 2009 Kent Street Baths was in a very sorry state, though with the cast iron roof supports and Proscenium arch still in situ, for anyone able to look inside there was no doubting the building’s raison d’etre.
The 170ft long reconstructed Portland Stone frontage appeared in good condition, certainly not beyond saving, an impressive visage in a part of Kent Street that in recent years had become almost devoid of other buildings.
Reaction to the demolition by those who are aware of it has overwhelmingly been one of disappointment. For now owners the Benacre Estate are retaining the frontage up to ground floor window level to mask the car park, but in time, when economic conditions are more favourable, this will also be demolished and a new building (apartments and/or offices are the most likely) will be constructed. The baths have one final secret to give up though, as what might termed a ‘time capsule’, originally interred on the site in 1849 (dug up and re-buried in 1931), will only be recoverable once total demolition of the frontage and other excavation work has been undertaken, and that could be many years away.
Sadly, the loss of Kent Street Baths is only the latest in a growing list of Birmingham’s inter-war swimming pools which have been, or may soon be, demolished.
The city built ten pools during the period (in addition to which a pool for public use was constructed by Cadbury’s in Bournville), an era when pool usage throughout Britain hit then record highs. Of these, Saltley Baths in George Arthur Road (1924) were closed in 1989 and demolished in 1995. King’s Heath (1926) was knocked down in 1986, with swimming provision in the locale transferred to the Cocks Moors Woods Leisure Centre.
The Gala Pool at Woodcock Street in Aston (1926) was converted to a sports hall c1980 (though the older pool, dating from 1902, remains in use). Kingstanding (1938) was demolished in the late 1980s, replaced by the current leisure centre. Monument Road Baths in Ladywood (June 1940) closed in 1994 leaving another inner city district without swimming facilities. Harborne Pool (1923) is due for replacement in 2010 while the future of Sparkhill Baths (1931) remains in considerable doubt. Thus, only the pools at Erdington (1925), Linden Road, Bournville (1936) and Northfield (1937) seem safe, though the latter sadly lost many of its art deco features during refurbishment several years ago.
Sparkhill’s future is of particular concern; the pool was closed in July 2008 and has significant structural faults that will necessitate demolition of much, if not all, of the pool hall. Arguably the finest of Birmingham’s inter-war baths - and another Hurley Robinson building - like Kent Street its design was inspired by a trip to Germany by Robinson and council officials to examine the health spa movement. The result was a bright and warm interior using oak, pine and walnut joinery combined with marble and subtle use of coloured tiles and glazed brick (notably primrose) to provide a light, airy ambience.

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Sparkhill’s 126ft frontage, faced in brick with Guildstone dressings, remains a much-loved feature of Stratford Road, and the baths form part of a run of public facilities, including the police station, library, community centre and public park, all of which date from the first half of the 20th Century. Inside is Britain’s first ever learner pool and, through a highly impressive stone colonnade, the 100ft (33m) long adult pool. In an age where most new pools are constructed to a standard 25m length, the extra distance afforded swimmers in Sparkhill is an extremely popular feature, attracting swimmers from well beyond the building’s immediate catchment area.
Like Kent Street, Sparkhill Baths are Locally Listed Grade ‘B’ and while the city council appear committed to providing swimming facilities in the neighbourhood (and probably on the current site) and Leisure Services Chief Martin Mullaney is known to favour retaining as much of the current building as possible, Mullaney’s officers appear to be pressing for the easy option of demolition and rebuild. Which calls into question the whole point of both local listing and Birmingham City Council’s commitment to the preservation of important, historic, popular and aesthetically pleasing buildings.
This cannot continue.
Contrast this approach with Sandwell, where Chester Button’s 1933 Moderne swimming baths (in Thimbelmill Lane, Smethwick) have recently undergone major refurbishment, with original features restored or repaired, the building now awarded Grade II listed status as a result.
For Kent Street Baths, the bell has tolled. Sparkhill must not be allowed to go the same way by Council officers and their consultant advisors whose main talent appears to be counting beans.
Steve Beauchampé is author of Played in Birmingham (Malavan Media, 2006) and a researcher and photographer for Great Lengths - the historic indoor swimming pools of Britain (Malavan Media, 2009), both part of English Heritage’s Played in Britain series. www.playedinbritain.co.uk
Sparkhill Baths. Photos: © Steve Beauchampé
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There's a few old photos on the B14 site.

Sparkhill Baths

The baths located on the Stratford Road was opened on 29th July 1931. The main swimming pool 100ft. X 35ft. varies in depth from 9ft. to 3ft. 6in., and a smaller learner pool 32ft. X 21ft. 4in. slopes 3ft. 6in. to 2ft. 1in.. There was a total of 160 dressing cubicles, with 80 cubicles located either side of the pool. There were suites of washing baths and a café where light refreshment was available.

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Similar to the Birmingham Mail article, this is the fuller Birmingham Post version.

