Swimmers pay £500 for a dip to keep historic baths afloat

SWIMMERS are paying more than £500 to take a dip today in Manchester’s historic Victoria Baths for the first time in nearly 25 years.

The Grade II-listed baths, described as “the most splendid municipal bathing institution in the country” when it opened in 1906, were closed in 1993 due to council budget pressures.

But the pool is being reopened for one day as a fundraiser in the hope of reopening its doors on a full-time basis.

Tickets were snapped up quicker than Glastonbury – with all sessions selling out within 20 minutes.

It caused a bidding war on eBay for the last available ticket for two swimmers, which fetched £509 in an auction run by the Victoria Baths Trust, despite a warning that “swimmers can expect a very basic public pool experience, without showers”.

The charity has campaigned for years for the pool to be returned to use and swimmers can expect a picturesque backdrop of artistic craftsmanship, stained glass windows and intricately detailed tiling.

The building has been partially restored thanks to a £3.4million investment from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which was marked by a visit from the Prince of Wales back in 2003.

The trust’s Gill Wright said: “The Gala Pool will once again be filled with the sights and sounds of people enjoying a swim in this stunning setting.”

When it opened 121 years ago at a cost of £59,144, it was proclaimed by the Lord Mayor of Manchester to be a “water palace of which every citizen of Manchester can be proud”. The building housed a Turkish bath, sauna and three swimming pools.