Historic pool raises the roof
£800,000 milestone for baths after years of campaigning and restoration
BIRMINGHAM’S historic Moseley Road Baths has finally raised the roof after a remarkable £800,000 revamp.
The Balsall Heath landmark is the oldest of just five grade II*-listed public swimming baths in Britain, and dates back to 1907.
But the Edwardian building, which had long been crumbling and falling apart, has been saved by the local community.
It has two pools, the larger of which, the Gala Pool, closed to the public in 2003.
But the smaller pool is still open for business and is run by volunteers from the Moseley Roads Baths
Charity. Now essential repairs have been carried out to the roof of the Gala Pool thanks to a grant of over £800,000 from Historic England and other partners, including Birmingham City Council, the National Trust and the World Monuments Fund.
The public can now see the inside of the Gala Pool without scaffolding or debris for the first time in 17 years.
Swimming will continue in the smaller pool, and the Gala Pool will be turned into a community arts venue while its long-term future is considered.
The first booking will be the art installation Specular Reflecular, coproduced by Trust New Art and local residents.
The artists, Juneau Projects, have worked with residents to produce hand-drawn animation celebrating the baths – the exhibition will run from March 5 to 28.
The next stage in the restoration will be work on the Gala Pool’s deteriorated balcony, alongside ongoing repairs and maintenance.
Moseley Road Baths is the only pool in the country built before 1914 to have continuously hosted swimming since opening. Even today, a thriving programme of swimming sessions takes place in the smaller pool.
Saving the baths has been driven by a group of enthusiasts, who set up the Friends of Moseley Baths and turned it into a formal charitable organisation.
The building has been on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register since 2005, and is significant because of its architectural quality and remarkably complete interior, with many rare fittings and fixtures still intact. These include an almost complete set of 46 private washing rooms, known as the “slipper baths”, the only complete set in the country.
The oak ticket offices and attendants’ kiosks also remain in place, along with possibly the only surviving steam-heated drying racks in a British swimming pool.
Historic England’s regional director Midlands Louise Brennan says: “Moseley Road Baths has been a key Heritage at Risk project for us for some time now and we’re so keen to see this special building’s future secured.
“We have provided many years of technical advice and expertise, project support and several grants. The completion of the roof repairs is a major step towards returning this extraordinary site to its former glory.”
Moseley Roads Baths charity trustee Kat Pearson adds: “Moseley Road Baths has been an important building for Balsall Heath for 112 years, not just as a swimming pool but as a meeting place and a focal point for community activism. These repairs are hugely important to the charity and the community of swimmers we represent because they have made this stunning space accessible again.”