One of Birmingham's last remaining 1930s swimming baths to be demolished

One of Birmingham’s last surviving 1930s swimming baths is to be demolished and replaced by a modern pool and fitness centre.
sparkhill-baths-300-241815166.jpg


City council leaders decided that the cost of repairing Sparkhill Baths would be too great and opted instead to construct a new building on the same site. Health and safety officials shut the pool in July 2008 after a ceiling tile containing asbestos fell into the water.
Closer inspection revealed far more of the substance plus widespread corrosion throughout the building.

An initial estimate to demolish and rebuild was about £13 million, but city leisure bosses are confident of reducing the cost to about £7 million.
A meeting of the city cabinet approved a tendering exercise, inviting private sector firms to bid to build and run the new centre on the Stratford Road site.
A council spokesman said: “We have been out to the market place and we are confident that significant savings can be made on the original estimate.”
An alternative option, to rebuild the pool at Moseley School, was ruled out after local people rejected the idea in a consultation exercise.
Cabinet leisure member Martin Mullaney said a survey of Sparkhill Baths found “substantial structural deterioration”.
While the building could be refurbished, the cost would be as great as a new centre which would be cheaper to run, he added.
The new centre will consist of a 25 metre six lane pool, a separate learner pool, fitness suite, exercise studio and changing rooms.
It will be the second council baths after Harborne Pool to be built and run by the private sector.
When it was built by the council in 1931, Sparkhill Baths were regarded as among the finest public pools anywhere in Europe.
Councillors even went to Germany to view the best examples of modern construction before deciding on a design.
Coun Mullaney (Lib Dem Moseley & Kings Heath) added: “The new pool and gym at Sparkhill will be far more attractive and used by up to three times as many people.”

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I did the same here, Mike, but 11 years earlier. I did my obligatory six lessons, hated it, couldn't swim at the end (or since) and that was that!

Maurice
 
I`m with you Sospiri,went with the school,Golden Hillock,and during my first lesson some idiot,cannot remember his name,ducked me under and almost drowned me not been since then so waters for drinking ,washing & cleaning but not for swimming in.
K.R.O
 
Hi Ed,

Yes, similar to my experiences. I was just so pleased when they said that if you couldn't swim after six lessons that you didn't have to go again! I lived in Bournemouth for 40 years and the last time I had a paddle was that very hot summer of 1976. Even here in Crete, where it is much warmer, I haven't had a paddle for two years. I much prefer to go up into the mountains and leave the beaches to the tourists!

Maurice
 
I am indebted to Ellbrown of Hall Green for the nostalgic 'photos of the Municipal Baths in Sparkhill.

In 1947, at the age of nine, my Nanny allowed me to attend these baths with a couple of friends about my own age. I guess her viewpoint was 'safety in numbers' and the plus points were not only was it considered a wholesome activity there was the advantage that I could learn to swim.

On an afternoon visit, just before leaving, I watched an adult swimming the length of the adult pool and reflected how I wished I could swim like him. My opportunity soon came: a teenage girl pushed me into the pool. Luckily for me one of the male pool attendants saw that I was in distress and ordered a known swimmer to pull me out. I made my thanks to those concerned who, as far as I believed, had saved my life. The girl was told to leave the baths.

I was very concerned that Nanny not hear of the escapade: she would have stopped me visiting the baths again (well my wellbeing was her responsibility). So it was decided that a loaf of bread from a bakers shop opposite the baths would soak up all that water I had swallowed and hopefully she would be none the wiser.

Actually I still cannot swim - I never pursued the quest, even having lived close to the sea for most of my life.

I often wondered if anyone did manage to learn to swim by the methods those kind, well meaning ladies used. They hauled you to the side so fast that by the time your arms were working you were actually at the pool edge.
 
No problem Radiorails. Just from a Google Image search.

In the 1990s they took us in a coach or minibus. I haven't been swimming since I was in Year 8 at school.

These days I occasionally look at it from the bus, but not always.
 
Update on Sparkhill Baths via the Birmingham Mail

Mixed reaction to new Sparkhill Baths

sparkhill-swimming-baths-624300329.jpg


PLANS to build a new swimming pool in Birmingham which will be run by the private sector have drawn mixed reactions from residents.

City council leaders decided the cost of repairing Sparkhill Baths would be too great and have opted to construct a new building on the same site.

A meeting of the city cabinet approved a tendering exercise inviting private sector firms to bid to build and run the new centre on the Stratford Road site.

The process is likely to take 12 months with another two years for building leading to an opening date of summer 2014.

A spokesman for the council assured residents that fees and opening times would be decided by the authority.

But residents at the latest constituency meeting raised concerns over the pool being run by an external contractor and the length of time it would take to build.

Helen Coulthard, chair of Save Sparkhill Baths, said: “We are pleased that we are getting a new pool but we are annoyed that is going to take so long.

“Also we really don’t want it to be privately run.

“But with the new Harborne pool it looks like they are beginning to privatise our leisure services which is OK in the short term but not long term.

