Victoria Swimming Baths Manchester
I’m old enough to remember the days of ‘The Wash House’ when not only did the public swimming baths provide somewhere to swim , but also facilities for people to bathe and wash. I used to swim in Victoria Baths when it was open to the public in the late 70’s. It a fine building, with stunning features and it was a privilege to have the opportunity to photograph it recently before the wedding of Emma and Melissa.
When it opened in 1906, Victoria Baths on Hathersage Road, Manchester, was described as "the most splendid municipal bathing institution in the country" and "a water palace of which every citizen of Manchester can be proud." Not only did the building provide spacious and extensive facilities for swimming, bathing and leisure, it was built of the highest quality materials with many period decorative features:- stained glass, terracotta, tiles and mosaic floors.
Victoria Baths served the people of central Manchester for 87 years and established themselves in the affections of all those who used the facilities.
