It is the story of these Baths that we tell in this book. The Baths have had an eventful history. They both pioneered social change, and were themselves the hub of a rich and changing social world.

The Baths were built on agricultural land south of Withington Village, on what was then the edge of the suburban expansion of Manchester. Proposals for the Baths were ambitious - originally incorporating three pools, later reduced to two. There were also two rooms of 'wash baths', reflecting the need for personal washing facilities in an area where many houses, at the time, lacked baths.

The building itself is impressive, with an ornate architectural style and decorative features, making an attractive exterior and interior. Despite bomb damage during WWII and neglect and mistreatment over time, the building has remained essentially unchanged for over a hundred years.

The Baths were owned and run, for most of their history, by what is now Manchester City Council. However, in 2012-13, the Council was having financial problems and undertook a review of all its services, including sports and leisure facilities. The effect of this review on Withington was that a new, modern pool and gym was to be built to the west of Withington to serve several nearby districts. As a consequence Withington Baths, which were in need of extensive repairs, were scheduled to close. This provoked considerable protest in the community and the formation of a 'Save Our Baths' campaign led by local people and organisations. The Council delayed the closure, and then, in 2015, agreed to hand over responsibility for the building, and for running and developing the facilities, to Love Withington Baths, a newly-formed charity.

The Baths are now (2025) thriving, with an annual footfall of over 300,000, and with 3,400 gym members. The building provides not only a 25yd (23m) pool and a gym, but also a co-working office space, exercise and meeting rooms, a sauna, and a cafe. It is used by local schools, church groups and community organisations, as well as a venue for the local MP's surgeries, for therapy sessions, for parties and for markets. A much-needed restoration and refurbishment was undertaken in 2022-23.

The story of the Baths which we tell here reflects many strands in the wider history of modern Britain: the suburban expansion of the great industrial cities in the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries; the concern about the health, cleanliness and fitness of the population, and the consequent provision of bathing and sporting facilities, municipal parks and hospitals; the increasing role of national and local government in people's lives; changes in the class structure and the gender structure of society; the formal and informal development of 'social hubs' to serve local communities; the threats to heritage buildings; the invention of mechanisms for protest and to influence government policy; and finally, the increasing trend of community-led and charitable groups running public services and facilities.

1. The story of Withington Baths

We now recount the story of the Baths, from the early twentieth century through to the present day, tracing the story from Lord Egerton's field to an impressive Edwardian landmark, from a pioneer in social reform to a dance-hall, from a national concern about the health, fitness and cleanliness of the population, to a thriving community-run sports, exercise and social hub. It is a story of survival - through two world wars, through the Great Depression, through a period of neglect and threatened closure, and finally to revival and restoration.

1.1 From a field to a landmark building: 1904-1913

For most its history, the village of Withington has been independent of Manchester. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the area was first governed by a Withington Local Board (1876-1894) and then run as an Urban District Council (1894-1904). In 1902-03, an 'Amalgamation League' was set up to promote the advantages of Withington being governed by Manchester Corporation. In 1904, Withington was indeed incorporated into Manchester. The District Council had, several years earlier, rejected proposals to build public baths in Withington. However, the incorporation agreement included a commitment to building two public swimming baths in the area that was formerly governed by Withington District Council.

In 1905, Manchester Corporation considered that a plot of land on Burton Road would be a suitable site for the swimming baths in Withington. The plot was adjacent to a cricket ground, and opposite the Waterloo Hotel. There were a few houses nearby, and to the north a Primitive Methodist Chapel, Hough Farm and some streets of terraced houses. To the west was agricultural land through to Withington Old Hall, Old Moat, Hough End, Hardy Farm and Chorlton. The plot was owned by the then Lord Egerton of Tatton and was in agricultural use. Lord Egerton offered the land to the Corporation 'on reasonable terms'.

Progress was slow.

In 1909, plans were prepared by the City Architects' Department for Baths in Withington with three pools (for Females, Males 1st Class and Males 2nd Class). These plans show a building, sitting in a field on the edge of the great city of Manchester, that would have been truly spectacular, in sheer mass as well as architectural features: numerous decorative windows, doorways and gables, terracotta banding across the frontage, and other ornamental features. It would have been similar in impact and exuberance to Manchester's Victoria Baths: 'the most opulent Edwardian municipal baths to survive anywhere in England'.

An inquiry was held at Manchester Town Hall into the application by the Corporation to borrow £ 23,100 to build the Baths based on these plans. The chairman of the Baths and Wash Houses Committee said that £ 20,000 was the 'least that could adequately discharge the obligation Manchester undertook at the time of the amalgamation'. A local councillor pointed out that half the houses in Withington had no baths at the time. However, though the commitment to building swimming baths was not disputed, the costs were. The inspector asked why, when the district had never had public baths, the Corporation was putting forward plans for a building with three pools. One attendee said this showed 'outrageous extravagance', and another recommended that open-air baths would be considerably cheaper.

In 1910, the Corporation approved revised plans for a less ambitious building at an estimated cost of £ 15,000. The plans were for two pools instead of three, and a simpler, less elaborate and less decorated, exterior. The change of plans was opposed by Margaret Ashton, who was a Withington councillor, a prominent campaigner for women’s rights, pacifist and public health advocate. The amended scheme had removed the female pool, which meant that women could swim only at certain times, when men were excluded. Her objections were answered at a later date by the chairman of the Baths and Wash House Committee, who said that it 'was quite impossible to use one pool for males and the other for females, on account of the fact that the proportion of male to female bathers was five to one'. However, it was agreed that 'on certain days bathing will be set apart for women and girls only'. The final cost of building the Baths was £ 15,500.