“We are worried. It is all very well to say there will be things in place if a private company does not meet requirements but we don’t know what these are.

“The problem is that Sparkhill is a poor area and a private company intent on making money is not the way to go, we think, and it is a concern.”

Health and safety officials shut the pool in July 2008 after a ceiling tile containing asbestos fell into the water.

Closer inspection revealed far more of the substance plus widespread corrosion.

An initial estimate to demolish and rebuild was about £13 million, but city leisure bosses are confident of reducing the cost to about £7 million.

The new centre will consist of a 25-metre pool, a separate learner pool, fitness suite, exercise studio and changing rooms.

A public consultation will be held to allow the public to have a say on the new facility.
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Read More https://www.birminghammail.net/news...sparkhill-baths-97319-28992492/#ixzz1RH1qEal5
 
We also made use of the pool from Yorke House School in Hall Green in the mid to late 40s. Three memories stick out. 1. The smell of vinegar soaked newspaper from the six-penn'orth of chips from the shop by the bus stop opposite. 2. The system at Sparkhill Baths was to leave your clothes in the changing cubicle but very frequently money would go missing from my pockets so I had to walk home having had my bus fare stolen. 3. How difficult it was to pull my socks up when you didn't dry your feet properly. It seemed so modern compared with Moseley Road baths, the other pool the family made use of (and where I learned to swim).
 
Oh my word, what memories these pictures and comments evoke! My friends and I used this pool in the 1950s. For sixpence,(pre-decimal) you could have a swim for 2d, the bus fare was 2d but if you were prepared to walk home you could have a cup of hot Oxo for 2d in the cafe. As I recall, the pool was sometimes full and we had to wait on those steps to be let in to the next session. I finally learned to swim aged 11 in 1960 at my grammar school!
 
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In recent weeks have noticed City Demolition signs and barriers outside the baths.

There is still a timeline for the restoration on the wall that never happened. (that claimed it would re-open in April 2015 but nothing happened re contractors / developers etc).

Oh and anything mentioned in previous articles never happened either!

The building still stands (for now).
 
Just got the bus past Sparkhill Baths and the proper demolition of the building has begun! The right hand corner at the front is being knocked through.
 
Almost half of the building is gone.

Can see the metal construction at the back over the baths (only observations when passing on the no 6 bus - on weekday mornings).


Not sure if anyone is taking photos of the site.
 
Even more of it gone since I last saw it from the bus!

Metal bit at the back is gone. Not much left unfortunately.
 
Sparkhill Baths news from the Birmingham Mail

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/new-sparkhill-pool-18-months-10466853

The opening of a new Birmingham swimming pool has been delayed for 18 months after the old building was found to be riddled with deadly asbestos.
Contractors demolishing the old Sparkhill Pool have found the poisonous material was used extensively throughout the building - meaning the new leisure centre will not be open until spring 2017.
It means the work has stopped several times since August 2014 to allow specialist contractors to decontaminate the site.
But now the City Council’s Labour cabinet has given the go ahead to begin work on the pool, one of six being built in Birmingham in a £36 million investment in leisure centres .
Planning permission for the new building was approved in February.
Cabinet member for contracts Stewart Stacey (Lab, Acocks Green) said: “Sparkhill Pool is not going as predicted.
“As happens with many older buildings, the asbestos was much, much worse than anyone thought it would be and more than was visible when the contract was signed.”
He explained the demolition has been a slow process as the contractors had to make sure one area was fully decontaminated before moving on to the next and finding more.
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I learnt to swim at Sparkhill Baths. No thanks to the instructors or our school (Dennis road/Anderton Park) we were all made to jump in and any children not willing were helped to do so! Someone had to help fish me out after I stood on the bottom of the pool, left me with a lifelong fear of being underwater. I eventually learned with help from my friends. About 15 years ago I was managing 50 lengths, still keeping my face out the water but had progressed from swimming at the side of the pool, the lifeguards encouraged me to swim down the centre pointing out if I could swim that far I could make it to the side if I needed to.
 
Hi
Just found this thread. As of July'15 Google suggest that the baths still stands as I remember them.
Went to Yardley Grammar 1949/54 & used to go to the baths 52 -54 on the way home from school. The earlier postings from ellbrown show the diving boards at the deep end. I still remember having separated ribs when I went off the intermediate boards & hit the spring board at the lower level (probably mucking about)
Was the café upstairs? I remember having hot Horlicks (never having it since)
John
 
John Baldry said:
Hi
Just found this thread. As of July'15 Google suggest that the baths still stands as I remember them.
Went to Yardley Grammar 1949/54 & used to go to the baths 52 -54 on the way home from school. The earlier postings from ellbrown show the diving boards at the deep end. I still remember having separated ribs when I went off the intermediate boards & hit the spring board at the lower level (probably mucking about)
Was the café upstairs? I remember having hot Horlicks (never having it since)
John
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The Baths were still standing when I drove past last week, terrible shame to think such a building isn't protected though.
 
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