The Old Swimming Baths, Ashton under Lyne.
The Corporation Baths at the Henry Square end of Stamford Street were opened in 1870 at a cost of £16,000. It was one of the first and largest municipal swimming baths.
The building is constructed almost entirely of brick, with some stone decoration. It was built in a Byzantine style and has a 120 feet high tower which housed the flues from the steam boilers and heaters.
Two pools
Sixty per cent of the building was occupied by the main Swimming Bath. The pool was 100 feet long and 40 feet wide and was used mainly by male bathers, with a three hour period on Thursdays for ladies.
In the eastern section of the building was a smaller pool, 27 feet long and 15 feet wide, for the use of female bathers. During the winter months, when the main bath was closed, the smaller pool was used by men and women at different times. There were also private bathrooms and Turkish baths. Part of the building was used as a police station and a station for one fire engine.
Skating rink
Between November and March each year, the main pool was covered over with a wooden floor, built on wooden supports placed on the bottom of the pool. The room was then used as a skating rink, concert hall and meeting room. The skating rink measured 116 by 50 feet with a raised stage area at one end. When chairs were set out, the ground floor and the spacious gallery could seat more than 4,000 people.
The building was closed when the newer baths were opened in the 1970s. The building has been vandalised and allowed to deteriorate. As part of the re-generation of this part of Ashton (the St Petersfield development), it is hoped to re-furbish the building and use it for a new purpose.
Details of the ornate Victorian brickwork on the facade of the Old Baths.
The Old Swimming Baths, Ashton under Lyne, is being retained as a feature of the St Petersfield development.
Click to see an old photo showing the interior of the Old Baths.
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