Manchester's Deserted Victoria Baths.

Manchester's Deserted Victoria Baths.

 

Very often city bosses are quick to bulldoze deserted buildings that stand on prime locations.  But thankfully that is not the case with Manchester's spectacular Victoria Baths.  Closed since 1993, the incredibly intact interior and Edwardian-era styling make the baths a photographer' s dream.

The internal features are mirrored in their elegance by the Victoria Baths' outward design.  Built from red brick - used prominently in Manchester and across the north west of England - punctuated with terracotta decoration, Victoria Baths evokes the grandeur of Victorian/Edwardian architecture, seen in hotels, swimming baths, railway stations and other public buildings of the era.  At the time of construction in 1906, Manchester had one of the wealthiest municipal coffers in the world.

While many old swimming baths and other similar buildings still exist today, most have been gutted if their internal splendour and converted for other uses.  Pubs and bars are a common example, often making considerable effort to retain some of the ornate features - but most importantly saving the historic buildings for future generations.  The stained glass windows and spectacular green tiling is a defining feature of the Victoria Baths.

No expense was spared during the construction of Victoria Baths.  In addition to the tiling, fine woodwork and iron mongery produced by a skilled generation of master craftsmen graced the entrances and offices of the building.  Above can be seen an iron ballustrade topping sillouetted against the backdrop of the womens' pool.  There are three pools, including one for men and one for women.  The main pool was covered over in winter months and used as a dance hall.

Operating Victoria Baths - which also included a Turkish baths - required a large amount of below-ground machinary, piping and filtration systems.  Above can be seen that same system today, covered in more than a decade of dirt but otherwise still seemingly intact.

The elegant design continues into the pool areas themselves, with high stained glass windows, ornate changing facilities around the top balconies of the pools, and a fantastic fish mosaic swimming within the deep green tiling

The steam rooms of the Turkish baths mix deep turquoise tiling with the more prominent green accenting the walls throughout the building.  The designers went to great lengths to design grand features around seemingly mundane functions - such as the tap (above).  Victoria Baths has featured in the TV hit Life on Mars.  The instantly recognisable green-tiled staircase suggests it also served as the internals for the old Tomb Street Bath House, in the stylish yet ultra-violent film Resurrection Man, set in Belfast.

Above can be seen the long empty womens' pool, with the grand iron turnstyle at the entrance.  By comparison, the pool at the very top of this article is the first class gala/males pool, with spectators seating around the balcony.  One of many fundraising and arts events is in full swing, with bright images projected against the rear wall of the pool.  Thankfully the Friends of Victoria Baths have been campaigning the protect and restore the building since it closed in 1993.  And by the looks of it, they're doing a fantastic job, given how quickly empty buildings often go to rack and ruin.  Check out these open days to find out when you and your camera can explore the baths.