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Woodcock St Baths.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kandor
  • Start date Start date
:D At Woodcock St baths my Dad would dive off the second highest board with me on his back. I'm sure that was why I was a better diver at first than a swimmer, although swimming has become one of my favorite pastimes 8) . Also at 4ft nothing .‚..I was not afraid to dive from the top board at Woodcock St, I'm .‚..sure it was because neither of us Dad, or me could see how far up we really were that we even attempted such a feat. :lol: . Another memory of Woodcock St baths, was once when I went with my Brother-in-law on a really hot Sunday morning, some B... stole my 'Bra' .‚..:oops: . G .‚..was waiting ages for me at the end of the session to take me home on the back of his motorbike. You see I had on what I thought at the time was a very 'Classy' see-through top, and was too :oops: to come out without my 'Bra' until everyone else had left. G laughed on finding out what had taken me so long to get - or not get dressed went from .‚..:evil: .‚..to :lol: .‚..:lol: . So if who ever took my 'Boulder Holder' is reading this , you can keep it as it would be much too small for me now :lol:
 
it's nice to keep abreast of things Pomgolian, my experiance of Woodcock street baths was when I first dived in the deep end to pick a penny off the bottom which I had done many times at Victoria road with no problem, on trying to surface I thought I was never going to make as it was much deeper at Woodcock street I finally made spluttering and gasping for breath, as I recall there was two pools at this venue am I correct
 
The Baths,

There were two baths John, I only went in the small baths a few times, really old looking place it was too.
I dont recall any boards or anything in the small baths.
I do remember the larger one had both the cubicles and the communal changing rooms under the seating steps.
I only used the private ones as I was 'ickle and shy in those days.
And Pom? a bra you say...I thought it was a Japanese slingshot..I'm glad you dont want it back though, I still wear it.
Merry Christmas both.
 
Bespoke underwear was always expensive (it's all that specialist supporting cable imported from the shipyards). I still use Woodcock Street but the gym not the baths. I can report however the baths have changed very little with the changing cubicles still in use.
 
Hiya Pom..

Well Pom, you can rest assured I've had my full wear and tear out of it..
But I tell you what...what is there (small) that you CANT get out in NZ that you really miss? tell me what it is and I'll arrange to have it sent out free of charge for two reasons (no, guilt, is not one of them)..one, It cost you a lot of money...and two, your writing makes me smile...
I mean it..what do you miss?
Hey!!! this could be an Ex-Pats forum..
What do you miss most about England?, is it the Fleas, the Cold, rain, nits,
Hmmm...the list could be endless.
 
:D Well thanx Kandor 8) . If you had made that offer a few years ago I could have made a list as long as 'ya arm'. However in todays climate with the lifting of 'Quotas' and Tariffs' and the 'Free Trade' agreements, we can get just about anything we want now in NZ :D. And very low prices to boot. 8) .
 
Woodcock Street had the highest diving board in Birmingham in the '50s. I first dived off it when I was 11. I was up there a long time before I dived
 
I jumped off that board had sore feet for weeks. :idiot2:The GEC WITTON used WOODCOCK STREET for its annual swimming Gala, I still have a pewter beer tankard,presented by G.J.GRACE the then Chairman of GEC. :angel:
 
Twas both there and Stechford baths I displayed my superb prowess in diving off the boards (of course you had to pose for quite a while sometimes until enough people were looking to see your dive)
 
Woodcock Street Swimming baths every Sunday morning and then a cup of Horlicks in the cafe there. l guess l almost drown in there once untill the elder brother of a mate named brian pulled me out. A BIG THANK YOU to you Edward Pyatt for your kind deed all those years ago. Hoping you get to read this.
 
Nice photo of the modernisation that was taking place in the 50's at Woodcock Street Gala Bath
 
At a meeting of the Council on the 28th September, 1852, the Baths Committee were instructed to consider the advisability of providing a second suite of baths in the town and the district selected was that of the Duddeston Ward or in its immediate neighbourhood.
A site for this purpose situated between Woodcock Street and Duke Street was finally chosen and in due course the foundation stone of the Woodcock Street Baths was laid on the 25th July, 1859 and on the 27th August, 1860, the buildings were opened to the public.
The design of the building was in the Gothic style of architecture and of red brick with blue brick plinth and stone dressings, string courses and coping.
The original accommodation included a large Swimming Bath and suites of Private Baths for Men and Women, each with a small Plunge Bath.
Additions up to the year 1902 were a First Class Swimming Bath and suites of First Class Private Baths and a Steam Laundry, the latter to ease the position at the Kent Street Laundry in dealing with the increased requirements of the remaining establishments.
Shortly after the Great War, it was decided to reconstruct the Woodcock Street Baths, only the Bath added in 1902 remaining unaltered. The new buildings, opened on the 14th April, 1926, included a Gala Bath, suites of Private Baths for Men and Women and a Central Establishment Laundry, capable of handling the requirements of the whole of the Department's establishments.
During the winter of 1948-49, the Gala Bath was completely modernised by the installation of under-water lighting, improved lighting in the Bath Hall, and the application of sprayed asbestos acoustic treatment to the Bath Hall ceiling.
Below is the Laundry Room
 
Anyone got pictures of the private baths for men and women?? at Woodcok St, an uncle of mine used them quite a lot.
 
