Victoria Baths Manchester

I just love this building it has fab tiles and stained glass and lovely carved wood etc. The history of the building from a social front is interesting as well. You may have seen this on the show Restoration it won the first series. Wish they would put this show back on tv and therefore save some other much loved buildings. Anyway here is a link if you scrol over the plan and click it will show you some fab pictures and information etc. The Baths even had its own 4 bedroom flat for the pool manager.

http://www.victoriabaths.org.uk/taketour.htm

bootiful and what a great job looking after the baths and being housed there too

It is a beautiful building Mel, I do wish you could have come to the Hyde Town Hall investigation.
They have very similar green tiles all around the entrance hall, and some lovely stained glass abouve the doorways.

Trouble is Mags you would not have got any investigation out of me I would be asking them to turn the lights on so I could see the lovely tiles

You get to see them quite a bit, they are in the entrance hall and round by the public loos.

I was so pleased to know this beautiful building was to be restored. My mums mum Ellen was a very keen swimmer who took part in many galas so I am sure she must have swum there as they lived in Manchester.

Hollyrose its one of the places that I so want to go see. Your probably right if she lived in Manchester she probably would have used that pool. Its such a shame that it ever closed because once something like this closes its much harder to restore etc.

Mel I would love to know if there are any of the old records around so I could find out if Ellen took part in any galas there. I found nothing in the family papers about any of her swimming feats, sadly they must have been destroyed.

Now I saw as part of a show on the Manchester Baths a few years ago now but there was a woman who did trace some records to do with swimming club as this one woman who swam there I think from memory went on to swim the Channel. Try the Manchester Baths site you never know they may have records. Otherwise it would be the Manchester Archives or local history groups.

Hollyrose, if you look at the site there are some photos of people who attended the swimming Gala, there is also a 'Friends society' which may help you looking for records.

Thanks for letting me know that Mags, I will look on the site.

Thanks Mel too, I really must read things more carefully!

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, hope you do find some records that would be great.