Bramley Baths

Bramley Baths
General information
Address	Broad Lane, Bramley, Leeds
Coordinates	53°48′51″N1°38′19″W / 53.81420°N 1.63873°W / 53.81420; -1.63873 (Bramley Baths)
Opened	1904;121 years ago (1904)
Owner	Leeds City Council
Management	Bramley Baths & Community Ltd
Design and construction
Architect(s)	J Lane Fox [1]
Website
bramleybaths.co.uk

Bramley Baths is a public swimming pool and the only remaining Edwardian bathhouse in Leeds.

History

Bramley Baths was opened in 1904, in what was originally a steel foundry. It was one of 8 public baths were built in Leeds during 1899–1904 ^[2] in response to a Cholera Epidemic, it provied a facility that allowed people to wash, swim and use Russian style Steam Baths – a fashionable pastime for Edwardians. It is now the only one of those 8 public baths remaining. ^[3] In the early 20th Century, it was not always affordable to heat the pool so between the 1920s and 1960s it was boarded over during the winter months and used as a dancehall. ^[3]

In 2011 Leeds City Council announced plans to reduce the opening times of Bramley Baths from 90 to 48 hours a week; due the possibility of the baths being closed entirely, a community group "Friends of Bramley Baths" was established and applied to take over the lease of Bramley Baths through a Community Asset Transfer scheme. ^[4] Friends of Bramley Baths took over the running of the pool at the start of 2013 with the change marked by a "fancy dress plunge" event on New Years Day ^[5] where participants were offered a free swim if they jumped into the pool in fancy dress. ^[4] After the community group took over the running of the pool, it went from making an annual loss to an annual surplus ^[6] and opened for 105 hours a week. ^[7]

Architectural Features

• 
  The chimney from the original iron foundry is visible across Leeds. ^[4]
• 
  A dutch gable displays the Coat of arms of Leeds and the words 'PUBLIC BATHS' ^[2]
• 
  A blue plaque was added by Leeds Civic Trust in 2023. ^{[8] [9]}

References

1. "Bramley Baths". Historic Pools of Britain.
2. Historic England. "Bramley Baths (Grade II) (1255811)". National Heritage List for England .
3. Marano, Rebecca (8 April 2021). "Bramley Baths: How the last remaining Edwardian bath house remains a architectural gem". Yorkshire Evening Post.
4. "Bramley Baths". Historic England.
5. "Friends of Bramley Baths start running pool". BBC News. 2 January 2013.
6. "Going Up In The World". Public Finance. No. 5. May 2018. pp. 24–29. ISSN   1352-9250.
7. Norton, Penny; Hughes, Martin (2017). Public Consultation and Community Involvement in Planning: A twenty-first century guide. Taylor & Francis. pp. 128–9. ISBN   978-1-317-19136-0.
8. "Blue Plaque for Bramley Baths". Community Leisure UK. 12 September 2023.
9. Shoesmith, Kevin (10 September 2023). "Bramley Baths gets blue plaque in recognition of historical importance". BBC News.