Angie, do you mean were you just went for a wash or bath ? as most Public swimming baths had those facilities........Woodcock street  did .......Kent Street had a Turkish Baths, plunge pool, and shampoo rooms which were opened in 1879.......you could have a private warm bath for 6d or a private cold bath for 3d ......Kent Street got a direct hit in the Blitz and suffered a great deal of damage.......so did Green Lane Baths at Small Heath......
Typical bath in the 50's
 
Went to a Turkish Bath in town somewhere with a couple of guys from the Armstrong Whitworth drawing office on Corporation Street, a few times. Never done that before or since. It was great though. Progressively hotter rooms until you could only breath slowly or the tip of your nose would burn. We kept speaking to each other so that we would know we were still alive. Penultimately the massage room where you were really twisted out of shape by ex-nazi storm troopers. Finally the cold plunge jump, over your head in cold water. I swear there were ice cubes in it. If you survived you were wrapped in a large towel and taken to a private cubicle to recover.
I had never been that clean before. I suppose we were masochists. We made it a weekly experience for a while. It was enjoyable; the great slabs of marble were from another era.

Regarrrrds
 
Yes Cromwell,that's what i meant just a hot bath.
Would that be a pic of a tipical victorian bath? :-\
 
Although I didn't live near Woodcock Street Baths they were front and centre for a
couple of years since the school I attended in Corporation Street had absolutely no sports facilities within it and the pupils had to travel to different areas of Brum for lessons in the sporting area. Kyle Hall for Gym, tennis courts at a park near The Tower Ballroom and sometimes on the grass courts at Witton Lakes Park, since the Sports Mistress, Miss Nock lived close by there and swimming at Woodcock Street Baths.

I liked the swimming best of all. We had to walk to Woodcock Street from the school but never in "crocodile" fashion. We had a class time there and we turned up. This would have been l952/53. I liked this because it was a completely different experience for me.

The highest diving board was very frightening to me and the boys in the class were encouraged to use it. The Gala Baths were fitted out for competitions and I can't think of anywhere else in Brum at that time that had a spectators area for swimming galas. When our class was in "training" for races it always felt very special swimming there. We had our own mini gala and it was very different when people were cheering the swimmers on from the spectators seats. I liked that place so much that one summer night I rode on my bike from Stockland Green to Woodcock Street Baths via Slade Road, Salford Bridge, Lichfield Road and Aston Road North, remembering to turn left at Midland Counties Dairy. A long bike ride. On the way home a huge summer rainstorm began and I could hardly cycle along Aston Road N. and Lichfield Road. I had to avoid Park Road because of the huge hill I remember. I arrived home wet through and freezing cold. My parents had no idea where I had been until I told them. I never attempted that again. Regardless, I have very fond memories of my time at Woodcock Street Baths.

Great photos Cromwell. The washing baths I don't know much about but many girls at my school went
in the evenings and regaled those of us with bathrooms with some great stories of the good times they
had going to the Washing Baths at Victoria Road. My Aunty Ida was a swimming instructor at
Victoria Road Baths for a while around l910 I believe.
 
Angie, the ones I used at Saltley were the type with feet and a full rounded bottom. I think you could turn on the cold water but the hot was locked and had to be operated by the attendant with a key. I know it seems archaic in these days of indoor plumbing and hot water on demand but then, the alternative for most of us was this or heating up water on a gas stove and carrying it to a galvanized tin tub placed in front of the fire in the living room. The baths were clean and cared for. Everything was quite respectable but....the towels were never large enough or very absorbant if I remember rightly. I think you got a little piece of crude soap also.
Gees, there was a time when I would have been embarrassed to admit that I had to use those places. Times change. The 15 min walk to the baths was always a nuisance especially if it was raining. A cold shower to close the pores as my old mom would say. A Birmingham shower in those days was more likely to shorten your life.

Brrr...
 
Great pictures :compress: I remember swimming in a couple of school galas and having weekly diving lessons there. :) On the way back home to catch the 55 bus we used to pass a building with an iron gate, behind which were steaming piles of hops; I can still remember the lovely smell :smitten: The school eventually changed to using the baths at Stetchford which quite honestly I preferred back then :laugh: as it was more modern.
Gillian :crazy2:
 
That reminds me, does anyone have a pic or memories of the public washing baths in Francis St/Willis St Nechells?
I was known to wallow in there as a kid.
 
Woodcock Baths

Woodcock St baths holds special memories for me i won three medal there at the catholic schools gala,indavidiul, relay ,diving
i spen tmy last two years of schooling at Cardinal Newan hated the place very clicky couldn't get in football team certain individuals influenced the sports teacher Mr Powell

I had to go there because St Marys Hockley closed down I boxed,swam. football for the school

They could not leave out at Newams swimming team i was there fastest swimmer,coud swim all strokes and went on to county trials
 
For information on the baths you may want to read The City of Birmingham Baths Department 1851 - 1951 written by J. Moth in 1951. It's got lots of information on all the other baths up until 1951 as well.

I haven't seen any copies available to buy but I do know Sutton Coldfield Reference Library has one or two copies.
 
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