Design and plans

The Baths were designed with a degree of grandeur, reflecting the civic pride of the great industrial cities of Britain at the time. The ground-plan of the Baths is functional. However, the external elevations are ornate, mixing brickwork and terracotta, with decorated doorways, and window tracery in an ecclesiastical style. There is an attractive roof-scape with varying levels and orientations, and decorative gables in a range of shapes. The building follows no overall 'architectural style', but draws upon a number of styles from various historical periods for architectural detail.

The interior is again functional, but is enlivened with attractive ceramic tiles decorated with neoclassical motifs, and with decorative leaded windows in a variety of styles.

The overall effect of the building is one of restrained grandeur.

The building was reduced from three pools to two by the simple expedient of leaving a space where the third pool (intended for women) was to be, with the idea that another pool - indoors or open-air - may occupy the vacant space in the future. This has not happened, even though, at the opening ceremony, it was announced that this vacant space gave ‘any citizen an excellent opportunity of presenting’ an additional pool. The leftmost of the two remaining pools (originally designed as the central pool) was wider and intended for 'Males 1st Class and Females', the narrower pool on the right was for 'Males 2nd Class'. Each of the pools had changing cubicles along two sides, and the larger of the pools had a tiered viewing gallery at the far end.

In addition to the two swimming pools, there were two rooms at the front, one for males and one for females, each with 14 individual 'wash baths', reflecting the national concern about the health and cleanliness of the population - many houses in the area had no baths at the time. The sites of some of the individual wash baths can still be seen in the building today. There were showers ('spray baths') and 'foot baths' at the shallow ends of both pools. Also at the front of the building was a 'pay office', a store room and a number of other small rooms. Above these rooms, in the centre of the building, was a three-bedroomed flat for the manager of the Baths and his family (the managers were all men).

Each part of the building has it own window designs. The personal bath houses at the front have Art Nouveau designs. The central reception office is very geometric. The first-floor warden's flat is highly decorative with floral designs including red poppies, which are more of a domestic nature. The pool hall windows incorporate wreath designs. We do not know the designers or suppliers of the glasswork.

Unlike many baths built in Britain at the time, Withington Baths did not contain a 'wash house', i.e. a public laundry. Withington Laundry had been built sometime between 1892 and 1916, on a field to the southeast of Withington Village, on what is now Francis Road. It has recently been demolished and replaced with an apartment block. At the back of the Baths, behind the pools, were a water storage tank, toilets and an emergency exit, the boiler house and chimney, and service rooms. Under the building were a network of corridors and storerooms giving access to the heating and water management systems.

Once the plans were approved by the Corporation in 1910, things moved quickly. A 'Notice of intention to Build' was issued in March, 1911, and the complex and ornate building was erected, and all the engineering installed, including a boiler-house and a water-pumping and cleansing system, in a short period. There is a foundation stone dated 7th November, 1911, set into the front wall. The building and engineering works were completed and the Baths were operational by the end of April 1913.

1.2 A century of serving the people: 1913-2013

The Baths were officially opened on 1st May, 1913, by the Lord Mayor of Manchester. The mayor was presented with a key outside the building with which he formally unlocked the door. At a ceremony inside the building, there were speeches by local dignitaries thanking the mayor and celebrating the opening.

Initially, women had very limited access to swimming at the Baths. In the early months, the two pools were set aside for women and girls on Tuesdays only, when men and boys were excluded. This was later extended to Wednesdays, but using only the second-class pool.

We are fortunate to have published data covering the first 11 months of the Baths' operation. The Report on Public Baths and Wash-Houses in the United Kingdom, published by the Carnegie U.K. Trust, appeared in 1918 but covered the period 1913-14. It provides a valuable 'snapshot' of the Baths in their initial months. Here are some of the figures given:

The total attendance for the swimming pools and private baths in the first 11 months was 67,340. Withington Baths were popular and well-used in their initial year, though not as popular as most other baths in Manchester at the time. The Baths were located on a site between agricultural land and a 'suburban village', itself surrounded by agricultural land. The 'catchment area' of the Baths had a much lower population than that of baths serving inner-city areas.

Male attendance (70%) was more than double the female attendance (30%) - a ratio that was evident at most other Manchester baths at the time, but note the restricted access for women and girls to the pools. The Baths were open long hours: 91 hours per week in the summer (May-September) and 70 hours per week in winter. One of the entries in the finance report for the Baths gives the cost of water for the first 11 months as £ 93 - a considerable amount of money in those days, spent mainly on the periodic emptying and refilling of the pools.

Manchester Corporation was keen to see schools take their children to swimming baths for lessons, and in 1913 issued regulations for this: 'The Baths Committee are desirous of making arrangements for the Free Bathing of Scholars using the Second-Class Swimming Baths. With this object, they submit to the School Authorities, Masters, and Teachers the following regulations...' In the first 11 months, there were 22,729 schoolchildren's visits to Withington Baths.....

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BOOK DETAILS

Contents

• Foreword, by Paul Smith
• Introduction
• 1. The story of Withington Baths
• 1.1 From a field to a landmark building: 1904-1913
• 1.2 A century of serving the people: 1913-2013
• 1.3 Threat of closure, protest, a new beginning: 2013-15
• 1.4 Renewal: 2015-2025
• 2. A social history
• 3. Engineering history
• 4. Restoration, by Simon Green
• Appendix. Other swimming baths in the area
• References, notes and further resources